Pledge of Allegiance in your Country?

[Panda]

Neither Finnish nor German public schools have the pledge.

I guess it could be possible that there are private schools who practice it, but I've never heard about it.

 

[AceChilla]

It really is a great way of brainwashing. Its a given that if you say something often enough you start to believe it wheter you want it or not. It's used in psycology where people have to recite stuff like "Im a succesfull human being" to get the idea instilled in them. Its called affirmations.

And to let little kids recite such heavy stuff they dont even understand

We don't have a pledge in The Netherlands.

 

[History_Buff]

Oddly though, naturalised citizens do have to swear allegience to the Queen. That's why Canada is a weird country, foreign people who live here have to swear allegiance to some foreigner who doesn't.

Never heard of that one, though it's not too surprising. I imagine it's a Commonwealth wide practice though, not simply Canada?

 

[Louis XXIV]

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

Well, I go to private school, so they can make us do what they want

I think they only make us stand, though. Plenty of people don't say it (it varies, but I think only two or three people actually bother to say it). Usually I say it, but sometimes I say Los Estados Unidos instead of United States, just because I feel like it (I think I started before the Spanish version of the Star Spangled Banner came out).

It seems that the United States is one of the few places that have one. It does seem to be a very facist/communist thing to have one to be honest. That's why they added "under God" in the first place (soviet russia pledges oaths to flags we have God to make us different ). But there was also a kind of "Hitler Salute" that Americans apparently did before the 1940s while saying the pledge.

I think that the pledge is, in a way, a sign of respect. No one really thinks about the words when they say them. If someone didn't want to say it, I certainly wouldn't make them, though, its their choice and I'm fine with it.

 

[CaptainF]

I do not say the pledge. At our school we say it once a week.

I stand and face the flag, but I do not say the pledge. Why? Because I don't like it, and I also don't like how "under God" has been added. The whole thing is just ridiculous.

 

[Sidhe]

When I was at school they used to make us say:

Our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven


etc,etc,etc.

it was kinda cool but then religion was banned in school so we lost it.

But we never had a pledge of alliegence, barring God and nor did we need it, I'd imagine it is purely a North American thing.

 

[sysyphus]

Never heard of that one, though it's not too surprising. I imagine it's a Commonwealth wide practice though, not simply Canada?

I'm sure it is Commonwealth wide, which makes those countries equally as ridiculous as ours.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

I always thought it was mandatory, and now that I know otherwise, I think it still should be. Its good to instill some manner of loyalty to your nation in the young ones, I would expect this of every nation, but it appears such things have been overlooked

I said it nonetheless every day, load and proud, even if I was the only one in my homeroom to do so

oh, and Sydhe, that is The Lord's Prayer, one of the most beautiful and meaningful poems i have ever heard

 

[bhsup]

Just FYI, since I've not seen it posted yet, I thought folks who are unaware of what it is might like to know what is being discussed.

The Pledge Of Allegiance Of The United States of America
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,
and to The Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

 

[ybbor]

I never got why we said "to the flag...and to the republic for which it stands" shouldn't we make it so we're only pledging aligiance to the republic, and not to the flag as well?

anybody got some suggested language for dropping the flag?

 

[De Lorimier]

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".

Yeah, no kidding. And I think that a pledge of allegiance to an independant Québec would be as stupid of an idea. Nationalistic indoctrination of children is not something I think any smart adult should do or approve of. It makes me a little sick.

Oddly though, naturalised citizens do have to swear allegience to the Queen. That's why Canada is a weird country, foreign people who live here have to swear allegiance to some foreigner who doesn't.

As you may now know, I actually work for the federal government. Those of us lucky enough to serve our fellow citizens, in exchange of an interesting monetary compensation, have to recite a pledge of allegiance to her majesty Elizabeth the second, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Saint Kitts and Nevis and, of course, the sovereign nation of Canada (!). It's actually just a signature on a piece of paper, but it feels really weird doing it. At least it makes for a funny moment with coworkers.

 

[Evie]

Glad to see you actually disagree with that little book about "teaching independance to kids", then, De Lor :-D.

 

[tomsnowman123]

I have gone through American schools almost pledge free. The only times we said it on a regular basis was 5th grade, and even then it wasn't quite every day.

 

[De Lorimier]

Glad to see you actually disagree with that little book about "teaching independance to kids", then, De Lor :-D.

What a mess that was!
I'm unapologetic about my political leanings in favor of the sovereignty movement, but I've always been quite unapologetic about calling some of the adherent of that movement a bunch of freaking morons. Larose and the whole council have been huge ones during the last year or so.

 

[Evie]

Sounds about right to me (aside from me being more neutral than pro-Independance).

 

[sysyphus]

... and, of course, the sovereign nation of Canada (!).

Sometimes I wish Quebec would become sovereign and then you let us join you so that we can become sovereign too.

Good letter in the Globe other day in reference to Charest's decision to go ahead and meet Kyoto obligations despite Harper's decion for the federal government not to, where the writer said that Canada should separate from the US and join Quebec. Nice tongue in cheek view.

 

[A'AbarachAmadan]

We had it all the way through high school. Don't remember if everyone always said it, but everyone always stood for it. I always stood and said it.

Now, we have the National Anthem played before movies in the Theater. This is done in all theaters run by the US military (at least all the ones I've been to). I like it.

 

[mrtn]

The whole thought of saying a pledge or singing the anthem every day seems utterly ridiculous to me. Making it mandatory actually is scary, it's something one would expect in a facist dictatorship rather than a democracy...

I agree.

I would have thought that having an inanimate national symbol would be a perfect excuse to show disrespect by setting fire to it.

If we set fire to the Queen, I guess manslaughter might be involved, so it's slightly heavier.

*Note to self: Continue the work on producing a more flammable queen.*

 

[The Yankee]

I work in a public school in the US and we say the pledge every day. One of my students doesn't recite it for religious reasons, which is perfectly acceptable. Every year I try teach them what the words mean, but they're very young kids and don't quite get it.

It's a ritual, and like lots of rituals its meaning gets lost sometimes.

If they're Jehovah's Witnesses, then they are barred from pledging allegiance to any flag or country.

 

[aussieboy]

I’m an Australia expat in the US, and while I was in junior high, being a non-citizen, I stood up like the rest, to honor the pledge, but remained silent.

I think a Pledge of Allegiance is a good thing. Loyalty to your country is a value that should be instilled in youth, for it makes them willing to defend their freedom, whether from the conniving politician or the dastardly foreign enemy.