• qooqie@lemmy.world
    70·
    11 months ago

    Yeah it’s a weird fucking ritual isn’t it? It made a couple of my teachers mad in highschool that I refused to stand and pledge. It sounds edgy, but it’s such a weird brainwashy thing to do that

    • Cold_Brew_Enema@lemmy.world
      322·
      11 months ago

      Looking back, it is really weird. Do they still do “one nation, under god?” As someone who is no longer religious at all, I find this weird, too.

      • pacmondo@sh.itjust.works
        40·
        11 months ago

        It wasn’t always like that, either. The “under god” part was added by Eisenhower in the 50s during the red scare. He added the “In God We Trust” thing to the money around the same time.

    • seathru@lemm.ee
      18·
      11 months ago

      I just lied and said I was Jehovah’s Witnesses so I could sit out in the hall with the others. That was socially acceptable.

      • mumblerfish@lemmy.world
        17·
        11 months ago

        “Sit out int the hall with the others”… eh, who are the others that gets sent to the hallway during the pledge? The pledge is fucked up in it self, so are some people sent to the hallway like “well, if you want to be a traitor you have to leave”?

        • seathru@lemm.ee
          10·
          11 months ago

          The other JWs. Or anyone with a religious exemption. I’m surprised they allowed it in such a rural religious school. Probably just because some of those other kids were well off for the area.

      • Sombyr@lemmy.zip
        4·
        11 months ago

        I did the same thing except I wasn’t lying. Ironically that cult is even nuttier than the cult of the flag. It was like I dodged a bullet by getting blown apart by artillery before it could hit me.

  • BandDad@lemm.ee
    361·
    11 months ago

    As a teacher, this is our daily ritual. They think we indoctrinate students, but by law we have to say this every morning. If students want to abstain, they just sit quietly. When asked if I can demonstrate that as a teacher, the school lawyers said I have that right, but they can’t defend me if a parent complains…

    • RGB3x3@lemmy.worldEnglish
      351·
      11 months ago

      "I pledge allegiance

      To the flag

      Of the United States of America…"

      Yeah, kids still do this in schools across the US.

      • Bocky@lemmy.today
        10·
        11 months ago

        My wife is an elementary school teacher and she lets her students choose whether they want to participate or not each day.

        Most kids do it because they are following along with the rest, but some do actually sit out during the pledge

        • Default_Defect@midwest.socialEnglish
          41·
          11 months ago

          I’ve seen videos of kids just quietly sitting out the pledge and getting shoved out of their chair by other kids for it and the teacher just watches, can’t say I blame anyone for just going along with it.

      • Roflmasterbigpimp@lemmy.world
        3·
        11 months ago

        Okay but why the Flag? Wouldn’t be the Constitution better? (I’m from Europe and actual curios because I thought that was more a stereotype than something people really do)

        • BetaBlake@lemmy.world
          2·
          11 months ago

          That would make much more sense, allegiance to a flag is very silly. I’ve heard many reasons for why that started and all of them are very dumb.

      • 0ops@lemm.ee
        1·
        11 months ago

        No no no it’s like this: "I pledge al-leg-iance to the flag

        Of theuni-ted States Ofamerica"

  • doctorcrimson@lemmy.world
    17·
    11 months ago

    I was diagnosed with Asperger’s when I was younger but I don’t show any signs now, but I would refuse to pledge and I especially never liked the “one nation under god” part from a rather young age. I moved around a lot as a kid and sometimes Teachers understood and were kind but other times they were the most hissy belligerent people about it and turn it into a whole ordeal.

    I’m extremely happy that society is slowly progressing past that cringe as a whole.

    • Chobbes@lemmy.world
      11·
      11 months ago

      HAHA. I did the same thing in Canada with the national anthem for the same reason. Refused to stand for it or sing it. Some teachers would lose their SHIT. Like… grow up. I don’t want to sing the theme song, why care?

  • Stanwich@lemmy.world
    103·
    11 months ago

    Canadian here. I still sing my national anthem and I do pledge allegiance. I see my country men and women as brothers and sisters in this freezing hellscape of a country. I need to. They Jumpstart my truck for me when is -40c

    • rubicon@lemmy.ca
      8·
      11 months ago

      We have a pledge of Allegiance?

      I hope we can evolve past borders and see all humans as brothers. I think it’s more likely to be a goal domination or catastrophe that could actually bring that around though.

  • Optional@lemmy.world
    422·
    11 months ago

    Oh please, Dear? For your information The Bellamy Salute preceeded Nazism by at least thirty years and definitely wasn’t the creepiest motherfucking shit you ever saw.

    Also, on a personal level, we’re just enormous fans of this country. The Declaration of Independence, The United States Constitution, especially the more appropriate amendments are an enormous source of inspiration. I say the pledge with no problems (well, tbh I’m not a fan of the under God part but until Congress does something we’re stuck either listening to everyone else do it while we skip it or just doing it for shits 'n giggles), and I hold my hand over my heart. I love the flag. And I’ll burn that motherfucker in protest if I want to, okay? America is an ideal and we’ll never reach it but we have to keep on moving forward to make it the best it can be. Whenever the pledge fades away I won’t miss it, but it’s a time-and-place thing that’s fine by me.