Filipinos May Soon Be Jailed For Not Singing The National Anthem Enthusiastically · 8:25am Jun 29th, 2017
I think this is a good thing, to be honest—or it would be a good thing if it were implemented in America (and I'm only half kidding). There's a distinct lack of enthusiasm here in the States for singing our national anthem.
I'm tired of going to American events and watching one person sing the anthem while everybody sits with their hands wherever and their baseball caps on, not bothering to make a single sound until the word "FREE" prompts them to activate their token applause for the high note. I like singing the national anthem alone, even though I have a terrible voice. I'd really like to sing it in tandem with other people one day.
I think the image of the Star-Spangled Banner, flying in defiance of the "bombs bursting in air", is pretty badass. You might think the phrase "land of the free and the home of the brave" is cheesy or disgusting, but I don't. I think it sounds cool. (And we are still one of the most free countries in the world, at least in terms of freedom of expression. Getting arrested for hate speech on Facebook? That's a European thing.)
People hold grudges against this country, and rightfully so—our petrodollar is propped up on interventionist wars in foreign countries that would make Genghis Khan blush. The government is thoroughly entwined with the military-industrial-complex. It's far from perfect. But even if you don't appreciate where the US has been headed, at least you can think about what the "American spirit" ought to stand for, just as much as one can appreciate Christianity without immersing oneself fully within it. "Thou shalt not kill"? What's so bad about that? Rejecting Christianity doesn't mean you have to run contrary to every single facet of it. Checkmate, atheists.
People from other countries don't do this. They sing their national anthems even when they're terrible singers—that's what I've noticed most about teams and people from abroad.
