Note: On the Use of the Royal We in Panhandle Truth Squad

(Amarillo) In the wake of the recent Linguistic Riots at the downtown offices of the Panhandle Truth Squad (rising high above the corner of 10th and Burr), I have been compelled to write this explanation, if only to get this band of scruffy hippies to remove themselves from my penthouse office.

The royal we, or Pluralis Majestatis, has a long and storied history. It is often said to be the first-person singular, spoken as the first-person plural, used when referring to kings, queens, bishops, monarchs, or other royalty. This is not the complete story, but will do as a starting point.

When we-- ouch!, sorry, I-- use the royal we on PTS, I am speaking for a fictional "group" that writes the "group blog" Panhandle Truth Squad. The complication arises from the fact that there is a "real" group that writes the group blog Panhandle Truth Squad. I do not speak for their opinions. They are difficult to divine and often contradictory.


You could say that I am speaking for the "management" of Panhandle Truth Squad, and not for the talent, who are expected to post their opinions but are allowed to have none. Of course, once I begin to write, I, in effect, demote to mere talent. Thus, in a Schrödingrian complication, the mere act of writing down the opinion causes it to lose any possibility of being true.

I certainly hope this clears up the matter.

spacedark