British Character

 Tom Kando 

 For a week so far, we have been treated to the pageantry, the ceremony, the dignity, the spectacle of Queen Elizabeth’s departure. 

I remember Queen Elizabeth’s coronation over seventy years ago (February 6, 1952). I lived in France at the time. I was nearly eleven. People didn’t own television sets yet, certainly not in impoverished neighborhoods such as mine. Even my junior high school had no TV. However, there was a fancy private school a few blocks away, and it had ONE TV set. So our teacher had my whole class walk to that rich school, and there, we watched Elizabeth’s coronation. 

Today, the world’s fascination with this event and the accompanying spectacle are interesting. At first, I had no interest in adding my two bits’ worth of comments to the media’s already oversaturated coverage. 

However, I can now see a connection with the topic of my previous post, which dealt with the subject of good cultures and bad cultures, good societies and “less good” societies. 

Since the Queen’s death, Britain has presented its best face to the world, of course. As we look at the streets of London, the Westminster Abbey, people placing flowers in front of Buckingham Palace, the impressive parades, and as we listen to eloquent speeches, most of us probably agree that England looks like a fine and attractive society, all things considered. Hmm...could WE perhaps learn a few things from the British? 

Before I proceed, a caveat: I understand that generalizations about entire countries are problematic at best and stereotyped prejudices at worst. 

And as far as Britain is concerned specifically: Let’s not forget that the country’s history is replete with bloodbaths, both domestic and worldwide (something that can be said about nearly all countries, especially powerful ones). 

But for now, what the news has shown us about Britain most recently is appealing, and it makes us think more highly of that country. The ceremony, the ritual, the formality, the speeches, the pomp and circumstance, the landscape, the behavior of all parties, including the royal family, the public and the authorities, all this makes us think: The British know how to do things well; they know how to do things and say things with dignity. They have class. 

To be sure, the country is facing challenges (which country does not, currently?). The British committed a major and irreversible error when they voted for Brexit. Centrifugal forces continue to threaten the island nation, including the continued possibility of a Scottish exit. The country faces looming economic problems, etc. 

And then there is British history and imperialism: The many atrocities which the British committed: Slave trade, the opium war, the Boer concentration camps, India's partition causing famine, the mishandling of the Israel/Palestine situation, participation in the genocide of North-American Indians, etc. 

But I dont see the point of revisiting the litany of past British wrongdoings today. I can see why the current focus on the monarchy and the opulent royal lifestyle brings some people to connect this with past imperialism. 

But I do not have this need. Past British imperialism is a topic for another day. I am satisfied that British history is complex and exceptional, a history that spans millennia of turmoil, tragedy and conflict, as well as success and world leadership. When looking at the overall British experience during the centuries, I sometimes wonder: How come? What made this country succeed and lead the world in so many ways, from the Industrial Revolution to scientific progress, Darwin, Newton, Adam Smith and innumerable others ? 

The amazing thing is that the British realm consists of a bunch of relatively impoverished islands. Nature blessed other peoples far more generously. The US became a powerhouse on a vast continent rich in resources and ready for the plucking (once the aboriginal population was wiped out). France is a large, fertile and hospitable space. Britain had some coal, but for the rest it had little to offer. 

One is left with one possibility: Character. Somehow, what the British people seem to have had more of than many others, has always been a sang-froid, a poise, a strength of character, an ability to face challenges with a steady hand, a quality found less frequently elsewhere. . An oft mentioned example of this is the British response to Hitler’s Blitz in 1940-41. This was by no means the only time that Britain met a challenge successfully. 

So, am I suggesting that we burry and excuse Britain’s bloody and imperialist past under a veneer of “gentlemanly behavior?” 

No. But my point may be best illustrated by an example recently provided to me by my wife Anita. The stark contrast between the way Britain and the US have handled the latest succession of their heads of state: 

We have just seen how the British handle this process (in their case hereditary, of course). And then, we also saw how we did it, on January 6, 2021, when a few thousand thugs stormed the Capitol and tried to steal the election. 

So, at the risk of aggravating some of my readers: As I watch the news and the events surrounding the current British royal succession, I have only one thing to say to the British people: you are great! leave comment here

© Tom Kando 2022;All Rights Reserved