[Thanos]

Not really, but threatening students with a "get up and sing - or else" mentality seems a fairly stupid way to encourage them to participate in something that's supposed to be positive.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

School is for learning n'est ce pas?

[Thanos]

It's not the army either.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

No, but what better place to actually learn your country's national anthem?
Sporting events?

[PublicAnimalNo9]

ughhh double post

[Unsound]

I don't agree with forcing anyone to sing, but certainly they should stand, remove hats, and either sing or shut up. That's just showing respect and I think most decent people should do the same for any anthem, not just their own.

I feel the same about things like praying in certain public circumstance such as grace before a meal. I'm not a believer so I don't pray with people, or even say amen, but I don't think it hurts me in any way to bow my head and shut the fuck up for a minute or two while those who do believe do their thing.

[Gunnair]

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

No, but what better place to actually learn your country's national anthem?
Sporting events?

Well, there at least it's being sung out of pride (or beer)as opposed to compulsion.

[Thanos]

Unsound Unsound:

I don't agree with forcing anyone to sing, but certainly they should stand, remove hats, and either sing or shut up. That's just showing respect and I think most decent people should do the same for any anthem, not just their own.

I feel the same about things like praying in certain public circumstance such as grace before a meal. I'm not a believer so I don't pray with people, or even say amen, but I don't think it hurts me in any way to bow my head and shut the fuck up for a minute or two while those who do believe do their thing.

Word.

[Gunnair]

Unsound Unsound:

I don't agree with forcing anyone to sing, but certainly they should stand, remove hats, and either sing or shut up. That's just showing respect and I think most decent people should do the same for any anthem, not just their own.

I feel the same about things like praying in certain public circumstance such as grace before a meal. I'm not a believer so I don't pray with people, or even say amen, but I don't think it hurts me in any way to bow my head and shut the fuck up for a minute or two while those who do believe do their thing.

A few years back an officer refused to remove his headdress on parade during prayers. After a massive hullabaloo, they changed the parade so that you don't have to remove your headdress now. As a certified pagan, even I'll remove headdress out of respect, and when our padre blesses me, well, I'll take all I can get!

Respect damn it, simple fucking respect!

[PublicAnimalNo9]

Gunnair Gunnair:

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

No, but what better place to actually learn your country's national anthem?
Sporting events?

Well, there at least it's being sung out of pride (or beer)as opposed to compulsion.

Well, unless you got the fundage to take your kid(s) to enough games until they learn the anthem, I don't see it as a viable avenue for actually learning the words and commiting them to memory.

Then again, no one is forced to do anything at/in school anymore. As long as the little darlings merely show up, they get passed.
They can't do math worth a shit. Their language skills suck ass. Yer right. All of you are right. No sense in making them learn the anthem when they've never been "forced" to learn their multiplicaiton tables or how to conjugate a verb.

[Unsound]

I will say, as regards the sporting events, it is quite the experience when it really really works. Anyone else remember the crowds here in Edmonton during the Oilers play-off run in '06? Spine tingling when Paul Lorieau held the mic up for the crowd. Brought a tear to my eye.

[ShepherdsDog]

Would the fuck refuse to salute, or remove his hat, if dressed as a civilian, coming aboard a ship?

[Thanos]

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

Gunnair Gunnair:

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

No, but what better place to actually learn your country's national anthem?
Sporting events?

Well, there at least it's being sung out of pride (or beer)as opposed to compulsion.

Well, unless you got the fundage to take your kid(s) to enough games until they learn the anthem, I don't see it as a viable avenue for actually learning the words and commiting them to memory.

Then again, no one is forced to do anything at/in school anymore. As long as the little darlings merely show up, they get passed.
They can't do math worth a shit. Their language skills suck ass. Yer right. All of you are right. No sense in making them learn the anthem when they've never been "forced" to learn their multiplicaiton tables or how to conjugate a verb.

That's fairly reactionary. What about the kid who's deeply shy and doesn't want to sing in front of others? Or the kid with a goofy voice who's going to get tormented by the bullies afterwards for not sounding right? Or the kid who doesn't speak the language very well and fumbles up all the words and then gets ridiculed by the other kids afterwards? If you're seeking to use forcible participation in a national anthem to generate love of country then you're going to fail because for a lot of the students you're going to turn the entire experience into a bloody nightmare.

[Gunnair]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

Would the fuck refuse to salute, or remove his hat, if dressed as a civilian, coming aboard a ship?

Dunno. He was quite a package. But I come across them every so often. The CWO I work with is one of them.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

Thanos Thanos:

That's fairly reactionary. What about the kid who's deeply shy and doesn't want to sing in front of others? Or the kid with a goofy voice who's going to get tormented by the bullies afterwards for not sounding right? Or the kid who doesn't speak the language very well and fumbles up all the words and then gets ridiculed by the other kids afterwards? If you're seeking to use forcible participation in a national anthem to generate love of country then you're going to fail because for a lot of the students you're going to turn the entire experience into a bloody nightmare.

Oh please. What about the kid with reading issues being asked to read a paragraph or two out loud in class? What about the kid with stage fright being asked to do a speech in front of the class? You can even use your example kid that doesn't speak the language very well.
At the very least, they can mouth the words. You still have to think about 'em when you pretend to sing them.

Maybe things have changed since I went to school but, NOBODY got bullied for taking part in singing the national anthem. They got bullied and/or beat up for any other number of reasons but the anthem wasn't one of them. Hell, we had one kid in my Grade 6 class that would beat you up after school if you were dicking around during the anthem