Pledges and the like

[javasaurus]

I'm of two minds on a particular issue, that being the recitation of the pledge. I'm not referring to the "under God" issue. That, in my mind at least, seems clear, and it is discussed enough elsewhere. My current interior monologue is about whether the pledge should be said at all. One the one hand, we who are citizens of this country, can be said to owe allegience to this country as a responsibility associated with our citizenship. That part of my mind says, "Don't want to be loyal to the country? Then give up the citizenship!"

The other part of my mind responds, "True loyalty is gained by being worthy, not by indoctrination and pledges and contracts. The government should spend more time on being worthy, and displaying that worth, rather than arguing over pledges."

Then the first side says, "That may be true, but this is the government we have, the citizenship you have, and the price for keeping that citizenship."

And so on. Very distracting. Thoughts?

Oh, I want to point out, that being loyal to a country or to the ideal of its leadership, is not the same as being loyal to the people currently holding those positions. It is possible to respect the office of the president, for example, without respecting the person holding that office.

Comments

Re: Pledging.

[javasaurus.livejournal.com]

But do the members of the military do so because they are required to do so, because not doing so would land them in the stockades? Or are they doing so because they truly believe in what the flag represents, and are proud to openly display their pride along with their comrades? And in the latter circumstance, does that pride come from brainwashing, or from simply being shown what is good and worthy about the country.

Did you know that frequently throughout the year, hundreds of thousands of seemingly ordinary people, here in the US gather together at a variety of locations, and stand in deference to the flag, as the Star Spangled Banner is sung? Then the game begins. OK, I'm being a little silly here, but sports like baseball and football are an important part of Americana, and Americans take pride in that, and the flag is a very real part of the game. Maybe they don't face the flag every day at 8 and 5, but they make it a part of what means America to them.