Is jingoistic flag-waving a just another crass Americanism we have adopted, or has it always been a facet of Australian Culture?
Today I found this little gem on my FB newsfeed:
I DON'T CARE IF I DO OFFEND ANYONE BY THIS!!! I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF AUSTRALIA AND TO THE COMMONWEALTH FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION INDIVISIBLE, AND JUSTICE FOR ALL! MY GENERATION GREW UP RECITING THE AUSTRALIAN ANTHEM EVERY MORNING IN SCHOOL WITH MY HAND ON MY HEART. THEY NO LONGER DO THAT FOR FEAR OF OFFENDING SOMEONE! ... ...... LET'S SEE HOW MANY AUSSIES WILL RE-POST THIS AND NOT CARE ABOUT OFFENDING SOMEONE
Well it offended me! What a load of codswallop! Mr. Elephant, who is his 70s says he never had to recite anything with his hand on his heart when he was at school, my kids, who are in their 40s say they didn’t either and , as far as I know, neither did any of my Grandchildren. The most any of them have ever done was sing the National Anthem at assemblies and I’m pretty sure most schoolkids do the same today.
This is a stupid piece of xenophobia disguised as patriotism that obviously started in America – and even there it is a big fat lie, an overwhelming majority of American schools still go through the pledge to the flag ritual every day.
I suspect whoever it was that said “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel” must have been thinking of this type of offensive hogwash when he made that comment.
