God save the queen? Students, faculty divided on the death of Elizabeth II

FILE | Queen Elizabeth II is pictured arriving at the Port of Spain in 2009. The Queen's death has provoked many differing responses from students and faculty, with some students celebrating the long-reigning monarch's death.

On Thursday, September 8, with just short of 20 minutes left to spare in sixth period, news of the death of England's Queen Elizabeth II reached the ASFA community. And many in the ASFA community rejoiced.

The divide in the reactions seen at ASFA was mostly generational. Why was the younger generation quick to laugh as the older immediately mourned?

Junior Creative Writer Kalvin Crescenzi said he had prayed for Elizabeth’s death for many years.

“I just think that a monarchy is a fundamentally flawed institution," he said. "Not to compliment America or anything, but I think there’s a reason we don’t have one. I just think that [she] is objectively, morally a terrible person.” Kalvin listed the Queen’s crimes against humanity as taking money from the less fortunate, colonization, and genocide.

When asked about his opinion on the student body’s joyful reaction, Kalvin said he found it hilarious. “Walking through the halls right after it happened — I’m definitely going to remember that. It was very gratifying to see because I’ve been waiting for it for so long. Better than I could ever hope for. I high-fived several people in the halls.”

Seeing warnings against online humor around the former monarch’s passing, Kalvin detailed his frustration.

“I think that it is pointless to tell people not to joke about it. The vast majority of people saying not to joke about it have never met this lady. You don’t know her, you’re not her family. You don’t need to be defending her because she’s somebody’s grandmother,” he said. “It’s pointless to defend her like you’re related to her when there’s this endless list of what she’s done and allowed to happen, and the reaction from younger generations points to a shift in the perspective of how we view monarchies and governmental institutions as a whole.”

What causes the stark difference in how the community understands the queen’s legacy? What does the queen represent to us as Americans, and how do the adults in our community understand it?

History and English teacher Mrs. Rachel Reinhart said she found the student body’s thundering reaction to be intriguing and historically significant.

“Historically, it’s nice to see the ASFA students’ reactions, because it shows that they have had a more critical eye on history," Reinhart said. "They now see the monarchy as something that has cost the world in a lot more ways than it has benefited the world. And I was surprised to see it, but I probably should not have been.

"It’s partly because of education — not just in school but also access to external media... I see teenagers seeking out critical discourse, and to me, that’s exciting.”

She goes on to explain her point of view, how different circumstances were in her youth. “At my high school, there was a real, generalized respect for the monarchy, and I think that has to do with the way we were indoctrinated through children’s princess movies. More than half the people I knew had stayed up to watch Diana marry Charles, because it was a fantasy people could see be played out in real life. Someone who had been a daycare worker could become a princess and then possibly the queen, and that appealed to people’s sense of fantasy and possibility.”

Reinhart confesses she was not surprised to see the sadness others experienced receiving the news of the Queen. This loss, she explains, of such a power structure is unsettling for some. The Queen had been ruling the United Kingdom for seventy years; she is generationally familiar. Especially with other upsetting news in recent times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, once again losing something so greatly familiar causes a strong reaction from the public.

Reinhart commented on the Queen’s role in feminism, describing it as “a strong, dominant, shrewd female power force in the world.” For some, Queen Elizabeth II was a beacon of power not only in the monarchy and the United Kingdom, but also in representing the heights a woman can reach.

Reinhart said she was concerned about the online discourse. She talked about the danger freedom on the Internet can bring. It enables a source of discussion, giving voices to those who wouldn’t otherwise have one. However, it has also encouraged people to care less about words’ consequences, which might lead to further conflict.

The differences in how the world understands the former monarch’s death can be seen as valid across the board. Whether they celebrate, criticize, joke, or mourn, it is with a certain understanding of the British monarchy and with complete free will to respond as they please. Good or bad, the former Queen means something to all.