A country that truly believes in freedom and democracy shouldn’t require you to take a loyalty oath every day.
This whole thing is such a mind fuck and crazy process for people outside merica. I really thought it was a joke on movies, but realising that they are really all brainwashed since children like this makes a lot more sense when you consider everything.
Counterargument:
If no one believes or identifies with a nation, that nation will cease to exist.
The idea that “things don’t exist when we stop believing in them” is something that most of us outgrow at an early age.
Object permanence applies to tangible objects, basically things explained by physics and constituted from energy.
A nation is a construct of collective imagination, much like religion and economics.
National patriotism is a religion which worships dirt.
Such a creepy thing, getting children to chant in devotion to a state flag in schools.
It’s the sort of thing they probably do in places like NK, or the Third Reich, you don’t expect it to come from a supposedly modern, non imperialist nationalistic nation, ya know? :-(
Even worse, some versions of the pledge make you swear “under god” which is fucked up. Christian Nationalists are what is destroying america.
Let’s be honest, the whole thing has always been a little weird.
I’m German and learned about this via a friend from the US. When they mentioned it, I thought their teacher was a lunatic. Then they told me that this is normal course of action. Just what in the absolute fuck.
Yes. It’s far more than “a little weird”. It’s how you breed nationalists.
In high school like 15 years ago we not only had the regular pledge, we had to pledge to the Texas state flag. Which you hold out your hand like you are holding something?
“Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.”
It’s all hot garbage and unquestioning nationalism. The good bit was, only one teacher ever gave me flack for sitting out the pledge with my little emo ass. And that was my ultra conservative AP US Government teacher. And he was just a nut ball. But when I framed it as my freedom he chilled.
He was still wrong about flat taxes not being regressive!
but how can you pledge allegiance to two separate entities?
scenario A: if texas ever attempted secession then you’d have to break one of your pledges.
scenario B: Texas always remains loyal to the US, which makes the texas pledge superfluous. you pledged allegiance to the US which includes texas.
It’s to incept the idea of secession into little kids head’s. Paint Texas as self sufficient and not dependent at all. Then make em want to leave.
I hate this state, but if all the liberals leave, it will only get worse for the next set of young people born here.
For real though, what happens if you don’t say the words?
The First Ammendemnt protects your right to not participate in reciting the pledge of allegiance:
In 2006, in the Florida case Frazier v. Alexandre, a federal district court in Florida ruled that a 1942 state law requiring students to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. As a result of that decision, a Florida school district was ordered to pay $32,500 to a student who chose not to say the pledge and was ridiculed and called “unpatriotic” by a teacher.
In 2009, a Montgomery County, Maryland, teacher berated and had school police remove a 13-year-old girl who refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance in the classroom. The student’s mother, assisted by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland, sought and received an apology from the teacher, as state law and the school’s student handbook both prohibit students from being forced to recite the Pledge. reference
You might suffer some immediate consequences from ignorant people, but courts have repeatedly upheld that this is protected by the First Amendment. Even the current Supreme Court would have a hard time justifying overturning this precedent.
You could even argue that choosing not to participate is a highly patriotic act, as an exercise of your Constitutional rights as a citizen.
There’s always that one teacher…
Or at least there was in my case
If a teacher punishes you then they are violating you’re enumerated constitutional rights. You could litterally sue them or the school administration and you could get money.
If you can afford to go to court and if you have proof.
