A Royal affair
We often think of today’s politics as brutal and ruthless. Watching A Royal Affair, which explores the politics of Denmark just before the American and French Revolutions, reminds us that politics has always been a brutal affair. The film is not uplifting, as it portrays the political maneuvering at the Danish court, but it offers an excellent history lesson. After watching the film, I wanted to find out to what extent it was historically accurate. According to Wikipedia—which I generally trust—the film is very accurate in its portrayal of how the personal physician of the king tried to bring Enlightenment values to the government of Denmark.
I don’t want to spoil your movie experience, so I won’t reveal any key plotlines. However, I will mention that the royal physician becomes carried away by passion. At one point, he falls victim to a common pitfall for people in power: the belief that they are indispensable. This reminds me of Joe Biden, who seemed to feel the same way when he ran for reelection. His debate debacle against Donald Trump demonstrated to everyone that he was not up to the job of being president for another four years. This serves as a lesson for all of us: we should know when it’s time to step down and not cling to our positions.