Though that was at the back of a lot of people’s minds, the eventual news of the Queen’s passing had broken the Internet.
A lot of people were stuck to the screens reading, watching and listening to the news.
As one of the few surviving monarchs from a major country running a constitutional monarchy government, it is no surprise that most of the media outlets ran wild with the coverage. It is the news of a major political figure, whether she had power or not, does not matter in this case. She was a beloved symbol for some, and she had left a mark as a longest serving monarch, and had gone through a lot of ups and downs with the world. For some people, she was one of the constant figures in their lives.
However, on the other side of the coin, there are also people who hated her for just being who she is – a surviving monarch that represented a once oppressive empire that colonised and inflicted suffering on a lot of people. That is an irrefutable part of our world history. And probably her simple existence reminds and annoys them.
As a colonial kid until 1997 from Hong Kong, I considered I seeing myself different. I was not Chinese enough for the Chinese, but at the same time I was not British enough to be considered a Pom. I took my identity in my own hand and became an Australian. For I do not believe that my identity should be a benevolent gift from others, but something I fought for and establish myself. Being a colonial kid was just a phase of my life. It does not completely identify who I am.
Hence, I tend to look at others similarly. When I looked at the Queen, I looked at her as a mother, grand mother and great-grandmother who got thrown into a job that she did not choose, and worked very hard for 70 years – longer than anyone who created and went through the same job. People may or may not agree to some of her decisions, but she made her decisions, like most of the mothers who need to represent her family, in the best interest of the family and the family business. If her uncle did not abdicate, her dad will not become king, and she will not become Queen, and she could have lived a life more of her own choosing. But that did not happen.
Yes, the mere existence of the United Kingdom reminded a lot of people of the pain it inflicted on other countries throughout their colonisation during that dark period. Everyone should acknowledge that. So, the Queen being the figure head of that country could be a reminder for that too. However, for me, I think we must remember that she was not the one who went around colonising other places. She was just born into that family and she was just being put into that position. So, is it fair to exhibit so much hate on her, and even her death, because other people are broadcasting and talking about it?
I cannot talk much about other countries. Australia was established on this very premise of oppression and pain infliction. However, a lot of current generation Australians like me are trying to make this country more diverse and equal. There are still bunches of White people trying to preserve what they call their way of life of the good old days, hence, thinking racism and discrimination is good, and when did not get their way using their multiple media platforms to complain about being cancelled, while actively cancelling others. Under such circumstances, we need to call them out – because in my opinion, hate does not create equity and harmony, and hence it is not about them being cancelled, but about putting out the fire of hate, that could divide and eventually cost our country.
As such I do not see a point of spreading historical hate during this period as this does not help to make this world a better place. Proclamations of non-mourning are utterly unnecessary as they do not add value to build a more harmonious world. Further criticising the media for the coverage and how those reporting the news dressed are utterly bullocks way in promoting diversity – this is because diversity is not my way or highway.
There is still a long road for a truly diverse and equal society, both on the national level and the international level. But taking advantage of the historical hate to skew the perspective of what we are trying to achieve is just moving from one extreme of the spectrum to the other extreme of the spectrum, hence requires extreme caution to manoeuvre.
There will be people who are going to criticise me of this stance, some might even question whether I am still with them or qualify to talk about it if I am not with them. As I have encountered some what I called Diversity Supremacists recently. But if diversity has become ‘if you are not with me, you are against me’, then the cause is lost.
