It was the horrific maudlin demonstration at Diana’s funeral that drove home to me the fact that the Endland of a “stiff upper lip” was long gone....
“It was the horrific maudlin demonstration at Diana’s funeral that drove home to me the fact that the England of a “stiff upper lip” was long gone....”
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That turned my stomach. I remember the unfavorable comparisons many conservative writers made to the dignified funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965. I see one more teddy bear at a funeral and I swear I’m gonna...
I don’t think that Diana’s funeral marked the end of the ‘stiff upper lip’. Living in the UK, I think that it was a one off event. Diana did a lot of good work when she was alive and her ‘common touch’ transcended the class barrier in the UK. Given her relative youth and young sons all of these factors combined to create much sympathy and sadness in the UK at the time.
Contrary to some rather disrespectful comments on this thread, I hope that Diana rests in peace and my thoughts go out to her sons and family. As other people have noted, Mother Teresa’s death was sadly much overlooked at the time. However, this was hardly Diana’s fault.
I must say that it is slightly odd that the reaction of the UK public to this unique tragedy has been described as soppy on, of all things, an Amercan forum. Don’t get me wrong. I love the US and the US people. But gargantuan levels of schmaltz have been produced within the US. Just look at US TV: Women (and men) constantly blubbing on the Oprah Winfrey Show, people told to ‘get in touch with their feelings’ on Dr. Phil. US people have always been far more comfortable about being ‘emotional’ that UK citizens. That is by no means a criticism, just an observation. This US trait is far more preferable in some situations. Commuting in London in dead silence (where talking to strangers is seen as strictly taboo) is hardly much fun.