First of all, I am not an "anglophile."
And I realize that the time I read about British Royalty and Harry and Meghan is probably a waste of time because as an American what happens with the Royal family probably has no effect on my life. Obviously American politics is more important.
Today I took a class where I overheard two women, one a WASP, one "Hispanic," who were even more knowledgeable that I am about what's been happening with the Royals and far more opinionated. More vicious in their condemnations of Meghan Markle they were. Almost shockingly so. I felt all my reading qualified me to enter into this conversation. They didn't want to hear what I had to say. My opinion then proves to be moderate.
First, it has been known that Prince Charles has been in wait for his mother's death to have his turn at being King. Some think she decided to spurn him after the Princess Diana/ Camilla Parker Bowles debacle. Over the last decade or so and their marriage, Camilla has been accepted as Charles' love and King Consort if not Queen. Some people actually think Princess Diana was unstable and did a lot of wrong too because she had so many affairs while married but the sympathy has been with her because she was a mother and because she died too young, leaving Princes William and Harry motherless. The world, including me and my housemate at the time, watched the funeral. We stayed up all night and watched it live. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson stepping up as the casket came by, heads bowed, nods of respect. Young Prince Harry, the shortest in the line up of Windsor, Wales, and Spencer men following the casket.
Although he was young, healthy, athletic, intelligent enough to fly a helicopter, handsome, and social, and no doubt had his pick of women, Harry seems to have had one long term relationship with a commoner that did not turn into marriage, and perhaps a few relationships that lasted less long. (Chelsy Davy heroically attended the wedding.) He seemed to be a partier but also a serial monogamist. It seemed that when it came right down to it, few women wanted to become part of the Royal Family, with all that control over their lives and all that media interest.
American actress Meghan Markle seems to have a sparkling personality, a warmth, an ability to handle crowds, and I believed her acting experience helped qualify her for the intensity of living a life in which one must constantly put on a good face and meet commoners, especially people who put on non-profits or benefit by them or need some compassion. Princess Diana lost HRH when she divorced but got called the Queen of People's Hearts - something like that - but she had been brought up in the wealth and atmosphere of high aristocracy and yet was not prepared for her husband to have a mistress... Markle has beauty and intelligence but also comes from a much more Working Class family, and a broken one.
Ambitious and hardworking. Let me say this. For every one person who manages to break into acting and get a few roles in film or a television series, there must be 5000 who can't get in, not at all, never, who just don't have connections or luck. Few succeed. Los Angeles is full of people waiting on tables in order to be available for the auditions. The WASP who knows everything and told me so today says she was in the business and knew those people and that world and so she said she feels Markle knew what she was getting into, including dealing with the paparazzi. She feels unimpressed with her acting accomplishments and current attitude. I thought that attitude was punishing.
To me Markle likely believed with all her heart she could handle it and has found this not to be true after all. I also count recent motherhood, and being a first time mother at the old age of 38, as a reason why she has found herself more fragile than she expected to be. Can't she even have a few years off before she returns to work?
Since so many of the Royal Families of Europe have become unseated from their thrones or stepped away and seek to be aristocratic yet ordinary.... Since Prince Charles is in his 70's and still has not had his moment... Since there are already Prince William and his son in line for that throne... Since Prince Charles has not allowed his brother, the now infamous and unemployed Prince Andrew, or his brother's daughter's Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, to be part of his vision of a new smaller Royal Family... Who does he think should do all that soft diplomacy?
Well, it seems to me that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, absolutely should be realizing they have to make their own life, their own way in the world. Despite all the travel and visits to worthy people and causes they have made representing Britain, they were not destined to be part of the so called "Senior" (employed in soft diplomacy) Royals." Other Royals, such as Princess Anne, do much work for their country without being so much in the media, and have also done things like choosing not to have their children bear titles. I expected they would have their fame a while and then the media would turn to the next good story and they would live their lives much as Princess Anne has.
