Hong Kong officials have singled out at least two schools for singing the Chinese national anthem “too softly”.
Teachers at a third school have been asked to help students “cultivate habit and confidence” in singing it.
Hong Kong has redoubled the emphasis on “patriotic” education since 2020 when China cracked down on the city’s pro-democracy movement.
Officials said students’ voices at the Hong Kong and Macau Lutheran Church Primary School were “soft and weak” and “should be strengthened”. At Yan Chai Hospital Lim Por Yen Secondary School, teachers were told to “help students develop the habit of singing the national anthem loudly in unison”.
I remember getting scolded for not singing O Canada properly.
Why is this even a story? This shit happens in schools because wrestling kids to do stuff is hard.
Oh wait, I forgot, China bad.
Believe it or not, it happening in one country doesn’t mean it’s okay to happen in another country
Believe it or not, there’s nothing wrong with telling someone to sing more loudly.
In a normal context, I would agree with you but when louder singing is enforced by the State then I take issue with that.
I’d go in a different direction - requiring someone to sing your national anthem is wrong. It’s wrong when the U.S. do it, it’s wrong when Canada does, it’s wrong when China does it.
I find national pride hard to understand, but forced displays of national pride are really iffy.
Did a non-teacher, government official scold you directly? No? Ok, not the same thing then.
non-teacher, government official
Do Principals count? How about Superintendents? State legislators who pass these pledge mandates? What about the school cop who comes to get you after the teacher writes you up? Or the cop in the ISS classroom who holds you until your parents pick you up? Or the school administrator who processes your expulsion?
