As a non american, the pledge of allegiance thing is absolutely wild to me.
I belong to an international club of rv owners. They still recite the pledge of allegiance. Me: “The club name ends with ‘International,’ not ‘USA USA USA.’” Drove me nuts. I imagine our Canadian members were just like, “Just smile and nod.” And if you suggested getting rid of it, the pitchforks would be out in a heartbeat.
I learned the pledge of allegiance way before I had understanding of the words “pledge” or “allegiance” or half the words we needed to recite. It has no meaning to a six-year-old, and by the time I was capable of understanding meaning I had so deeply ingrained it as an annoying meaningless ritual that it never crossed my mind.
I’m now in my thirties and reading your comment is the first time it’s hit me that the words are intended to have more ideological significance than putting your socks on. When you say it out loud it’s obvious, but having to perform or hearing a mention of the pledge has consistently gotten the same amount of attention from me as one pant leg going on before the other one.
There’s a 1964 short story called “The Children’s Story” by James Clavell about how scary it would be if the communists took over and replaced your elementary school teacher with somebody who questioned what the pledge of allegiance means and was otherwise an evil atheist commie.
It’s a REALLY interesting read today because the new commie teacher brings up a lot of good points. It’s interesting to think that that’s what people were so afraid of, that somebody would tell students that they shouldn’t say the pledge of allegiance without knowing what it means. I deleted a ramble here about how good it is but it’s really worth a read or reread.
It was an anti-communist thing
Also a way of selling flags, IIRC.
The original was to sell flags, and was written by a flag salesman. In the 1950s or 1960s they added the phrase “under God,” in between the words “one nation, indivisible.”
I never said the “under God” part, because my grandparents told me I didn’t have to, since it was just “commie scare crap, because of that McCarthy fool.” I stopped saying it altogether in 4th grade when I found out it was optional
It comes across as very culty
This, it is very much an indoctrination.
Add to that the tearing down of education, especially in the formative years, and the recipe for decades long cult behavior is glued in.
It’s absolutely bonkers, but that’s kinda their theme.
As a Brazilian, it reminds me of the “love for fatherland” the military dictatorship tried to instill into schools starting in the late 60s. Before starting classes proper, all students would stand up in line on the patio, sing the national anthem and any kids found misbehaving would get punished.
You’re not swearing to serve country and flag with the anthem, though. It’s like the crazy generals looked at that and went “no, that’s too far”.
I remember a kid in homeroom sat for the pledge and I think the teacher tried to get him to do it and gave up? Or maybe a substitute. Idk. Young me was more interested in him showing me his Pokémon cards xD
My ass did not do the pledge and the teacher tried to get me in trouble with my mother. Mother read her an act because nope, that’s illegal.
Wait, that court ruling was well before this comic. I’m guessing he was sent to the office about freaking out? Cause otherwise yeah, he absolutely doesn’t have to.
