December 6, 2008
Shut up and pledge
In my first period class, I am one of a handful of students who regularly stands up and recites the Pledge of Allegiance. On some days, I do so even though my teacher continues lecturing right through InfoFlow. With the relentless stream of information about the structure of atoms going in one ear and straight out the other, it's often difficult to concentrate on either chemistry or patriotism: "I pledge allegiance...electrons...flag...molecule...liberty...bond...all." What a riot.
But for me, saying the pledge is as natural as breathing. It is a way to pay respect to a country that has done so much for my family and me; it is a way to show how lucky I am to be a citizen of the United States.
I understand that many people feel there are better ways to show love for a country than repeating an anthem in unison. Still others find the words "under God" in the verse offensive as an unconstitutional endorsement of monotheism. These are perfectly valid concerns. In fact, it's why the Supreme Court ruled in 1943 that saying the Pledge of Allegiance every morning is voluntary. What bothers me is when I see kids drooling on their desks, fast asleep or gabbing loudly about what Lucy did with Pete last weekend at a time that is specifically reserved for reciting the pledge.
In general, I agree that standing and pledging cannot be equated with patriotism. Love for a country goes much deeper than just these 31 words. But even if we disagree with our government's practices and policies, we can recognize the significance of the basic principle of one united nation fighting for liberty and justice for all. It's important to remember, after all, that we are not pledging allegiance to a piece of cloth. We are pledging to our country, our fellow countrymen and women and the values that America fights so hard to uphold. It's a show of respect.
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What I find particularly interesting is that after we graduate from high school and college, the pledge is forgotten. My parents have never learned the pledge and many of their colleagues don't even remember the words. But this is immaterial - what matters is that these adults stay quiet when we have moments of silence as a nation and stand when the national anthem is sung at baseball games.
As such, it pains me to see that for the most part, kids who do not stand for the pledge do so less because of conviction and more because of straight-up laziness. I know it's early, but I think we can muster the energy to stand up and stay quiet for these 20 or so seconds. If you passionately believe that the Pledge of Allegiance is immoral, fine. We respect your rights and beliefs. But please, be silent for the rest of us.
But for me, saying the pledge is as natural as breathing. It is a way to pay respect to a country that has done so much for my family and me; it is a way to show how lucky I am to be a citizen of the United States.
I understand that many people feel there are better ways to show love for a country than repeating an anthem in unison. Still others find the words "under God" in the verse offensive as an unconstitutional endorsement of monotheism. These are perfectly valid concerns. In fact, it's why the Supreme Court ruled in 1943 that saying the Pledge of Allegiance every morning is voluntary. What bothers me is when I see kids drooling on their desks, fast asleep or gabbing loudly about what Lucy did with Pete last weekend at a time that is specifically reserved for reciting the pledge.
In general, I agree that standing and pledging cannot be equated with patriotism. Love for a country goes much deeper than just these 31 words. But even if we disagree with our government's practices and policies, we can recognize the significance of the basic principle of one united nation fighting for liberty and justice for all. It's important to remember, after all, that we are not pledging allegiance to a piece of cloth. We are pledging to our country, our fellow countrymen and women and the values that America fights so hard to uphold. It's a show of respect.
Do you recite the pledge every morning?
What I find particularly interesting is that after we graduate from high school and college, the pledge is forgotten. My parents have never learned the pledge and many of their colleagues don't even remember the words. But this is immaterial - what matters is that these adults stay quiet when we have moments of silence as a nation and stand when the national anthem is sung at baseball games.
As such, it pains me to see that for the most part, kids who do not stand for the pledge do so less because of conviction and more because of straight-up laziness. I know it's early, but I think we can muster the energy to stand up and stay quiet for these 20 or so seconds. If you passionately believe that the Pledge of Allegiance is immoral, fine. We respect your rights and beliefs. But please, be silent for the rest of us.
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The fact that almost no-one recites the pledge makes it awkward sometimes to stand up alone. Especially when someone else is trying to talk to you during the pledge, it can seem like you're being a proud pompous snob when you ignore them. I think part of the reason many people don't do it is because they don't want to seem like they are putting on airs.
People... please (at the very least) stand out of respect. It is YOUR country as much as it is mine.
While the U.S. may have committed some terrible atrocities and the current President may have destroyed American values for the last eight years, but the pledge represents the ideals that america stands for.
While you may disagree with the current state of the nation, you should be proud to strive for "liberty and justice for all" even if it is not now true.
Plus, no matter how loudly we shout the pledge, no one's going to hear it, and no one's going to care, and in the end, it accomplishes nothing. Unless we can find some fresh way of showing patriotism, the pledge is just a waste of time.
Also Deepa is a beast for taking a stand defeating the haters.
At least my pledge is honest. The real one is bollocks. If the pledge is just a dream, then have the decency to say that, and not pretend its real.
Because maybe if this country actually cared about the 30 million American people who stave every night, or the ten million American children in poverty, or the entire working class that gets milked for votes then gets its promises routinely forgotten by its own government, maybe if we lived in a true popular democracy, not an elite democracy where power is concentrated in the hands of the wealthy, then we wouldn't need a pledge because the ideas embodied it it would be self-evident. And people would be motivated to support their country not because a pledge tells them to, but because the ideas do.
So if you want to see the true patriots, don't judge a person by whether they say a sentence that doesn't even rhyme. Look at them through the eyes of what they are doing to make universal human ideas a reality in concrete ways.
PS. Deepa kicks major butt. Just putting that out there for all you haters :)
If liberty and justice for all are against what you stand for, it would make sense for you to refuse to pledge your allegiance to a country founded upon the preservation of these precepts. But if this is the case, maybe America isn't the country for you. Your views would be more welcome in North Korea. But as Americans who understand that liberty and justice are natural rights of all people, it is our duty to place our allegiance with our country, a country dedicated to the maintenance of these principles.
If you do not believe that America is "one nation under God," your belief is completely acceptable, and protected under the blanket of liberty America provides. It is your choice whether or not you say the Pledge, in part or in whole. But even if you do not want to renew your commitment to America and its principles through the Pledge, talking and being disruptive shows a unacceptable disrespect for those of us who do. Such behavior encroaches upon our right to pledge our allegiance accordingly, which constitutes an affront on liberty and justice for which there is no place in America.
In conclusion, Deepa is a beast. So is Theresa.
And its kind of annoying how we pledge to the flag, not the country outright.