Since it was announced that Prince William, progeny of Diana, had become engaged to his classmate Kate Middleton, both the British and American media have been plastering every minute detail across their front pages, often with exclamation points as though audiences will die if they do not know the up-to-the-minute wedding news. Even as Japan grapples with nuclear disaster, as Western countries become more deeply involved in the Libyan war, as unions and students stage protests across the U.S. and the UK, the media fever pitch about the royal nuptials continues to swell, increasingly frenzied as the April 29 wedding date nears.
William isn’t even next in line for the throne, as Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger wryly put it. And while the excitement may echo that of the 1981 ‘fairytale’ nuptials of William’s parents –– complete with nearly identical commemorative plates –– there may just be more at work than celebrity obsession and conservative/archaic monarchy worship.
1. Monarchy is the enemy of democracy.
2. The wedding will cost the UK economy $7.9 billion.
3. But wait! It will actually cost UK taxpayers millions more than that.
4. Royal wedding coverage is siphoning budgets and reporters from actual newsgathering.
5. And it's siphoning eyes from actual news.
6. Gawking at such a thing contributes to a dehumanizing, hierarchical culture.
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