Why the world needs more queens
You don’t have
to be monarch to be a queen and the 2014 winner of the Eurovision Song Contest
proves that drag queendom is alive and well!
Thomas Neuwirth
or as his alter-ego drag queen, Conchita Wurst stormed the stage in Copenhagen
with a powerful vocal offering of “Rise like a Phoenix” and there was certainly
no ash on this phoenix’s feathers! After a pitch perfect and utterly
captivating performance, the exquisitely dressed and dark bearded Conchita
stole the hard hearts of Europe.
He/She looked
genuinely surprised and humbled that her/his performance had evoked so many
“douze points” (full marks) from a large number of the voting countries. Top
marks were received from some of the die-hard Southern European transgender-phobic
hinterland and that in itself was groundbreaking!
Despite the
fervent clamours from republicanist supporters to rid itself of monarchies,
king and queendoms continue to thrive. The recent Australian tour undertaken by
Prince William and his family clearly shows that the anti-monarchist stance is
weakening thanks in part due to the birth of cute-as-a button Prince George!
A woman can be a
queen in many ways. Naturally, the current incumbent at the Palace, Queen
Elizabeth II, continues a 60+ year reign over her willing (and unwilling)
subjects. Life would be a little less interesting if we forsook the pomp and pageantry in order
to swell the public purse (which politicians would only divert to their private
expense accounts anyway!). Princess Diana was the people’s and paparazzi’s
princess and was loved and feted all over the world in life and death. All she
ever wanted was to do some good and be a queen in people’s hearts; that she
achieved in her own inimitable style.
A woman who behaves with dignity and
displays courage when under fire is a queen for all seasons – in good times and
bad, in marriage, widowhood or divorce, in penury and affluence, in health or
sickness, for better or for worse - a woman with a queenly attitude is a
powerful force of nature…..don’t mess with her!
If only a man
could be more like a queen, he would understand the potent value of the regal,
female state.
Kings have a chequered past – they’ve beheaded their wives, drunk
copious amounts of dark intoxicating liquid, gorged themselves on a host of
unhealthy delicacies, got gout, flown into blind rages, defrauded and
defrocked, commited perjury and injury, locked people in the tower and
subjected them to torture, started wars, sown wild oats and asked the hungry to
eat cake, collected unfair taxes, taken mistresses and produced a string of
illegtimate children, practised hypocrisy and generally abused their privileges
at every opportunity.
A King seeks
dominion over his subjects and resists showing them proper care and compassion.
This kind of king is living in the past and like the Emperor’s “new clothes” he’s
now exposed to a new reality. A man/king’s home is no more his
castle……….especially if its in need of repair and refurbishment……..and there’s
not a good woman/queen around the place to help out.
A man who thinks he’s a
king (and lauds it over his family) will soon find himself trudging around the
supermarket in his ermine cloak with a lonely shopping basket for one. A packet
of sausages and a tin of baked beans is not a meal fit for royalty!!!
A man/king with
a roving eye may find both his eyes popping out when he sees the divorce
lawyers fees and alimony payments. He might be sorry that he couldn’t keep his
royal trousers up!! A man/king who lacks sensitivity and humility will find
that his bed cold and that the chamber maid has run off with the gardener and
the bed pan!
We don’t need
any more kings, macho-men, egotists, narcissists and oppressors of peace and
freedom.
We need kind, gentle, enlightened and inspirational male figures who
may also dress up as drag queens.
Conchita bared
her soul last Saturday and revealed an awesome talent. He/She has broken down
transgender barriers and helped Europe think in a new way. His/Her brand of
queendom is young and fresh and has blown all those cobwebs out of the
castle……long live the queen….go Conchita!
Labels: World view