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”.
Oh oh say, can you see!? By the dawn’s early light 🕯️…
For all her reputation of being the Iron Lady Thatcher really pussied out of standing up to china on this.
Like could you imagine the difference if the UK had someone with some fucking backbone back then that didn’t sell Hong Kong to its Doom?
How is it Thatcher’s fault? I’m genuinely curious.
I learned that Hong Kong is under British control because it’s a leasing contract that last 99 years (from 1898 to 1997). So when the time comes it’s nobody’s fault that Hong Kong went back to China. Because China at the time would never extent the contract or even except negotiations.
Hong Kong itself as well as the Kowloon peninsula were actual territories that belonged to the UK after they were ceded to them after the opium wars.
It’s only the “new teritories” which were several smaller islands surrounding Hong Kong island that were part of the 99 year lease.
Even if no effort was made to secure the new territories, we could have and should have defended Hong Kong and Kowloon as part of Britiain, as the people wanted to be either independent or remain British.
Thatcher rolled over and sold their futures to appease China.
Not singing loud enough - straight to jail.
Surprisingly, singing too loud? Also straight to jail.
Real “please clap” energy
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.
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?
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.
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.
In a normal context, I would agree with you but when louder singing is enforced by the State then I take issue with that.
