The month of September saw the Roman Empire as a topic of 
discussion. Although this is apparently because women had 
discovered men actually think about it quite a lot. 

Now, there are numerous videos looking at exactly why this is 
the case (and several compilation videos) but explanations 
have varied. People Magazine suggested Rome has
historically been over-emphasized in Western Societies. The
Washington Post suggested its about the over-emphasis of 
the masculinity of Rome. Others have suggested that men
and women are essentially 'built different' mentally and that
Rome hits a sweet spot of all the things men care about. 

I'm not sure I completely buy any of these explanations. For
myself, I'm a monarchist and a student of history; Rome
comes up a lot. But if I were into sports, engineering,
linguistics, or economics, Rome would be unavoidable in
those fields as well. 

I think the quest to find the equivalent 'Rome Question' for
women is indicative. Some popular suggestions are the Salem
Witch Trials or Princess Diana. Fair enough, I don't think
about either topic all that much. But the question that I think
is probably the closest female equivalent is "How often do 
you think about your ex-best friend?" And honestly, until I
saw that question I couldn't remember the last time I
thought about them but to an extent I had never put someone
in that box as an 'ex-best friend'. As a test I actually asked a
female coworker familiar with the meme when they last
thought about their ex-bestfriend and she said it was just the
other day. I asked a male coworker and he paused for a
second and replied, "I think the question is how often do I
think about my current best friend, because its not a lot." 

And in a way the questions are the same. One's best friend can
shape your life in ways that are both subtle and profound. In
a similar vein, Roman influence permeates Western society in
ways we aren't always fully aware of.

A few years back a solicitor in
Ireland drew a straight line from
space shuttle design back to
Roman chariot standards. Now,
while cute, this line isn't as clear
as the meme would seem to
suggest. Still, it would seem that
in the modern world, at least on a
conceptual level, all roads do still lead to Rome.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

What can be said here except "Long may she reign"? Although
maybe someone should check to make sure Italy is alright...

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

People say that a picture is worth a thousand words. What 
they don't mention is that none of those words are necessarily 
​the truth. 

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

There are some poll results that get funnier the longer you 
look at them and consider the scenarios that could play out. A 
​recent YouGov poll carried out in the UK is one such example.
The idea of republicans actually getting rid of the monarchy 
only for the people to then elect Prince William is funny to 
me. And then there is the fourth place finish of 'Me' as the 
person those surveyed would like chosen. Finally, Nigel
Farage and Jeremy Corbyn make a match made in hell at 2%
of support each.

But seriously, there is some interesting information to be had.
For starters there is no unifying choice among respondents.
Even the Queen, who enjoys widespread support has uneven
support when voting is brought into the picture. There is also
an obvious disconnect between who people want and who
would actually get to vote for. David Attenborough has had 
plenty of opportunity to run for public office, takes public
positions on issues, and is obviously popular but has never
stood for election. Which leaves Boris Johnson as the most
credible candidate on this list to be president of a British
republic.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

The Queen and Prince Philip have a solid marriage despite
the pressures their roles place on it. Or maybe its because of 
those pressures that their marriage has been going strong 
since it began way back in 1947.

"If I am asked what I think about family life after 25 years of
marriage, I can answer with equal simplicity and conviction,
I am for it." The Queen's Silver Wedding speech at the
Guildhall, November 1972.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

The Corona virus pandemic has led many to alter their 
behavior as a means of stopping its spread. Her Majesty is 
said to be reviewing up-coming events with an eye to whether
they will need to be cancelled or postponed. There is also a 
plan in place for her quarantine should the out-break 
worsen. This is prudent as, despite Her Majesty's seeming 
immortality, she is in fact 93. And despite the urge to panic it 
is important to remember we have been here before. Be 
sensible about your plans and be prepared to change them. 

It might be helpful to look back to the pandemic known as the
Black Death. We have interesting accounts of the different 
reactions to the disease's spread. Of note is that while there 
were members of the royalty who fell to the plague there is
only one known reigning monarch who died; Alfonso XI of
Castile. While besieging Gibraltar in 1350 the plague broke
out in his camp. He refused to abandon the siege, fell ill, and
died. This resulted in the Castilians withdrawing.  

So I will leave you all with some simple advice; wash your
hands, don't go places if you are sick, and avoid large
gathering for the immediate future (sieges or otherwise).

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Not much to say about this meme. It kind of speaks for itself.
But since I'm here I think its interesting to note the chess 
piece we know as the queen has not always been designated 
​as such and in some cultures is still referred to by a different 
title.

