Just about an hour ago the queen (of Denmark) did her annual televised new year speech. I didn’t watch it, but while eating dinner I witnessed a bit of the pre-show, where a few journalists are talking about what the queen might say and so on. Also, they showed people assembling in front of the castles, and judging from some statistics I’ve heard of from previous years, I know that a slew of people are gonna be watching it from their livingrooms.
Now, people can watch whatever they want at 6:30 PM on the 31st of December, be it a crappy hollywood movie, a porn video, a comedy show, the news, sports, or the queen’s new year speech, I don’t really care what people do, BUT I have a question about the latter!
What is with this quasi-religious fascinating with an, essentially, undemocratic institution, that reeks of feudalism and by it’s very existence downplays the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states:
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
If anybody knows the answer please comment, I’d love to know, because the Danish monarch has never had any direct religious association, like for example the Japanese Emperor has had. In feudal Japan, the Emperor had a position in the Shinto religion, Japan’s native religion, similar to that of the Pope’s position in Catholicism. Some right-wing nutjobs over there, still regard the Emperor as a descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu. So, I am truly baffled here. If any Swedes or Norwegians out there know the answer to my question, you’re of course also welcome to answer, as your monarchies and political systems are similar to the one we have here in Denmark.