Pledge of Allegiance in your Country?

[ybbor]

After reading the national anthem thread, I started wondering about what other countries do with their Pledge of Allegiance.

To non-Americans: Do you guys have a pledge? When you were in school did you recite it daily? Was it mandatory? Do most people in your country know the words?

And for the Americans: did you have to say the pledge daily in school? was it mandatory?

For my part, I should say that in all the schools I've been at, we said the pledge every day, although it was voluntary. Through Jr. High everyone said the pledge, then in High School different classes did different things. Last year all but one person said the pledge daily (she wasn't a citizen), but this year only a handful of people say it.

Note: let's try to avoid the topic of "under God" in the pledge, but I'd be curious if other countries referenced God in their pledges (and if it's still there)

I'd post a poll, but there would be so many options it would be a waste

 

[Bluemofia]

For the pledge, it's not mandatory for us to say it. (American)

But I basically just say it if I feel like it. Sometimes I say half of it, sometimes I just stand and talk about other things with other people not bothering to say the pedge (usually debating about things), sometimes I just stand there, and sometimes I say the whole thing.

Completly depends on what I am doing at the time, and my mood.

 

[The Yankee]

By law, it isn't mandatory to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in America.

But it was given in the mornings, followed by the anthem, every morning not long after the day began in elementary school. I faithfully did both as it was conducted for those years.

 

[bhsup]

And for the Americans: did you have to say the pledge daily in school? was it mandatory?

I do recall saying it during the earlier portion of my elementary education, but for some reason I think we stopped doing it by the time I was in 4th grade or so (circa 1978).

Was it mandatory? I dunno, I stood up and said it with everyone else. I honestly don't know what would have happened if some malcontent ( j/k! ) would have refused to say it.

 

[Lockesdonkey]

We had to say it through middle school (up until 8th grade), but nobody, not even the Government teacher, insisted on it after 9th grade.

 

[GenMarshall]

It was mandantory to recite the pledge. I remember there was a period when I was in High School when we did not recite it, though it was in the pre-9/11 days. I remember the reason was because of the "under God" part, but not sure. But after 9/11 we were back reciting the pledge.

 

[Elrohir]

Well, when you're homeschooled, you never really get the chance to, so the points rather moot. I say it if I'm elsewhere, though, and it's being said.

 

[Evie]

Seeing as just under 50% of Québec's population voted to get out of Canada last time they were asked, AND education is a province-level issue...

Well, any mandatory pledge of allegiance that would be imposed on Québec school would probably be monstrously defaced faster than you can say "Under God".

 

[Atlas14]

For the pledge, it's not mandatory for us to say it. (American)

But I basically just say it if I feel like it. Sometimes I say half of it, sometimes I just stand and talk about other things with other people not bothering to say the pedge (usually debating about things), sometimes I just stand there, and sometimes I say the whole thing.

Completly depends on what I am doing at the time, and my mood.

Same here. The meaningfulness of the PofA has declined greatly for me over the last couple of years. I know I am very Patriotic and to me that is all that matters.

 

[Smellincoffee]

And for the Americans: did you have to say the pledge daily in school? was it mandatory?

Once we hit high school, they didn't really make us. The principle would come on air and asked everyone to pleas rise for the pledge of alliegance, and as the years went on, fewer and fewer people did. By the time we were seniors, there were at most two people in each senior homeroom actually standing. I'm glad to say I was one of them.

 

[.Shane.]

Yeah, we did it through 6th or 8th grade. Its a very meaningless exercise that I think is supposed to inculcate a certain reverance for the US in the young, but... meh.

 

[Godwynn]

We were forced to in High School.

 

[The Yankee]

Didn't realize so many schools were breaking the law by making it mandatory. Surprising actually.

 

[Grisu]

We (Switzerland) don't have a pledge, and I think that's a good thing

Nobody would recite it, anyway...

 

[History_Buff]

As far as I know, Canada doesn't have a P of A to speak of. In Junior High, they played the national anthem everyday before lunch, and we had to stand up, but that was about it.

The whole idea that you have to recite a pledge to be patriotic is rather silly though don't you think?

 

[Steph]

We don't have one in France

 

[warpus]

There isn't one in Canada (or at least Ontario), but I think we had something like this in communist Poland.

Personally, I find it creepy.

 

[BadaBing]

We don't have any sort of pledge in the UK.

 

[Pyrite]

I remember when they used to make us pledge alliegance in school. I remember not knowing what half the words meant. I thought indivisible meant invisible, and that sounded kinda cool, but the rest was kinda dumb.

Later on, I learned what the words meant, and it sounded a lot worse.

 

[AL_DA_GREAT]

No only the US I think has one. I was forced to say the American one when I went to school there. I used to say the words wrong to avoid saying it.