Lest they become traitors
July 2, 2013 2:56 PM   Subscribe

Why do so many US schools have kids say the pledge of allegiance every day?

I don't understand why schools have kids say the pledge of allegiance every day. The "under God" aspect aside, to me it feels like some sort of brainwashing that is not consistent with the spirit of a democratic society, and/or it feels like an uncomfortable and clunky example of overkill or trying too hard.

I think for most young children, it really has no meaning, and in that sense it seems so pointless. Does it really accomplish any benefit? Especially doing it every-single-day, which almost seems counterproductive because it becomes a mind-numbing robotic exercise? Isn't patriotism much more sophisticated than obeisance to a flag? Doesn't this kind of unthinking patriotism run the risk of cultivating nationalism and even jingoism? Do the proponents of daily recitation understand and care about such risks?

Singing the national anthem before sporting events seems to be a similarly rooted American custom. My friends from Europe who have attended events here, understandably to me, find it quite odd, and I'm sure they would feel the same way about the pledge of allegiance.

I've read the Wikipedia information about the pledge of allegiance, but I don't understand at a deeper level why this practice exists. It feels almost McCarthyeque to me, some sort of leftover but ongoing banal effort to make sure people don't stray from love of country.

I don't get it and am interested in understanding whether there are really any benefits and why this practice persists and whether anyone foresees it waning in the future. It would be great to hear different perspectives from different people, including historians, political scientists, teachers, right wingers, left wingers, and/or anyone who grew up reciting the pledge of allegiance or whose kids do/did so.
posted by Dansaman to Society & Culture

This post was deleted for the following reason: As presented this is a little more of a personal blog post or a rant than an answerable Ask Metafilter question. -- cortex

 
« Older How can I get rid of this iCal error message?   |   What are some fun day time activities in the DC... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.