I finally understand the Pledge of Allegiance and its meaning

You know, I always hated reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in elementary and junior high school. Not that I hate my country, but mostly that it felt like a forced indoctrination--even worse, I didn't know enough about my country (public education, you know) to say the pledge with sincerity. [Don't worry, the joke part is at the end]

We never learned about patriotism, why it's important, and why we should be excited about it. I never remember learning what the pledge actually meant and why it was important to know it and recite it every day before class time began. It just always was, and always without question!

It didn't take me long before I just stood silently with my hands in my pockets while the rest of the class droned on sounding like brain-washed zombies while facing the mini-flag strung up somewhere in the classroom. Again, I did this not because I hated my country--but because I did not fully understand this daily ritual. I don't like participating in something that I don't know about or understand.

I have even been called out on it a few times by some teachers and landed myself in trouble for not reciting the pledge with the rest of the class. Now, today, I think I finally understand just what the Pledge of Allegiance really means. Say it with me!

"I pledge a grievance
To the hacks
Of the disunited states of embarrassment,
To the budget—for which it stands?
One notion, under fraud—unfixable
With liberty and justice for all--
Who can afford it"

Originally posted by NarcolepticBuddha
You know, I always hated reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in elementary and junior high school. Not that I hate my country, but mostly that it felt like a forced indoctrination--even worse, I didn't know enough about my country (public education, you know) to say the pledge with sincerity. [Don't worry, the joke part is at the end]

We never learned about patriotism, why it's important, and why we should be excited about it. I never remember learning what the pledge actually meant and why it was important to know it and recite it every day before class time began. It just always was, and always without question!

It didn't take me long before I just stood silently with my hands in my pockets while the rest of the class droned on sounding like brain-washed zombies while facing the mini-flag strung up somewhere in the classroom. Again, I did this not because I hated my country--but because I did not fully understand this daily ritual. I don't like participating in something that I don't know about or understand.

I have even been called out on it a few times by some teachers and landed myself in trouble for not reciting the pledge with the rest of the class. Now, today, I think I finally understand just what the Pledge of Allegiance really means. Say it with me!

"I pledge a grievance
To the hacks
Of the disunited states of embarrassment,
To the budget—for which it stands?
One notion, under fraud—unfixable
With liberty and justice for all--
Who can afford it"

edit on 12-7-2012 by NarcolepticBuddha because: (no reason given)

edit on 12-7-2012 by NarcolepticBuddha because: (no reason given)

I would suggest looking beyond the ritual of allegence and the hypocrasy of corrpution. There is another, more important dimension to this.

Have you ever read the entire declaration of independence or the original draft of the constitution or bill of rights?

There were fundemental ideals with critical historical pretexts involved.

People have lost their individual and collective reference points that guided our culture.

The premise upon which our values were built has been impeached by pseudo individualism and materialistic endeavor.

I think the signs are evident in a scoiety that is politically stiffled by social division, with a deteriorating infrastructure under the burden of high taxes.

If you have ever studied the moral and economic demise of ancient Rome, there are striking simularities.

People aren't watching the store.

reply to post by g2v12


Couldn't have said it better myself..that's why I'm glad you said it for all of us. And you're absolutely correct. I can't believe it took me 20 years to find this out. I knew there was something fishy about this Pledge of Allegiance.

It just didn't feel true to say those words..it felt like a lie this whole time.

Originally posted by NarcolepticBuddha
reply to post by g2v12

 

Couldn't have said it better myself..that's why I'm glad you said it for all of us. And you're absolutely correct. I can't believe it took me 20 years to find this out. I knew there was something fishy about this Pledge of Allegiance.

It just didn't feel true to say those words..it felt like a lie this whole time.

It took me well into my 40s to start getting the picture, at least of what I think I know.

Its not the pedge of allegience that bothers me as much as the way people use political correctness to suppress objective criticism of the military corporate cartel, when they say 'support the troops'.

It is the madness of hollow patriotism supporting a nihilistic ideology which allows the security state to enforce its status-quo of the petroleum conssortium. An underlying scheme in the name of terrorism, it is indeed a far more worthy threat to global peace and prosperity and in total oppsotition to real security.

"Hollow patriotism." That's all that needs to be said right there. And this is the attitude I was trying to convey with how I learned The Pledge. It is probably one of the earliest things schoolchildren learn. I seem to remember doing this in the very 1st grade before I could even read very much.

What concept of politics, ideologies, nationalism, and patriotism does a 1st grader have? Absolutely none--these are intangible concepts that take time to learn and require the ability for abstract thought. Instead, they just drive it into kids who don't know better so that by the time they are capable of knowing better, it's already a mystified ideology.

And Bingo was his name-o!

Originally posted by NarcolepticBuddha





"Hollow patriotism." That's all that needs to be said right there. And this is the attitude I was trying to convey with how I learned The Pledge. It is probably one of the earliest things schoolchildren learn. I seem to remember doing this in the very 1st grade before I could even read very much.

What concept of politics, ideologies, nationalism, and patriotism does a 1st grader have? Absolutely none--these are intangible concepts that take time to learn and require the ability for abstract thought. Instead, they just drive it into kids who don't know better so that by the time they are capable of knowing better, it's already a mystified ideology.

And Bingo was his name-o!

Yea, there was a kind of mystique I held for the flag and its linguistic renditions; 'One nation under God, Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all'.

It seemed a literal truth. A matured brain sees the larger picture and allows rationales to enter.

Statistically, with age men lose their patriotic fervor. They reach a point of accumulated knowledge in which they no longer support cronyism.

Respect for the flag is obfuscated by the reality that men sacrifice their lives so that the power brokers can enjoy their wealth in peace.

These are the kings of the twenty first century.