​The Persian game shatranj, from which chess slowly 
developed had only male figures; shah (king), fers or wazir
(counselor), rukh (rook), pil (elephant), asb (knight), sarbaz
(soldier or pawn). The fers piece most closely resembled the
queen but was much weaker being able only to move one
space diagonally.

As chess spread across Europe from Spain something curious
happened. The term fers was increasingly used in its feminine
form before being replaced by other terms such as femina,
coniunx, or Amazon. But even before the name change some
chess sets depicted the fers as female.

The reason for this shift is not well understood. Everything
from the cult of Mary to the preeminence of certain female
rulers in Western Europe has been suggested. Supporting this
idea is the fact that Eastern Europe and the Arabian world
still use the old term fers (or equivalent).

The expansion of the queen's power on the chess board is
thought to have occurred in Spain during the reign of Queen
​Isabella I and may have been inspired by her political power.

As a final humorous aside, for the longest time a pawn could
not be made a queen if the original one was still on the board
(to avoid the scandal of polygamy). Eventually, it was allowed
with the second piece referred to as a 'ferzia' to account for
​this. 

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

"A monarchy conducted with infinite wisdom and infinite 
benevolence is the most perfect of all possible governments." 
~Ezra Stiles

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Another meme from the Monarchists Facebook page. It
is a monarchist take on the NPC Wojak meme that flared
up a little while ago. While I don't approve of the meme's
implied dehumanizing of republicans it is a good collection of
arguments that republicans use (often in some combination)
​to attack monarchy. So this might be a good chance to address
these arguments in detail.

Paying for royal weddings

Right off the bat unless you are a British subject you don't pay
anything for them and get free access to coverage of the event.
If you are a British subject the government only covers the
security costs of the event which for the last royal wedding
were less than half the estimated boost to the economy
from tourism.

Monarchy is an out-dated, colonialist, relic

As someone who likes rational debate this kind of argument
annoys me. Take three buzzwords and try to imply that
monarchy is inferior because of it, eh? Out-dated things are
bad after all and the colonial period is marked by a country
being under another power and not yet mature. Of the three
only 'relic' has primarily positive associations in the modern-
day world. 

But the reason something becomes out-dated because it no
longer works. And republicans can't show that for monarchy.
The reference to colonialism is interesting in the Canadian
context because so many institutions would fall under the
heading of being inherited from colonialist times. As an
example; "Parliament is an out-dated, colonialist, relic" is
just as valid of an argument. Which is to say, it isn't one.  

Why are there still poor among us?

A question that has bedeviled humanity ever since we started
living in settled societies. And one neither monarchies nor
republics have been able to fully address. That said, Canada
rates as having a fairly low rate of poverty. A monarch, no
matter how good, can't be expected to fully solve this but they
can help by shedding light on the problem and organizations
working to combat it. Which the Royal Family does.

Lets elect politicians as our head of state

The most basic desire of republicans. And you'd think that
since they want this so badly they would be able to show what
concrete benefit it would bring. But I'm still waiting.

Everyone hates Prince Charles

Prince Charles gets far less credit than is his due in my
estimation. And I've never been quite able to pinpoint why.
There is of course the tragedy of Princess Diana which he has
had to wear. And he has often come across as awkward in his
interests and behavior. Then there is his reputation for
'meddling' in government business.

​The Monarchist League of Canada noted a while back that the
heirs to the throne have sometimes tended to be unpopular
but then went on to be popular during their reign. And it
could be that Prince Charles doesn't fit the popular culture
view of what a prince should be (young, martial, and
handsome). But none of this means he wouldn't make a good
king.

'Crown woman bad'

It is a great annoyance to republicans that the Queen has done
such a good job over the years. Such a good job that most
plots for removing the monarchy include the caveat 'after the
Queen's death'. It also means that republicans have tried to
magnify the few missteps the Queen has made. But at the end
of the day Her Majesty remains untouched by impropriety
and it must drive republicans mad.

Inequality

Monarchies are by definition hierarchical. And responding to
claims that they are bad because of it can take several forms.
1. All countries have hierarchies, including republics, so it is
at least positive that monarchies are honest about this fact.
2. Monarchy is a small inequality that prevents greater acts of
inequality. 
3. Monarchy is not unequal at all. The monarch and people
have different roles to play but they are equally valuable.
4. Or maybe monarchy is more equatable than a republic. By
leaving the choice of head of state up to the one trait we all
share, being born, we affirm that anyone can be thrust into
an extraordinary position and be expected to do a good job.

Anyways, this has been my overly-detailed dissection of a
meme that likely took 5 minutes to make.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour

Makes me smile every time.

This video is from the Queen's 90th birthday celebration. She
does love her animals. My mother often has the same reaction
to cows, sheep, goats, etc.

Loyally Yours,
A Kisaragi Colour