O’ Canada!
Do you remember when they had us stop the singing of O Canada in school? I don’t think as a kid I gave it much thought, it just stopped and then we just had the song playing over the speakers in our school without singing. Does anyone have any memories of that?
What brought this on was my thinking about how school children in the US are brought up young to pledge allegiance to the Flag, which to most embodies the pres and the country usually. I was imagining how weird that is, I guess though that girl and boy scouts pledge to the queen. (or so I heard) Have you ever had to mouth allegiance like that day after day?
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Throughout history, people have had to pledge allegiance or fealty to individuals (kings, dictators, etc.)
The point here in the states is that we honor our flag, and the republic for which it stands, rather than for any one person.
The teaching of civics has pretty much disappeared in the US, and that’s part of why Americans don’t vote and are otherwise apathetic. The pledge of allegiance is about all we have left.
It’s a nice tradition that unites us.