Monday, March 27, 2023
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion Columns

The complicated legacy of the Queen

Jenny OrtuostebyJenny Ortuoste
September 13, 2022, 12:20 am
in Columns, Opinion, Pop goes the world by Jenny Ortuoste
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

“Queen Elizabeth served as a symbol of stability and consistency, of traditional, conservative values in a world spiraling further into populism and war and all kinds of mayhem and chaos.”

The passing of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96 after over 70 years on the throne surfaced the many complicated feelings surrounding not only herself but also the institution of the British monarchy.

For those Gen X and younger, the Queen seemed the eternal mother/grandmother, looking like a caricature in her eye-achingly bright coats and hats.

For those whose only contact with British culture consists of the Teletubbies, Peppa Pig, and the Harry Potter movies, she was just a public figure, one among many celebrities in the digital world.

She was mild and nonthreatening. She never had a hair out of place or said a word in bad taste, nor did anything improper or inappropriate.

She was the essence of tradition, respectability, and propriety—in one word, boring.

ADVERTISEMENT

Yet at her death, while many around the world, who only know her from media, mourned with her actual subjects, commenters pointed out that she was a symbol of her country’s legacy of imperialism and complicit in the maintenance and perpetuation of its ideals.

The British Empire, at its height just after World War I, claimed a quarter of the earth’s surface (including territories and countries under formal protection agreements).

The violence done over centuries in the name of the King or Queen killed and hurt countless people.

Treasures were plundered and resources (among them trafficked people) were pillaged to enrich the invaders. Some of the loot filled the British Museum’s shelves and set the Koh-in-Noor front and center on the royal crown.

But as anti-colonial voices grew stronger, the former colonies gradually gained their independence from Britain.

Elizabeth II, while benefiting from the advantages of colonization by virtue of her birth and position, saw the end of the British Raj and dismantling of much of the empire during her father George VI’s reign.

Hers saw the establishment of the Commonwealth of Nations (a 56-member community mostly comprising former British territories) and the final setting of the sun on the former empire when Hong Kong was ceded back to China in 1997.

Many hold her responsible for human rights violations committed by the British during her reign.

They also decry the fact that she never made an apology for the excesses of British imperialism.

In contrast, to bring up just one example, Pope Francis went to Canada last July on a ‘Pilgrimage of Penance’ to apologize for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in erasing the culture and language of indigenous people via Canada’s residential school system.

On the other hand, some point out that although she was the monarch and had her face on stamps and currency, Elizabeth did not govern and can therefore claim to not be directly responsible for any of this.

She was not Prime Minister and made no decisions regarding the administration of the country. This type of argument outrages those who are marginalized and oppressed in the wake of British neocolonialism.

All can agree that Elizabeth II was an expensive figurehead upholding the millennia-old British tradition of having a monarch.

She served as a symbol of stability and consistency, of traditional, conservative values in a world spiraling further into populism and war and all kinds of mayhem and chaos.

Yet for those taking the postcolonial view, she also stood for all the sins and atrocities of an empire stemming from a white supremacist value system.

Essayist Rebecca Solnit wrote on social media last Sept. 10 that “the death of the queen has become an occasion to revisit the intertwined histories of colonialism and slavery. Who the queen was as a person and whether she was herself a prisoner of circumstance are irrelevant; if you embody several centuries of royal history, it’s the inequalities, invasions, and subjugations as well as the pomp and circumstance.

“The anticolonial discourse right now is about that embodiment of ‘tradition,’ and what that tradition actually consisted of…”

It is a complicated legacy that she leaves behind, and one that leaders today should learn from.

Because even though she lived a practically blameless life, never shirking from doing her duty, she is still being criticized after her death.

For each mourner, there are more who say, this should spell the end of the monarchy as an institution.

Perhaps then, when the Royal Family become just the Mountbatten-Windsors and just another British family, there will be closure and some degree of justice.

