[!@#$%!]

@suchfriends:

i don't think it's a harmless old lady that symbolizes the perpetuation of an absurd class system that perpetuates privilege without merit, but if you're fine eating crumbs from the master's table then by all means enjoy it-- lots of people apparently do.

the issue is not if people in power are assholes or not. people in power cause a lot of damage-- some involuntary, some with forethought and malice. when power is temporary, you can replace the bastards for other bastards of your preference. you can even prosecute them once they are out of power. when power is hereditary and sanctioned by law, good luck getting rid of the motherfuckers (hello, kim jong illness #27).

democracy and elections of course do not magically eliminate the problem of political power in nation-states, and they have not abolished the monopoly of the state on violence, but that's an issue that goes beyond mere forms of government. a government is still a government and it's going to be a very long time until we have something less barbaric than we do--we might never have it as long as violence and exploitation continue to be part of human nature.

of course the current british monarchy is pretty much neutered these days (though it owns a huge chunk of the country though), but what it represents still stinks of the most foul and shitty absurdity-- that there is a class of people who is by inheritance better than the rest.