Vice-Regal Saint: “Call me Kevin”
By David Byers (Convenor of ACM in Country, New South Wales)
Australia’s new Prime Minister Mr Kevin Rudd has asked people just to “call me Kevin”. I have even read where he has asked his ministers when being interviewed, to refer to him as “Kevin”.
What is to be made of this? Despite its obvious political motivation, I fear there is a continuation of an unhappy slide in today’s society that has far reaching social ramifications. What is to be made of a world view when a Prime Minister is just “Kevin”? One could suspect that The Police are just “the cops”, or Tom, Dick or Harry if one knows their names. Are school teachers just the equal of their students ,“just one of the class”? This world view perpetuates an attitude where everyone has rights but no one has responsibility. Respect is not warranted to anyone be they one’s parents, the police or who ever.
It is a world view that is totally at odds with the Monarchy, because the Crown represents honour, duty, service, and loyalty to something greater than one’s self. This, then, is one of the great things about the monarchy that is so often over looked – it’s almost subliminal reminder of respect and decency.
When I was a boy, we would stand up when our Head Master entered a room, not because he needed it to inflate his ego, rather we needed it to learn respect for order and for others who had our interest at heart.
So I for one, will call Australia’s new Prime Minister Mr Rudd or Mr Prime Minister and if I met him maybe even Sir but never just “Kevin”.
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15 comments:
Hear, hear, sir!
Up here in Western Scandinavia it has actually gone quite far.
My transition from an international school to a Norwegian school was a big leap in several ways, starting to address teachers with first name being one of them.
It is not uncommon that the PM is referred to in newspaper headlines with first name only.
The "average Joe" does too.
The other day I refused to recognize knowing whom was being talked about.
It is quite apalling how far the death of formality has gone in Australian society.
I went into a restaurant the other night, only to be addressed as 'mate' by the waiters.
As I'm sure people have noticed, I support Prime Minister Rudd. But this is just silly. Unfortunately this is what the Australian public want, God help you if you come accross as formal, everyone knows formality is elitist.
I think "just call me Tony" Blair started this tradition, as if we should infer that we already know him or he knows us. It's superficial man of the people crap that perfectly demonstrates the shallowness of today's politics. More worrisome was the introduction of mothers who insisted their sons and daughters call them "Mary" or whatever. It's an attempt to circumvent the natural hierarchy, and will surely and thankfully fail in the end. Ma and Pa are here to stay.
More signs that the end is nigh. I really do not know if, and how, we can reverse the infantilising of society.
The man is a complete cretin. Disloyal to his Sovereign and a first class boob.
Lord Best, Just a thought, if you support Mr Rudd maybe you would like to write to him expressing your support for him and also express your support for the Crown?
An excellent suggestion Mr Byers, I shall do so.
Oh, dear me! Is this mere would-be informality or can there be something more sinister afoot?
Monarchs and members of the Royal Family have, of course, traditionally been referred to using their Christian names,or one of them, anyway.
Then there is also 'Jesus' or even 'Muhammed'.
Is one now given to understand that the new prime minister believes himself to be of comparable stature?
This actually fits "well" in among several other phenomena.
You have the phenomenon of people say "huh?" to strangers instead of "excuse me?" or "pardon me?" when they don't get what they're saying.
Not to speak of the phenomenon of showing more or less of one's underwear in public.
Is one now given to understand that the new prime minister believes himself to be of comparable stature?
His being a republican, I wouldn't bet against it.
Oh relax, mates. Everything changes, even you mossbacks. Nothing stays the same.
"Anonymous said...
Oh relax, mates. Everything changes, even you mossbacks. Nothing stays the same."
Regardless of what types like the about say, there is an important issue to address and that is the lack of respect our culture is developing. Maybe when he/she is elderly and finds him/her self treated with no dignity their views might change?
Sorry, here is my last comet again with correction:
"Anonymous said...
Oh relax, mates. Everything changes, even you mossbacks. Nothing stays the same."
Regardless of what types like the above say, there is an important issue to address and that is the lack of respect our culture is developing. Maybe when he/she is elderly and finds him/her self treated with no dignity their views might change?
20 December 2007 06:16
Everything changes, even you mossbacks. Nothing stays the same.
By all means, I'm all for change, for the better, towards more formality, and towards more respect – to mention the most relevant for this post.
Also, I'm all for change of myself, so that I every day become better at tackling disrespectful modernist radicals.
Disturbingly reminiscent of the Simpsons episode set in Australia with the swine-tending MP and the PM floating around a lake with a beer...
Transcript:
http://www.snpp.com/episodes/2F13.html
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