Why I Don't Say The Pledge of Alleigance in the Morning

At my school, it is custom to start out the morning with the pledge of alleigance before class starts every morning. Basically, after the bell rings, an announcer gets on the speaker, says the pledge, and then it's over. All four years when experiencing this, I've seen the same results: the kids around me stand up lazily, stare at the flag, don't say a word, and then sit back down. Maybe a few every here and there will put their hand on their heart or mutter a bit of it, but mostly, it's just awkward standing out of fear of a lecture from the teacher or being that one man out who doesn't stand, I don't know which.

I used to be that kid who'd put their hand on their heart and speak the words to the best of my ability. But a few months ago, I had an epiphany. This pledge doesn't raise nationalism or pride, it waters it down. By having students say the pledge on a daily basis, the words of the pledge become repetetive, lose their meaning. Not only that, but the pledge almost forces us to be proud. And when you force someone to feel a certain way, it takes away the choice. And when you take away choice, people lose enthusiasm for the task at hand. Just ask any 10 year old whos mom made them join band when they didn't want to.

So, I decided to stop standing with the crowd. Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud to be an American. Just the fact I'm American means I can make this blog post without having to worry about FBI agents swarming into my house and throwing me into some secret prison in Antartica. That's a gift I respect. But the pledge takes away the meaning of America. It takes away the meaning of being proud.

What bugs me is the implication that goes behind not saying the pledge. "What? Are you not proud to be an American? You're being silly." Our country isn't perfect. We have screwed up economics, corruption in government, still face discrimination, and continue to destroy the land we come from. We have some work to do. I acknowledge the progress we've made, fighting for freedom, gaining women's rights, losing school segregation, growing acknoledgement of global warming, and continuing to try to raise standards of living for everyone. But we have work to do. And that's fine. But forcing nationalism doesn't do anything. I love my country. I really do. But if even our pledge still says we're "under God" when we're in country that shold be promoting diversity amoung religions, there are still things that need to be changed.

As always, now I open the question to you. Do you think saying the pledge is smart or silly? What is your opinion on our country's nationalism (which, by the way seems to be taking a satirical turn, with new pictures such as this becoming norm on the internet)? What do you think of good ol' 'murica, whether you are from this country or not? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

A Patriotic Duty

So recently, I read this article discussing some measures being taken by Greece to help with it's continually growing debt crisis. One strategy they discussed is "buying back" bonds to help Greece pay off it's loans. To do this, Athens is telling banks that it is their "patriotic duty" to help make sure this debt can be paid off. To some, this buy back of loans may be the only way to save Greece from this economic pit.

Though this analogy is a stretch, this idea sort of reminds me of back during WWII when our government worked hard to boost nationalistic moral so soldiers would enlist for the US Army, people back home would be willing to help out economically, and, generally speaking, the public would support this war that's taking place all the way in Europe.

To me, this raises a question: is propoganda, or even just the idea of saying something is a "patriotic duty", an acceptable way for government to get something done if, in the end, it is to benefit the people?

In other words, if the only way government can get a task necessary for the improvement of the country is to convince everyone, even through stretching the truth, guilt, or flat out lies, that they need to do a certain thing? Or should government remain honest at all times, even if that means having to deal with some hard issues, such as economic downfalls and extrenuous wars?

I believe this is a complex question with no one straight up answer.  Obviously, a scenario when there is only one way to fix any issue is rare, but if this were to happen, I'd argue that yes, government has the right to lie if and only if it is the only way to solve the issue at hand. It's sort of like when a child doesn't want to brush their teeth, and the only way for the mother to get the child to brush is to say that the tooth fairy only gives money to those that brush. Again, this is an exaggeration, and Greece's situation is one that is also more complex than simply straight up lies or deceit by government. But if the only way to save the country is by jumping through a few hoops, I believe it is fair in the long run.

Now I open the question up to you. Do you believe government has the right to lie, if it is to benefit the country? What is your opinion on Greece's situation? What is your opinion of usage of War Propaganda in WWII? Was that necessary? Feel free to answer below.

For more information, check out the link above.