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| How important is your national anthem? |
| I don't give a toss about it. |
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38% |
[ 15 ] |
| I feel a certain pride when I hear (even though I don't know all the lyrics). |
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17% |
[ 7 ] |
| I don't think much about it, but if I ever heard any knavish foreigners mocking it I'd do my nut! |
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15% |
[ 6 ] |
| It has a very important place in my heart, and it brings me to tears whenever it's played. |
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28% |
[ 11 ] |
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| Total Votes : 39 |
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| Author |
Message |
The_Eyeball_Kid
Joined: 20 Jun 2007
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 Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 5:32 pm Post subject: Re: Do you give a toss about your national anthem? |
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| Vicissitude wrote: |
| The_Eyeball_Kid wrote: |
| Vicissitude wrote: |
| Big_Bird wrote: |
Well, Americans posting the lyrics to their national anthem on that other thread got me thinking. Thinking, hell, the only part of my national anthem I know is the part that goes "God Save Our Gracious Queen" so I decided to google it up and this is the first time I've ever checked out the words:
I have never sung it in my life, nor been asked (say at school) to sing it. In fact I've rarely heard it all - a good thing really as it has such a boring tune. I don't imagine that many other Brits know the words either, and plenty of Aussies admit that the only line of their anthem that they know is "Advance Australia Fair!" The rest is just white noise.
So, though I must say that I rather like the line in there about frustrating those ghastly foreigners' knavish tricks, I think the Sex Pistols did a much better version of our anthem:'
Some countries seem to get more excited about this kind of stuff than others. I remember having to stand to attention at kids summer camps in Korea when they played their bloody anthem.  Why on earth do you need to play the national anthem at a kid's camp? And in China once a week we all had to troop outside while the played music and raised the flag. As a Brit, this was all a bit over the top for my liking. Flags and anthems, why do you need them at school or at sporting events? Seems a load of bollocks to me.
So, do you give a toss about your anthem? |
Just because your national anthem is "such a boring tune" and you feel nothing but obvious disgust by it, doesn't give you the right to judge and put down other people who happen to love their national anthem. And the Star Spangled Banner is an excellent tune indeed. I'm sorry that a loser like you will never be able to relate with others who are different from yourself. I can only pity people who have no ability to be emotionally moved by a song.
BB, learn to have a little respect for other cultures instead of being so insensitive, arrogant and above all jealous. |
Emotionally moved by a national anthem?!
You T W A T. |
Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. And you wanna know why? Because when I hear the anthem, it makes me think of my father who died in a war, my two grandfathers who faught in WW2 and all the men who lost their lives fighting for America, my freedom and my life. So go to HELL! |
So you choose to perpetuate the nationalism mobilized to send hundreds and thousands of young men to their deaths rather than question its morality? Fine. Up to you. You hum the tune when you're marching into battle yourself.
My grandfathers also both fought in WW2, by the way. Possibly for three years longer than yours did. |
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JMO
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Daegu
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| Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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I don't really care about national anthems but if they are a good one I'll probably hum along. The US anthem is stirring and quite good. I hate the Irish one as it is very staid. The canadian one is mortifying(oh canada ..really..) and the English one is plain crap. Funnily enough I generally like those countries.
If i could i would change the English anthem to Jerusalem as that is a tune and a half to stir the soul. last night of the proms kicks ass btw..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ0oCmDXrVk
I would change the Irish national anthem to 'Down by the glenside' in a second.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUT558JH3AY
imo a national anthem should be a ballad or a hymn..simple enough to be blasted out by 60000 people and makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. My biggest problem with the US national anthem is that they get some crap pop star to quaver it out rather than let the people sing it from the stands. |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Pluto wrote: |
| Big_Bird wrote: |
| Justin Hale wrote: |
| Not being ruled by the British was (I don't believe it is anymore) central to the American identity, but not being ruled by Napoleon or any continental Catholic despot is (or was) central to the British identity and, like I say, Americans tend to overemphasize the importance of American independence to Britishness and British patriotism. It's hardly discussed and not simply because the outcome was the opposite of what the British fought for. It's not discussed because it's simply not that central. Winning wars against Johnny Foreigners make up Britishness - not losing wars to British or former British subjects. That's why it's always surprising to see it claimed to be the source of a national inferiority complex. |
This is very true. Several Americans I've met in real life, and scores more of the internet-warrior variety, have brought this up like it's some kind of really big deal and we Brits must still be reeling from it. Because it's such a huge part of their national identity, it doesn't seem to occur to many of them that many Brits are hardly even aware of this bit of history. We've got loads of history to cover in the classroom, from before the Roman invasion even, and this is really just a footnote in our history. |
Actually, all American high school students, as well as many university students, are required to take two history courses. They must take both Continental History(US History) and History of Western Civilization. So we've got to take loads of history, too. Western History starts at around the time of Hammurabi which is way before the Roman Invasion. I don't know why you'd think American students don't study history before 1776? |
You are completely missing the point. It's not about anyone studying more history, it's about how a certain historical incident features in the public consciousness. In the US, the war of independence was a defining point in your history. You even have a day (a holiday even?) each year to celebrate it. It features heavily in the public consciousness. Justin Hale made the point that a lot of Americans assume that because they themselves are so aware of this war, we also must be. But in fact, it hardly registers in our consciousness at all. It wasn't a defining moment in our history. There are hundreds of wars in our own history, and that's just yet another of them.
