In my school, one had the option of remaining silent, a few people would opt --I even did once in a while, for kicks, no one gave me any flak.
That being said, it's trivial compared to the conditioning they do in Japanese schools. I.e. all the loudspeaker commands throughout school and the environment.
On, on a positive note, at least it's to a country (ideals) rather than a Queen.
As a Brit I take some offense to your throwaway comment.
What you fail to understand is that the Queen (or monarchy) also represents the ideals of the country. They are a binding force, that tie us to our past and our future. They hold very little power and have to endure much responsibility (mentoring politicians, representing the country abroad, upholding the values and behavior expected of them) and suffer much inconvenience (media intrusion).
It is also very rare for a pledge of allegiance of any kind in the UK especially in schools (I understand it happens at citizenship ceremonies and in certain public office positions such MPs) - the idea of school children pledging blind allegiance to an entity is pretty horrid in my opinion.
And to be clear, the problem in America is not the flag, but rather the pledge to it. With no daily pledges to the Queen, I definitely don't see a parallel problem.
> They hold very little power and have to endure much responsibility (mentoring politicians, representing the country abroad, upholding the values and behavior expected of them) and suffer much inconvenience (media intrusion).
The royal family is fabulously wealthy and enjoys much celebrity. I wouldn't call that very little power. They might not be able to tell parliament what to do anymore, but it's more power than you or I will ever know. The responsibility and inconvenience, while not zero, seem like a small price to pay for privileges granted by royal blood.
They're like A-list Hollywood actors, except there's almost zero ability to get into the family on the basis of merit. Marriage perhaps.
That being said, it's trivial compared to the conditioning they do in Japanese schools. I.e. all the loudspeaker commands throughout school and the environment.
On, on a positive note, at least it's to a country (ideals) rather than a Queen.