The Crown

The most popular show on Netflix UK at the moment is the Crown, which is based on the Royal Family. Today, I saw a tweet which made me chuckle. It said if you enjoyed watching The Crown, you are a (closet) Tory. As a post-colonial subject, I understand the appeal of slick productions which lionize Empire even if they are critical of individual imperialists. The legacies of Empire are everywhere in India, especially in its institutions. Growing up, one is taught to hate the British, but not the institutions they left behind, which turns the hatred into a not-so0grudging admiration. Which is why a post-colonial subject is instinctively drawn towards displays of British paegantry--dramatized, like the Crown or Downton Abbey, or real, like Royal weddings. I, myself, enjoyed Downton Abbey when I watched it 8-9 years ago. Now, after living in Brexit Britain for more than three years I couldn't bear to watch the show. It perpetuates the myth of Noble Empire to a public that doesn't need convincing. There are the vast swathes of the British population who are proud of Empire. Just this evening, I was telling my mother how the British are among the least religious people in the West. She was surprised given how popular the Royal family is. I replied that you don't need to be religious to be racist. Empire is central to British identity. Not only do I feel alienated from the people who are avid supporters of the Royal family, but also from those who think the Royal Family is an innocuous irrelevance. It is not innocuous and it snot irrelevant. Even if the reigning monarch becomes unpopular or brings himself or herself into disrepute, the idea of Empire will remain popular.