Queen Elizabeth has said she was going to give it another 2 years. Her husband is clearly showing his age, more hostile than usual. Either of them could die at any moment and suddenly Prince Charles would have his chance. I frankly think the Queen should have stepped down and allowed Prince Charles the life experience he was destined for at her 50th anniversary on the throne. She has made it 60 years and in two it will be 70 years. So at 73 years old, an age at which most Americans are retired, Charles will get his chance.
HERE IS WHERE THE REAL PROBLEM IS. There simply are too many non profits and do gooders around Great Britain that expect royals to be there for them. Great Britain has been a world power and has so many nations as part of the Commonwealth, but the seat of it, the island, is a small nation. It's 40 times smaller than the United States. California is almost twice as big. A good fit would be Michigan. Imagine if much of your life was spent going around Michigan smiling, shaking hands, meeting people, being a representative of Michigan on the world stage as well as every town's do gooders.
I think that while many aristocratic women want to marry into aristocracy and/or wealth, Prince Harry could have never married because being married to him is a JOB that nobody else wanted. I think it's incredibly difficult for anyone Royal to have a personal life, a private life.
Most American's I feel, completely understand wanting independence which includes a chance to FAIL ON ONE'S OWN MERIT, not just success. To do it, as in Frank Sinatra's classic tune, My Way. To make it on your own without your parents or family helping, is just sooooo American. Pride in accomplishment - even if the accomplishment is survival - is strong here. And Markle is a contemporary American woman.
C 2020 Christine Trzyna
1/4/20
HENRY VAN DYKE Quote
"Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." Henry Van Dyke
1/2/20
HOLIDAY FILM JAG and EXCELLENT EATING
Over the holidays I had the opportunity to house and dog sit for three days for some friends who headed to the mountains and snow, just me, a warm blanket in an unheated house, and their Netflix. I do not own a TV, have not in years, and it's been a long time since I binged on film.
I brought a book with me, Joyce Carol Oates "The Falls," but once I realized that (at last!) I'd encountered a remote that I could manipulate without frustration, I decided to sit in a wonderful easy chair with the dogs on my lap and watch a few films. This turned into a three day personal film fest with no human to consider except myself. Sweet aloneness!
I got up between films only to bake; pumpkin flax seed dog treats, pumpkin oatmeal cherry bread, applesauce oatmeal raisin bread, a pork roast with sour kraut and yams. The later being something reminiscent of my upbringing. Pork and kraut was supposed to be "good luck" if eaten on New Years Day. The dogs loved it. I became their new best friend. Even the cat begged for some, followed me room to room. I later discovered she had propelled herself onto the bed in a swirl of blankets and sweaters, sleeping as if she had not in weeks.
I made some New Years Resolutions that all have to do with diet. To drink at least one tall glass of pure water every morning. I'm well hydrated but... To reduce the amount of sugar and hidden sugars. Hidden sugars, in case you're interested include breads, corn, carrots, rice, and many "vegetarian" foods. To also continue to read labels to look for hidden soy. I eat a lot of beans and legumes... Frightening possible consequences to too much soy intake in new vegetarian burgers includes, according to one news article, the feminization of men. To eat more animal protein. I've learned about myself that the best way to avoid eating something is to not bring it home in the first place. Temptation is, however, everywhere.
There I sat, eating more than enough, just for the taste, and including a bag of gum drops that had turned up in a gift someone gave me. They were unlabeled but were moist and good.
I watched "The Irishman," the film about the murder of Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa, that's all the rage and the short discussion by the actors of the film. It was cool to hear Buddy Knox's recording of "A White Sports Coat and a Pink Carnation" early in the sound track. (Wes loved Buddy as a human being and this was one of his favorite Buddy Knox rendered songs.)
Rolling Thunder Review : Bob Dylan tour long ago with Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Allen Ginsberg, Patti Smith; a question of song lyrics as poetics and poets who are song writers. (Dylan's song She Belongs To Me was a private theme song of mine, before Elvis Costello's I Write The Book.)
