Ask a foreigner

[Rose White]

Kids in public elementary school still say the pledge in my state. But it is said over the loud speaker so they don’t have to actually know it.

Next question: do you know your national anthem? (Your home country and/or the country you live in now). If you didn’t sing it in school where/when did you sing it?

 

[gorgonzola]

Next question: do you know your national anthem? (Your home country and/or the country you live in now). If you didn’t sing it in school where/when did you sing it?

The Queen's Christmas message to the Commonwealth always ended with a (frequently choral) arrangement of "God save the Queen" at the end, which was about 15 minutes after it started at 3pm. So it was after Christmas dinner and before the James Bond movie Never Say This One Wasn't On Last Year Again.

 

[Teasel]

do you know your national anthem?

I just tried to sing ours in my head. I know the first few sentences.

Nb when singing it in my head, I hear the crows in a football stadium singing it because that's prolly where I hear it sung most.

 

[Teasel]

crows

Crowds

 

[user27357]

yes, i sing. at the end there is a high note and countless performers make a show of the difficulty endured in reaching it. My music educator daughter taught me to laugh at that, the note occurs earlier to no fanfare. its been done.

National anthems being sung en mass at stadium events carry what i think is more weight than words or ideals, i think the deeply instinctual human need for group acceptance is being met. I think a part of our brain is getting its “a place at the tribal campfire when we all chant” fix.

 

[Freddyt]

When I was young we had two anthems so to speak. Canada became its own country, but still part of the British commonwealth in my lifetime.
It was still common practice to have the queen's picture in classrooms and most Canadians my age know the Canadian anthem as well as God Save the King, as we used to do both back to back when I was young.

We have no pledge or oath that I know of.

 

[Lost in the Woods]

Not really but I do remember Johnny Rotten’s version of God Save the Queen.

 

[Rose White]

@Lost in the Woods I didn’t know there was another version until this thread popped into my head

 

[notsurewheretoturn]

@Lost in the Woods I didn’t know there was another version until this thread popped into my head

Its not a version that gets sung in public very often, lol.

 

[Rose White]

Saw this mentioned in a thread and didn’t want to derail it.

there was a woman on the fall, drink/on drugs… We tried to look after her whilst we waited [for the police]. She was able to speak a bit and then fell asleep. Police came… and the paramedics came and eventually she went off with them.

As an American I was shocked! Why? The police in my city, much less the paramedics, would *never* come for someone drunk or high in public unless they were unconscious or actively committing a violent crime. I probably see people high on drugs (fentanyl or meth) every day on my commute and people openly (a blanket over their head) smoking fentanyl.

Our police are short staffed and focused on violence and gang crime is my understanding of why they don’t bother with public intoxication. Curious what the situation is like around this where you live.

 

[Movingforward10]

Saw this mentioned in a thread and didn’t want to derail it.

As an American I was shocked! Why? The police in my city, much less the paramedics, would *never* come for someone drunk or high in public unless they were unconscious or actively committing a violent crime. I probably see people high on drugs (fentanyl or meth) every day on my commute and people openly (a blanket over their head) smoking fentanyl.

Our police are short staffed and focused on violence and gang crime is my understanding of why they don’t bother with public intoxication. Curious what the situation is like around this where you live.

I was surprised they arrived! And in quite a short time. And they were really good! Able to get her to speak, engaged her, calmed her down. A man came over and said he knew her. She was cowering when he approached. The police picked up on all of that and moved the man away. They put that tin foil blanket around her as she was cold. They got the paramedics. The police man stood a distance away as his male presence was agitating her. He called his supervisor and said they can't leave her as she is vulnerable and told him about the man that came over.
They couldn't have been better actually. And this is a police force that it known for the opposite sort of behaviour.
It was social policing in action.
And was good to see.
They helped.

Who knew?!

 

[Rose White]

That’s so heartening to hear