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

Pledging.

[xpioti.livejournal.com]

The problem with making pledges is that they're so very easy to break. "My word is my bond" is not a big priority in our society, and people are invariably shocked when they encounter someone who proves that their word is their bond. "I'll have it to you by Monday" now means "I may do it next week, sometime, if you're lucky and I have time". I think it's mostly pointless to stand up, every morning, salute a small blanket, and mouth useless platitudes.

However.

Every morning at 8am, military facilities send up the flag. Every evening at 5pm, the flag is lowered. A fanfare announces the act, and all over the campus every military member turns in the appropriate direction to face the flag and salutes. Woe betide the person who attempts to disrupt this. You want to piss off military law enforcement? Try to enter a base during Flag Salute Time; if you make the mistake of going around the person standing in the middle of the road, saluting with their entire body, you will be chased down and read the riot act. When I see them saluting the flag, the aura of respect, honor, dignity, and loyalty is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Trying to get that attitude from your average citizen works about as well as me telling Rex not to bite; he's a lot better about not biting, but he still opens his mouth and runs into me.

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.