Layla and I watched The Madness of King George earlier tonight. The film was good, but that's not what this post is really about.
I've had a good deal of exposure to British history in school and on my own in the last dozens of years, but one of the things that never really sunk in was just how demoralizing it could have been to have lived in an environment where the ultimate arbiter1 of my destiny was a monarch—installed for life and unimpeachable ... except for particularly rare circumstances. If you're lucky, the two or three kings that reign during your lifetime are guys you like—but if you get the feeling that any one of them is incompetent or a smileball slimeball2...well, you just have to wait it out until his kid gets the throne. I used to think monarchies were kindest to those closest to the king, but I get this feeling that being forced to sit through a busted king's reign has got to be worst on the non-royals that immediately surround him.
So thinking through that earlier tonight was something of a learning moment.
1 Translation to American: decider
2 Thanks, Bonnie!
"Piss Pot"
Oui oui. It's good to be the king.
--D
is there a word for when you make a typo that turns the intended word into it's direct opposite? if so, do tell! i am, of course, referring to smileball.
D'oh
But, that's pretty cool.