Above Us Only Sky about John Ono Lennon and Yoko Ono Lennon. The film seemed to be an advert for Yoko. OK, she did not break up the Beatles. I just kept thinking how YOUNG John was, how I have lived past the age of Elvis Presley or John Lennon were when they departed. I was a kid Beatles fan but then I let all fandom go. That quality, of not being overly impressed by "stars," has been a good thing for me personally and my writing.
Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives. Gee, I can't recall anything about this film. Maybe I went to take something out of the oven.
Amy (about Amy Winehouse) : A documentary that made me cry. I've posted in this blog about Amy and mental illness before.
27 Gone Too Soon about the "27 club" musicians who died about then - Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Mama Cass. Amy Winehouse. I did not cry. I wasn't that impressed with this film as it was so tied in with drug use and seemed to have one book authors opinion most expressed, even if drug use was the reason why these stars died, even if they turned to drugs unable to handle stardom. I have an alternative theory tied into astrology and reincarnation theory. I think these people lived only till their Saturn Return, that they came to do what they did and went.
A film about Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones in which he seemed to be happy and laughing about everything, including what he just said. The Rolling Stones seem to be taking credit for crediting Black musicians who came before them. I sure hope they have forked some money over to these Black musicians.
Echoes In The Canyon. I loved this documentary, especially seeing Michelle Phillips thrilled with a Mama's and Papa's cover. However Bob Dylan's son, the musician, seemed to not have a full range of human emotions. He didn't quite disappear in the film, not with his gathering of present day singers and musicians to do good covers of some of the hits of the 1960's that were not his fathers. It was a relief to hear him sing and know that he does not sound like dad Bob and isn't trying to. He was just there otherwise, hearing testimonies without asking too many questions. Maybe he had asked and the film was cut to the testimonials. I kept wishing someone would get a rise out of him.
Bombshell. A surprise and delight. Learned that actress Hedy Lamarr, whose film work I do not know, was not only a beautiful and sexy woman, but also an inventor whose inventions may include technology that is used today in Internet and Cell Phones. She never got paid while others made a fortune. A too common story for women, including me. Again I wonder, sometimes believe, that people are born to do something for society as a whole and in her case, perhaps she was doing her part to help the United States or the Allies win World War II and stop Nazism.
Bikram. Excellent. The yoga guru who has fled prosecution, perhaps a megalomaniac, who apparently was also a sexual harasser and rapist but has devoted yoginis all over the word. He has set up teaching elsewhere in the world. I've wondered about how he managed to copyright the athletic moves in yoga that have been part of Hindu/Indian culture for centuries. His attitude towards women in particular seems to be despicable. Women need to stop giving their all in exchange for a pat on the head, back or rump, so to speak. He gives Hinduism (yoga) a bad reputation, the guru fear that so many Fundamentalist Christians have.
And so the New Year begins, a new cycle we hope if not a new opportunity for hope.
Christine Trzyna
C 2020 All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights.
I brought a book with me, Joyce Carol Oates "The Falls," but once I realized that (at last!) I'd encountered a remote that I could manipulate without frustration, I decided to sit in a wonderful easy chair with the dogs on my lap and watch a few films. This turned into a three day personal film fest with no human to consider except myself. Sweet aloneness!
I got up between films only to bake; pumpkin flax seed dog treats, pumpkin oatmeal cherry bread, applesauce oatmeal raisin bread, a pork roast with sour kraut and yams. The later being something reminiscent of my upbringing. Pork and kraut was supposed to be "good luck" if eaten on New Years Day. The dogs loved it. I became their new best friend. Even the cat begged for some, followed me room to room. I later discovered she had propelled herself onto the bed in a swirl of blankets and sweaters, sleeping as if she had not in weeks.
