[fatso]

So these kids can't ever sing the anthem again? Is our sense of national pride so tenuous that it hangs on whether or not some 10 year olds sing a song they probably don't fully understand anyway? I get that some people like singing the song and some don't... but the indignation expressed here is truly baffling and horribly misguided.

I sang the anthem when I was younger. I like doing it now. Did it teach me anything about history, pride, civic responsibility? Nope. Would I miss it if it was gone... probably, but I'm not overly concerned.

Rather than getting collectively bent out of shape, why not put efforts towards ensuring the curriculum is reflecting Canadian history and teaching kids our historical values and principles - democracy, freedom, etc. A song doesn't teach kids much of anything... I know it didn't for me. Being a good citizen requires substantive education...

Moreover, I feel lousy that these kids lost their cousin... I appreciate they want to sing the song to honour him. Maybe a balanced compromise - that ever Canadian of principles surely in verse 3 that all 8-year-olds have memorized - could be reached? Maybe if the Principal doesn't want the students doing the anthem (for reasons we still don't know), the girls could be given the chance to give a presentation on their cousin and what he was doing with the troops and their responsibilities... that way they can honour his sacrifice, communicate with the kids, and generate a much more important lesson in national pride than performing a song by rote. Maybe some other idea could be reached?

But of course, rather than reasoning through possible solutions and considering the whole of the children's well-being and civic duties, everyone flies off the handle about a song and takes it personally. I guess the right to be indignant over a gesture or symbol is part of our Canadian heritage though... it's in verse 2.