Quetzlsacatanango Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Subjectsub·ject noun a person who is under the dominion or rule of a sovereign.a person who owes allegiance to a government and lives under its protection Maybe it's being American, or maybe it's just me, but it makes my skin crawl when I hear that so and so was born a "British Subject". For anyone from the UK, how do you feel about that? Do you think of yourself as a "subject"? Under a "sovereign's" rule, and "owing" allegiance to them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark0ne Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 You're a subject, you just don't seem to know it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quetzlsacatanango Posted March 23, 2012 Author Share Posted March 23, 2012 For practical purposes that might be true, but I think of myself as a free agent, and for all my government's lack of...well, basic human dignity in many ways, one thing they don't (yet) do is rub it in my face by calling me one. And you didn't answer the question :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marxist ßastard Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I've only really heard the British monarchy defended because it "brings in tourism." That's pretty weak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark0ne Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 It has absolutely no bearing on our lives, at all. I've spent time in the US, I've spent time in the UK. I've felt just as free in both. The only reason its still spoken of is that it reflects millenia of history and tradition. However I tend to find freedom is such a buzz word in the US that you need only mention it and the American you're speaking to gets teary eyed or goes to grab their gun in faux defence of their inalienable rights. In England it's spoken of much less because we just accept it as a given. It doesn't need to be radicalised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marharth Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 (edited) Actually there are more economic benefits to the monarchy then just tourism. The monarchy pays for itself due to a land agreement that happened a long time ago. Don't remember the exact details, I might try to find something on that. Subject is just a word. In the US people openly accept to being a "subject" and are even extremely patriotic about it. It isn't any different just because one word sounds a bit meaner. Edited March 23, 2012 by marharth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark0ne Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Indeed the Monarchy takes about £10m out of the yearly budget (from our taxes) and in return feeds an estimated £400m in to our coffers, and countless millions in to charities. Hence when ignorant twerps start whining about the monarchy bleeding our taxes I tell them where they can go, because they're some of the hardest workers in this country, or indeed any country. They do a lot for the world, let alone Britain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VictoriaG Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 The government on the other hand..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubjectProphet Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Americans and British think of being a subject in different ways. Here in America, we're all subjects, our government just doesn't say anything about it. I don't care what a country's leaders say about the people, I'm bound with my country and proudly have defended it with my life. Politics is what drags a country down and makes people turn on each other. Money is a curse that plaques everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grannywils Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Hey, peppy, what difference does it really make to you what the British people are called? It seems to me that you are attempting to create discord where it does not really exist. Subject is just a word. It is a noun. Citizen is also a noun. Why do you care? I'm just curious... After all Texans are called all kinds of names by non-Texans, but they are not generally used in polite company (That was just a joke, btw) :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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