I made some New Years Resolutions that all have to do with diet. To drink at least one tall glass of pure water every morning. I'm well hydrated but... To reduce the amount of sugar and hidden sugars. Hidden sugars, in case you're interested include breads, corn, carrots, rice, and many "vegetarian" foods. To also continue to read labels to look for hidden soy. I eat a lot of beans and legumes... Frightening possible consequences to too much soy intake in new vegetarian burgers includes, according to one news article, the feminization of men. To eat more animal protein. I've learned about myself that the best way to avoid eating something is to not bring it home in the first place. Temptation is, however, everywhere.
There I sat, eating more than enough, just for the taste, and including a bag of gum drops that had turned up in a gift someone gave me. They were unlabeled but were moist and good.
I watched "The Irishman," the film about the murder of Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa, that's all the rage and the short discussion by the actors of the film. It was cool to hear Buddy Knox's recording of "A White Sports Coat and a Pink Carnation" early in the sound track. (Wes loved Buddy as a human being and this was one of his favorite Buddy Knox rendered songs.)
Rolling Thunder Review : Bob Dylan tour long ago with Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Allen Ginsberg, Patti Smith; a question of song lyrics as poetics and poets who are song writers. (Dylan's song She Belongs To Me was a private theme song of mine, before Elvis Costello's I Write The Book.)
Above Us Only Sky about John Ono Lennon and Yoko Ono Lennon. The film seemed to be an advert for Yoko. OK, she did not break up the Beatles. I just kept thinking how YOUNG John was, how I have lived past the age of Elvis Presley or John Lennon were when they departed. I was a kid Beatles fan but then I let all fandom go. That quality, of not being overly impressed by "stars," has been a good thing for me personally and my writing.
Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives. Gee, I can't recall anything about this film. Maybe I went to take something out of the oven.
Amy (about Amy Winehouse) : A documentary that made me cry. I've posted in this blog about Amy and mental illness before.
27 Gone Too Soon about the "27 club" musicians who died about then - Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Mama Cass. Amy Winehouse. I did not cry. I wasn't that impressed with this film as it was so tied in with drug use and seemed to have one book authors opinion most expressed, even if drug use was the reason why these stars died, even if they turned to drugs unable to handle stardom. I have an alternative theory tied into astrology and reincarnation theory. I think these people lived only till their Saturn Return, that they came to do what they did and went.
A film about Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones in which he seemed to be happy and laughing about everything, including what he just said. The Rolling Stones seem to be taking credit for crediting Black musicians who came before them. I sure hope they have forked some money over to these Black musicians.
Echoes In The Canyon. I loved this documentary, especially seeing Michelle Phillips thrilled with a Mama's and Papa's cover. However Bob Dylan's son, the musician, seemed to not have a full range of human emotions. He didn't quite disappear in the film, not with his gathering of present day singers and musicians to do good covers of some of the hits of the 1960's that were not his fathers. It was a relief to hear him sing and know that he does not sound like dad Bob and isn't trying to. He was just there otherwise, hearing testimonies without asking too many questions. Maybe he had asked and the film was cut to the testimonials. I kept wishing someone would get a rise out of him.
Bombshell. A surprise and delight. Learned that actress Hedy Lamarr, whose film work I do not know, was not only a beautiful and sexy woman, but also an inventor whose inventions may include technology that is used today in Internet and Cell Phones. She never got paid while others made a fortune. A too common story for women, including me. Again I wonder, sometimes believe, that people are born to do something for society as a whole and in her case, perhaps she was doing her part to help the United States or the Allies win World War II and stop Nazism.
Bikram. Excellent. The yoga guru who has fled prosecution, perhaps a megalomaniac, who apparently was also a sexual harasser and rapist but has devoted yoginis all over the word. He has set up teaching elsewhere in the world. I've wondered about how he managed to copyright the athletic moves in yoga that have been part of Hindu/Indian culture for centuries. His attitude towards women in particular seems to be despicable. Women need to stop giving their all in exchange for a pat on the head, back or rump, so to speak. He gives Hinduism (yoga) a bad reputation, the guru fear that so many Fundamentalist Christians have.
And so the New Year begins, a new cycle we hope if not a new opportunity for hope.
Christine Trzyna
C 2020 All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights.
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