Saturday, September 5, 2020

Pelosi, the Trumps, Ben Shapiro, and Marie-Antoinette


Here is one of several ridiculous articles which compare Marie-Antoinette de Lorraine d'Autriche to current American political figures. To quote:

Is Nancy Pelosi the Marie Antoinette of the 21st century? Thanks to Donald Trump Jr, comparisons were sparked between the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and the last Queen of France who was quite infamous in her time as the French accused her of promiscuity and claimed her children of being illegitimate. Retweeting a video from Rep Matt Gaetz, US President Donald Trump's oldest son tweeted: "Nancy Pelosi is the Marie Antoinette of the 21st-century." (Read more.)

Please do not compare La Strega Pelosi with a Queen who organized soup kitchens and clothing drives, supported orphans and single mothers, and would never have supported abortion. The comparisons are based upon the false belief that the Queen of France was a heartless, feckless harpy who danced while the people starved, who said "Let them eat cake," which she never said

People have accused me of having "hurt feelings" over the false depiction of Marie-Antoinette but it is not a matter of feelings. It is a matter of concern to see how persons who have conservative public forums fail to understand the nature and reality of Revolution. They think that Marie-Antoinette must have done something bad in order to have her head cut off. They do not see what is happening all around them, that anyone who stands in the way of the Revolution is going to be demonized, whether it is President Trump, or Melania or Justice Kavanaugh or Rand Paul. The hatred leveled at such people has nothing to do with anything they have actually done but what they represent. As a progressive and liberal Democrat, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is committed to social change in the footsteps of those French Revolutionaries who established the first socialist state in the name of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. She has nothing in common with Marie-Antoinette, Queen of France.

Marie-Antoinette has been demonized beyond human recognition, both before and after her execution. The pornographic pictures and tracts distributed by her enemies had no resemblance to reality. She was a Catholic Queen, the mother of the heir to the throne and a woman who represented the ancient heritage of Christendom. And so the very image of her had to be destroyed in order for the Revolution to triumph, the Revolution which extolled human rights while inflicting tyranny and mind control on the populace. The Revolution which saw the Catholic faith as standing in the way of progress.

As for the defenders of La Strega Pelosi, who compare the Trumps to Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette because of their vast wealth, they also have no grasp of history. The Trump residence in the Trump Tower may have decor based upon Versailles, but that does not mean it is in the taste of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, both of whom notoriously preferred simplicity in their private lives and living spaces. Unlike the Trumps, the King and Queen would never have chosen to have everything gilded. And I speak as a steadfast Trump supporter. The state rooms of Versailles and the Tuileries, including the bedchambers, were ornate because they were open to the public. Now Ivanka might be compared to Marie-Antoinette in her work to improve the lives of working mothers and their children, which is what Marie-Antoinette was all about. If Melania is to be compared to the Queen it should be for her elegant clothes and gracious, dignified manner. But to demean the Trumps and the Queen by comparing their imaginary bad qualities is not realistic. And I objected in the same way when Mrs. Obama was compared to Marie-Antoinette.

It is a travesty how many Americans are ignorant of the true story of Marie-Antoinette. Why cannot people see that the French Revolution was the blueprint for every future totalitarian regime, especially the Communist ones? Marie-Antoinette was the scapegoat the revolution needed to succeed. She was demonized by the left in her own time in exactly the same way Trump has been by the current revolutionaries.

What surprised me the most is that Ben Shapiro, whom I thought of as genuinely erudite, joined the chorus of ignoramuses who compare Pelosi to La Reine Martyre. And it does not take any deep or profound scholarship to find the truth. A quick search on Google will tell you that Marie-Antoinette never said anything so callous or stupid as "Let them eat cake." What Marie-Antoinette did say was: "It is quite certain that in seeing the people who treat us so well despite their own misfortune, we are more obliged than ever to work hard for their happiness."

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9 comments:

May said...

As for Shapiro, unfortunately I am never surprised by things like this. People are often brilliant and insightful in one area and then have these glaring blind spots. It seems natural they would understand the truth of some related area, or have an affinity for it, but instead they are shockingly crude and ignorant about it. Everyone should absolutely know better at this point about Marie-Antoinette.

elena maria vidal said...

Yes, they should. All they have to do is take a second to Google it.

May said...

I think many Americans still have deeply ingrained prejudices against monarchies, and especially anything Catholic.

elena maria vidal said...

Exactly. It's the Whig view of history, sort of like the Black Legend against the Spanish. Mary Queen of Scots is similarly misrepresented.

May said...

Many "conservatives" who defend the Constitution etc. are merely defending a more limited form of liberalism. At best, they invoke natural law, but human nature is fallen. They are very much Americanists in the sense condemned by Pope Leo XIII. They think the American Founding is the be-all and end-all of political perfection. While it was probably the best that could be done in the specific situation in which this country was created, it is not the best that could ever exist.

According to Catholic teaching, ideally, a nation is not supposed to restrict itself to securing natural rights, but owes it to God to recognize the true religion He revealed. Of course, this may not be possible, if a country is religiously splintered from the beginning, but this state of affairs isn't something to consider an advantage in itself.

In Italy after the war, Catholicism was the religion of the state, and laws could not violate Catholic morals, yet they also had a republic, democratic institutions, a modern society, and religious toleration. It is possible, in principle, for all of these things to coexist, but it seems a foreign concept to many.

elena maria vidal said...

Thank you, May, for a thoughtful and true explanation.

Sansa said...

People need to remember that Marie Antoinette lived in the 18th century.
She was married to a stranger, to form an alliance. Her world was very different from ours.
Marie never said "let them eat cake". She was a queen involved in charity work and she was also a devout Catholic.
It's frustrating to see Marie Antoinette compared to Pelosi, Hilary and every modern wealthy woman. If an influential woman behaves badly or spends a lot, she is a Marie Antoinette.

Camille (TH) said...

Hello, I'm someone from Thailand but interest the story of Marie Antoinette so she become the most Queen I love now.

Well, I've seen many clips telling story of the Queen but no one said about charities that she and her husband had. Also I've seen so many people with cruel heart try to attack every comment they see that symphathy or defending her. They always said the same thing like "Monarchies is evil" "People is hungry" "They're ignorance" but never care to listen anything more.

My heart being stomp everytime I think they're not even listen but will teach next generation to misunderstand her more and more. I'm so angry but I couldn't stop them.

Also no matter I've seen many games, animes , cartoons , novels or any entertainment saying about My Queen. "Let them eat ...." stuff never gone off from my sight. that's hurt me too.

I want anyone who really know about them and full of info to spread better of her(and her husband's) story more than now.

I know it's really hard to change mind of people around the world but if we don't do anything, who will?

May said...

Yes, it's frustrating. I'm not holding my breath, either, for any of the commentators on Twitter who were sent information regarding the truth of this matter, to retract any of their slanderous remarks.