Little Hawks response in the thread "What Songs Make you Laugh Out Loud" was the singing of the US anthem at hockey games, when both teams are full of Canadians, Swedes and Russians (and a smattering of Finns and Czechs) and of course the occasional American thrown in for good measure. As a Scot now living in Canada, this and other examples, where anthems are sung at events that have no national significance has always struck me as odd. It reminds me of when I lived in Zambia and would go to see a movie, a bell would ring just before the national anthem was played, and at that point you had to stop everything and stand perfectly still even if you were in the parking lot. (the bell would also ring outside) failure to do so could result in arrest for showing disrespect to the anthem. How did this practice originate,does it only happen in "New" countries, is it a sign of some kind of national insecurity? Opinions please Albamist