She Said You're Pretty Good with Words, but Words Won't Save Your Life

The most prevalent female name in the news this past week has not been that of a certain vapid California starlet. Instead, the lady that the nightly newscasts could not ignore was a woman from the House of Windsor, Queen Elizabeth to be exact. We followed the Queen as she went from Williamsburg to Louisville to Washington, but this begs the question: Why do we care so much about a figurehead? What is the American obsession with the British monarchy?

Is it simply a fascination with an idea that is unfamiliar to our American notions of democracy or is it a reverence for someone who is the living embodiment of the collective history of our nation? The organic American form of democracy would likely cause a large number of Americans to reject the idea of monarchy, yet many are still captivated by an institution that we once declared unacceptably oppressive.

America is a nation that has surged through a myriad of shapes and forms and it seems that the one thread running through our national narrative is that of change. Horace Greeley's memorable admonition to "Go West Young Man," is more than a shallow platitude. It is our national identity. The West may have been won, but we continue to move towards a distant vista where life will surely be better and more secure through the inexorable force of our will.

Perhaps this is why we are fascinated with the Queen. When we view the British monarchy, we are reminded of our own national youth and impressed by the continuity of that little island nation that did so much to give us our beginning. It is not incredibly unlike placing a new, shiny Corvette next to a vintage Aston Martin. One is all raw power and flash. The other is quietly refined and stylish. All of these are good qualities, but when placed side by side, the differences become obvious.