Are there any countries other than the United States where recital of something similar to the US pledge of allegiance occurs on a regular basis in the classroom?
Not in the UK.
When anyone takes British nationality (like my wife) they have to take the Oath of Allegiance, but that is a once-in-a-lifetime deal. If you are British by birth, no oath is required unless you join a military service (AFAIK).
I guess that if you really mean it the first time then repetition is unnecessary, and if you don’t mean it then repeating it will not change anything.
A bit like marriage vows - only repeated on a special occasion (in my case we repeated our vows on our first anniversary with my wife’s parents in attendance because her mother was too ill to come to the ceremony).
On the same theme you will see far fewer national flags around in the UK. Classrooms and government offices do not have them and the only time that most are flown on public buildings is for something like the Queen’s birthday.
When I was at primary school, a “patriotic ceremony” was performed once a week at the outdoor school assembly. It included the first pledge seen on this page (scroll down). I don’t know whether its optional abbreviated replacement is much used today.
My memory is that it was a pretty low-key business involving a half-hearted mumbling from around half the kiddies. I was an immigrant and I never picked up what the words were supposed to be, but I was never chided by anyone for not participating.
Although there has been a slight increase in patriotism (particularly at the time of the Sydney Olympics), the same could be said for Australia, in comparison to the USA. Although we love our country, we are self conscious about showing it in traditional ways (eg. hands by one’s side during the national anthem, no hand-on-the-heart stuff).
Interestingly though, I found myself stumbling to sing the national anthem at my son’s school, because these days the kids learn more verses of it than we did in the 70s, which is indicative of the increased nationalism of the last decade or so (but from a low starting point, so generally less than its US equivalent).
Generally, you might find a small Australian flag in some classrooms, depending on the whim of the teacher. It is by no means universal.
Holy Cow! That certainly didn’t happen in NSW.
The closest I got to the US pledge/flag beat combo in the UK was when I was in the Scouts. At the statr of every meeting the flag was raised and we all said the Scout Promise:
In fact, I really do think this was the only time when I ever got anywhere near a British flag. If ti wasn’t for this I wouldn’t know (as many people in the UK don’t seem to) that you can actually fly the thing upside down.
(My earlier post was in response to hawthorne, of course, not TheLoadedDog)
(My earlier post was in response to hawthorne, of course, not TheLoadedDog)
Not in Spain unless you join the police or military or are appointed to a cabinet position. There is no way it would be acceptable because it would bring back memories of the Franco years and be viewed as something jingoistic and authoritarian. Very bad image to see schoolchildren being brainwashed like that.
I didn’t have anything remotely pledge like in any of the NSW schools I went to. I think we’d consider it a little bit creepy. Like, if we believe it, why do we have to keep saying it all the time? Are they trying to brainwash us?
Going back to the flags issue - Unfortunately the Union Jack has been hijacked over the last few years by organizations from the extreme right , including the National Front and the British National Party. The only time you will see many flags in a parade is when these halfwits are on the march. I think that this might put many pepole off flying the Union Jack outside their house in case they get mistaken for these loonies.
When I did my student teaching in Kenya, we didn’t say a pledge everyday. However, President Moi’s picture had to be in every main building. Also, I saw two plays, I had to stand for the national anthem at both of them. I was told that you also have to hear the national anthem at the movies too.
There’s no pledge in France. Though I believe the current government intended to have immigrants recitating some oath or pledge unpon taking french citizenship.
Actually, the concept of pledge is associated by most people with fascism and dictatorships, so I guess most french people would be surprised to know that american kids are recitating a pledge. By the way, it existed under the Vichy government, though IIRC the pledge was to the marshall Petain personnally.
Concerning flags, they’re displayed on all government buildings, city halls, etc…People don’t have flags in their houses, on their lawns, etc…Exept in southern France where traditionnally, people who have been elected in local councils plant a flag-bearing tree or mast in their garden.
The only time when you see a lot of french flags in the hands of private individuals is when an international soccer match is played. If the french team wins, you’ll see people driving in the streets flowing flags (and horning, shrieking, etc…). I wonder where they find these flags since I don’t think I ever see even once a flag in someone’s house. Also you’ll see flags in the protests organized by the extreme-right (once again the ideas associated with flag display aren’t necessarilly very appealing for the average frenchman).
I believe the flag isn’t very important, symbolically, here. You could burn as much french flags as you would want publically, and extremely few people would be bothered, for instance.
Hmmm…I saw a few Union Jacks flying in Scotland, but the Saltire was very common - I was surprised, because it was almost as common as the stars-and-stripes here in the US…
Of course, this is just outside homes and businesses, I didn’t peek into any school classrooms.
Desmostylus, you might find situations similar to hawthorne’s experience do in fact happen in NSW, but I think it really depends on the school. We had a principal in primary school who seemed to really like the pomp of flag ceremonies, and included one in the weekly school assembly. In high school, on the other hand, there was bugger all. I’m not sure the school even owned a flag.
I am surpised at the increase in patriotism at school though. Taking my stepson to kindergarten is the first time I’ve stepped inside the gate of a school for several decades, and there is definitely a more flag waving feel to it. I take a shortcut through the high school next door on my way, and that one also has quite a few flags. I suspect this might be under explicit direction from the Department. I seem to recall Bob Carr making mutterings along these lines an election campaign or three ago.
Nothing like it in Canada. I gew up in the US before the under god was added and I think that had it been there I would just have kept silent. They added, “In God We Trust” to the currency around the same time. My reaction was that that meant it no longer had any real backing. In those days, all $1 bills and a small percentage of 5s were still backed by silver, at least in theory.
The number of flags you see in the UK, will rapidly increase when there is a sporting event, but if for example someone flies the Union Jack/St.Georges Cross for no reason people will probably think that he is an ultra-nationalist nutcase.
The only time I rember having to take of oath in the UK was when I was a member of the cub-scouts.
In Turkey they do have a very simlair oath, whichnif IIRC begins “I am Turkish, I am Honest, I am Hard-working…” and ends “…Happy is he who calls himself a Turk!”