The point I made which you seemed to misunderstand is that our own history is just one long temporal line that just kinds of blurs in our consciousness. A few monarchs stand out, say Henry VIII, Charles I or Victoria. It's otherwise rather hazy. Most people would be aware of the year 1066 (the battle of Hastings), and after that only the dates of the world wars would probably be well known. We're swimming in history. You've got less of it to wade through. Sure you study other people's history, but none of that is hugely meaningful in terms of your nation's identity. |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Vicissitude wrote: |
| Quote: |
| The Pistols' second single, "God Save the Queen", was released 27 May 1977. Though widely perceived as a personal attack on Queen Elizabeth II, Rotten later stated that the song was not specifically aimed at the Queen, but was instead intended to critique the deference given to Royalty in general. However, the perceived disrespect to the monarchy caused widespread public outcry. The record was banned from airplay by the BBC, whose Radio 1 dominated music broadcasting at the time. Rotten later remarked, "We had declared war on the entire country�without meaning to!" |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_Pistols
So, the Brits don't care about their national anthem? |
You really are a moron aren't you. This happened thirty years ago.
And as another poster hinted, it was as much a 'public outrage' manufactured by the press if anything, with a minority of the public being upset about it. Seondly, you've missed the point. The outrage was about insulting the Queen, not buggering on with the national anthem, so it in no way demonstrates that people cared about their national anthem. Good lord woman.
Last edited by Big_Bird on Wed Dec 12, 2007 8:06 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Justin Hale wrote: |
| Vicissitude wrote: |
So, the Brits don't care about their national anthem? |
It's not really a big deal. The buzz of hearing it before a major soccer match - World Cup or something - seems about the extent of it.
I'm all for patriotism. It lies at the very core of morality in my opinion. A child who despises his mother (assuming the mother loves the child and has done all she can, and more, to raise the child well) is a revolting child and this is how I view the unpatriotic. But I still see no real reason to play a national anthem in much else but international sport.
Also, because the British national anthem is inextricably tied up with monarchy, many republicans dislike it. I too think it'd be more fun to have 'Land of Hope and Glory' or 'Rule Britannia'. If the Germans can have 'Deutschland uber alles' with their terrible history, and because the British Monarchy has no political power whatsoever, I suggest the Brits change their national anthem to one celebrating expansion, discovery and overseas influence rather than monarchy. |
I agree that the national anthem should just be for important occasions, to commerate the sacrifices of fallen soldiers and war veterans for example. I don't see why it should be used at such trivial events such as sports matches.
I also agree that we could do with a better anthem. I think 'Rule Britannia' would rock, but we'd have to change the lyrics I suppose. I agree that I always found it somewhat surprising that the Germans could have an anthem so titled after their notorious flirtation with being 'the master race.' |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2007 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Kuros wrote: |
As I described before, Brits will be predisposed against the American national anthem because of its content.
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Actually Kuros, until yesterday, I had no inkling of its contents, and nor do I suspect that many Brits have the vaguest idea of what you are singing about. In fact, I only knew of its title because I rather enjoy listening to Hendrix, or I wouldn't even have known that. |
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Vicissitude
Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: Chef School
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| Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:25 am Post subject: |
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Big_Bird, You are one of the biggest
Fucking
TROLLS
On
Dave's ESL Cafe!
And
It's Official
Let it
Be
Known
That
This
Thread
Is
A
Trolling
Thread.
Don't
Feed
The
Troll!!!!!! |
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