I thought The King’s Speech was simply the story of a stuttering king who, after much effort, finally becomes good at speeches, so I didn’t really have much of a desire to watch it. But after I finished watching it, I realized “Ah, this was a work about the power of speech, and about the leadership and responsibility of a king to his people.” Wonderful. I take my hat off.
In this movie, King George VI’s daughter, the future Elizabeth II, is watching a movie with the King. In a news segment before the movie, the image of Hitler before ranks of soldiers is projected. Elizabeth, impressed, asks her father:
“What’s he saying, Papa?”
“I don’t know, but he seems to be saying it rather well.”
The King’s quivering cheek tells of his fear of the six-year-elder Hitler’s uncanny ability to manipulate people with language. If the King failed to resolutely convey his leadership to the British people with a powerful speech, he feared that Great Britain might fall under the evil control of the dangerous and eloquent Hitler. After George VI’s elder brother, Edward VIII, abruptly abdicated the throne, King George VI knew that, whether he wished it or not, he as the heir to the throne had no choice but to defend his subjects from the fascist regimes, and so he embarked on intensive training in speech. Incidentally, he was of the same generation as such dictators and despots of the time as Stalin, Mussolini, and Franco.
As the other great powers of Europe dismantled their monarchies due to the judgment that they don’t help their subjects, in the United Kingdom (as well as the countries in northern Europe relatively unaffected by the struggle for power in the rest of Europe), the “reigning but not ruling” form of monarchy was passed on. Although the King does not have the power to make decisions regarding the government, as the head of the Church of England, he serves as the people’s spiritual support; whether it’s peacetime or during times of strife and struggle, he is sought as a symbol of the spiritual unity of the British people. Although kings no longer physically have their heads cut off, if monarchs no longer serve a useful purpose, it could be that the royal family would face budget cuts or the monarchy may be discontinued. The fate of the royal family lies in the hands of Parliament.
Did the British people make the correct decision about the royal family? I want to say yes. Even if national decisions can be made by the people’s vote under a democratic system, people seek out someone who can comfort them during times of great distress, someone who can elegantly represent them on the world’s stage, and someone who always wishes for the nation’s good fortune beyond the interest of a political party. Likewise, in the U.S., which lacks a royal family, the President doesn’t just resolve political matters, but when disaster strikes, must also rush to the scene of misfortune. Also, the First Lady enjoys immense popularity if she is beautiful and takes on some issue of national interest. If a presidential candidate has scandals, gets divorced multiple times, or gives an unpleasant impression, I think that they will never be elected. Ever since President Reagan, all presidents have had a sort of charisma, and First Ladies have always kept themselves occupied thinking about national issues. I think a certain percent of the President’s job is to give courage to the people. This responsibility is exactly what the British royal family does as their full-time job. Of course, the U.S. political administration is composed of both “reigning” and “governing”, but perhaps cleanly dividing the duties is ideal.
President Obama until a few years ago was virtually unknown as a senator from Illinois, but he, more so than anyone else, had preeminent speech-making abilities. When Hillary Clinton was contesting the Democratic presidential candidacy with him, she said this regarding his popularity.
“(Comparing to her longtime contributions to national politics) What has Obama done in the past 10 years? He’s just good at giving speeches.”
We all know who between Hillary and Obama won the candidacy.