If there are those who do not mourn for a queen who behaved pristinely, with nary a misstep in the way she conducted herself in public, how much more deserving, then, of excoriation and outrage are leaders who are evil and unjust, or even plain incompetent, lazy, and greedy?

Filipinos should set higher standards for those who govern over them, because they deserve better, and in the end, their choices are the legacies they leave to their children.

FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO

Tags: British EmpireCommonwealth of NationsQueen Elizabeth IIWorld War I
ADVERTISEMENT
Jenny Ortuoste

Jenny Ortuoste

Related Posts

‘Sovereign rights over WPS exclusively belong to PH’

byAmbassador Albert Del Rosario
March 27, 2023, 12:20 am
0
8
RSA: Mr. Malasakit, the environmentalist

The 2016 Arbitral Award ruled that the sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea exclusively belong to the Philippines. Thus,...

Read more

One-strike policy for ‘ninja cops’

byManila Standard
March 27, 2023, 12:15 am
0
8
Southwoods nails Seniors’ Fil golf crown

Will summary dismissal of erring cops instill iron discipline and proper behavior within the Philippine National Police and significantly improve...

Read more

Dynasties

byLito Banayo
March 27, 2023, 12:10 am
0
8
A crisis president

The appointed framers of the 1987 Constitution disliked political dynasties, but left it to Congress to pass the needed law...

Read more

Under-implemented Rare Disease Law

byOrlando Oxales
March 27, 2023, 12:05 am
0
8
Denying Villafuerte justice

The European Union defines a disease as rare when fewer than 1 in 2,000 people within a general population is...

Read more

UN’s global disaster alert systems goal faces uphill climb

byAFP
March 27, 2023, 12:00 am
0
8
Southwoods nails Seniors’ Fil golf crown

How can anyone seek shelter from a natural disaster they don’t even know is coming? Last year the United Nations...

Read more

Exclusive lanes for riders

byManila Standard
March 25, 2023, 12:15 am
0
8
Exclusive lanes for riders

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has conducted a dry-run for the implementation of a dedicated lane for motorcycle riders...

Read more

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • Explosives found at Teves mill
  • First Lady posts snap of Imelda to put rumors of demise to rest
  • Standard debuts ‘Environment & Sustainability’
  • San Miguel cop chief shot dead in robbery try
  • Oil spill compensation seen eclipsing P1.1-b 2006 record
  • Brace for water interruptions, El Niño—Maynilad
  • SC sides with LTO on card project
  • Gov’t letting US dictate terms of EDCA—group

Advertisement

Latest News

Brace for water interruptions, El Niño—Maynilad

byRio N. Araja
March 27, 2023, 1:45 am
0
8
Marinduque lauds desalination project, sees end to potable water supply woes

Water concessionaire Maynilad has advised the public to be ready for possible water interruptions in the coming dry season and...

Read more

SC sides with LTO on card project

byRey E. Requejo
March 27, 2023, 1:35 am
0
8
SC sides with LTO on card project

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Land Transportation Office (LTO)’s use of the P341.7 million left in its 2016...

Read more

Gov’t letting US dictate terms of EDCA—group

byManila Standard
March 27, 2023, 1:30 am
0
8
Southwoods nails Seniors’ Fil golf crown

The Marcos administration has been misleading Filipinos on the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) by letting the United States dictate...

Read more

The capable Lady Legislators of Western and Central Visayas

byPatricia Bianca S. Taculao
March 27, 2023, 1:25 am
0
8
The capable Lady Legislators of Western and Central Visayas

Due to its booming economy, rich history and culture, and captivating landscapes, the island group of Visayas continuously impresses local...

Read more

San Miguel companies post key water savings milestone

byManila Standard
March 27, 2023, 1:20 am
0
8
MPIF Enlarges Blue Footprint for PH Biodiversity Protection & Conservation

San Miguel Corp. recorded a milestone on World Water Day (March 23, 2023) after its businesses collectively saved some 33,865,901,000...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App