America's Royalty

As anyone that saw me in the past few days especially knows, I am a little enamored with the British Monarchy. While it's hard not to be given the extraordinary pomp and circumstance surrounding the Royal Wedding, I've always had a high level of admiration for the House of Windsor and all they represent-tradition, yet modernity, continuity, stability, poise, and class.

Obviously Americans don't have such an esteemed monarchy to revere, but that's not to say we don't have royalty. We have plenty of royalty in our country, from all facets of culture and society, that many of us almost unconditionally admire. So who is this famed royalty in the U.S. of A.?

Well the kings and queens, and you'd have a hard time convincing me otherwise, are professional athletes. For the most part they live extremely lavish and decadent lifestyles, drive expensive cars, own huge, grandiose houses, and, often, wear ridiculously extravagant jewelry. Plus they play sports, so most people automatically adore them. In a culture that tends to value consumption, wealth, and exuberant displays of masculinity via athletic prowess, these guys (emphasis on guys, as it is a male-dominated field) reign supreme. I'd argue even to the extent that they can get away with anything.

Just under the highest tier lies the cultural figures that are famous simply because they're famous. You know who I'm talking about-the Kardashians, Lauren Conrad, Snookie and the Situation, and Charlie Sheen. People love them, but why exactly? What have they done to earn our unyielding admiration? Well, nothing really. They were involved in a scandal of sorts, starred in a reality TV show, nicknamed their abdominal muscles, paraded around drunk on television, perhaps had a film career of sorts, or a combination of these attributes. Now they live extravagant lifestyles similar to those of the aforementioned athletes that continually capture the American public's affection.

Finally we have Hollywood (film stars and musicians are included here). And it goes without saying that we'll always find something we love about the glamour of Tinsel Town, even if they do come after the above strangely-famous "cultural" icons.

The problem with this facade of American royalty I think is that we tend to grossly  undervalue people that deserve all the reverence befitting a monarchy. We don't appreciate people like teachers, social workers, diplomats, intellectuals, scientists, etc. who are truly instrumental to our country's progress and future. And we have considerably less adulation for those of us that transcend cultural, political, and social constraints to make the world a better place for everyone. Think about it, Charlie Sheen can parade around on stage talking about nothing to sold-out crowds across the country, but lectures and presentations by prestigious intellectuals have a hard time filling seats even on a college campus.

So what I'm really saying is that we should reconsider who we admire. Our idols are a reflection of us as a nation, and right now, I'm not sure it's a flattering image.

But that's just what I think.