For years students have said the pledge of allegiance everyday at school, very few of them choosing not to do so. At one time the Supreme Court ruled against students who did not recite the pledge, making it a requirement. Since then, the Supreme Court has changed its decision and made it a choice.
Some people see not saying the pledge as anti-patriotic. They believe that people who choose not to say the pledge are being disrespectful to the country. Others believe that the words "under God" are disrespectful to those who may not believe in God. Many of these students choose to sit down while the pledge is recited. The pledge may also go against the religion of people who are not allowed to worship idols, which the pledge may be according to their religion.
Should it be required that students should at least stand up during the pledge? The way I see it. It shouldn't really matter whether or not a student chooses to stand up during the pledge. I personally don't say the pledge, but do stand up while it is recited, even though I don't really believe in God. The words "under God" don't bother me very much because I understand that they were added to the pledge not to make people who don't believe in God to feel uncomfortable but to show how lucky we all are to be a part of the United States.
I personally, choose not to say the Pledge of Allegiance. At this point, as unpatriotic as it may seem, I'm not really sure that I believe in this country and therefore feel uncomfortable pledging my allegiances to it. Of course, that may stem from my lack of want to pledge allegiance to anything. In regards to the standing, I do stand up. I think that it's a sign of respect for those that do choose to say the pledge. The 'under God' really has no affect on my choices or opinions in this case.
(I forgot to click reply and not comment and I could only edit this but not delete it and write a reply.)
I totally respect what you said. In the blog when I say "show how lucky we all are to be a part of the United States," it wasn't exactly something that I agree with, but something I believe the people added the 'under God' part believed. At times before I had even began to question my own beliefs in God I felt strange saying the pledge for the same reason. At this point I don't say it basically just because I don't feel like it. I mean, it's kind of pointless for most people. I don't think everyone necessarily understands what the pledge actually means or even thinks about what they're saying. My main reason for standing up is also respect for others. Every once in a while I'll stay sitting down, but that's because I have a friend who sits down and sometimes I feel like the teacher is staring her down since she doesn't stand up.
I agree with the part about people not even really knowing why they were saying it. I've always felt it was a 'go with flow', herd-type activity and that makes it meaningless and so I choose not to participate.
Hey, it's Jaime. As you know, I don't say the Pledge of Allegiance. It's not because I don't love the United States, because as frustrating as it can be sometimes, I really do. It's not because I don't believe in God, even though I don't. There are two reasons that I don't say it, and neither one is very good. The first is because I'm a coward and no one else says the Pledge in our class. I feel like if I say the Pledge I'll seem holier-than-thou or a know-it-all. The second reason has even more pull on me: I have a vague opposition to pledging allegiance to anything. The Pledge of Allegiance has no nuance. It is a rather simple phrase: I pledge allegiance to the flag and the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I'm not sure entirely what it means to pledge allegiance to your country. How do you break allegiance? Is saying something bad about your country, or the way your government's run, breaking allegiance? The rest of the pledge is admirable, but seems more an ideal that our country should aspire to rather than an actuality: "one nation... indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." We obviously live in an imperfect nation, so should we say this?
I find these reasons weak, but strong enough to make saying the pledge an uncomfortable experience for me, because I'm not sure that saying someone else's words is an appropriate way to express my love and devotion to America. It's very possible that the person who penned them meant something different by the phrase than what I actually believe. So I merely stand and put my hand over my heart. That being said, I know the tradition of saying the pledge is meaningful for a lot of people. For example, John McCain had a story of being a POW:
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/m/mccain-flag.htm
First, I love your username. That's awesome. Second, I found your comment to be very moving somehow. I can't really define what it moved me to, exactly, but it definitely stirred things up for me. For one thing, I find it so sad that the option to choose whether or not to say the pledge has led to people not saying it because they don't want to look uncool. (That was an awkward sentence and i apologize). I suppose it is possible that every person in the class has a valid reason to not say the pledge, but from the tale you tell, it seems it really is just "uncool." I'm not a huge fan of the pledge, either, for a lot of reasons...mainly the absolutism of the statement...but I do have reasons. I hope all the kids in your class get an opportunity to think critically about their reasons for not saying it.
Another thing I want to address in your comment is the bit about "liberty and justice for all." I do say the pledge, in spite of my objections, but when I get to this part, I say it almost as a prayer. It is my most fervent wish that someday this statement will be true, but right now, I say it only to keep those aspirations in the forefront of my mind. It is a painful moment every time, especially as one who is not extended the same liberties as everyone else.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
I think it is important to know that "since then" was only a very short period. The Court ruled that students could be compelled to recite The Pledge in Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940), but it reversed itself after only three years in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943). Since that time, the Court has consistently held that this kind of "compulsory unification of opinion" violates the First Amendment (and both of these decisions were rendered before the phrase "under God" was added to The Pledge in 1954.
TTFN,
percivale
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Yeah, i knew that, but thanks for clearing it up for everyone else since I didn't really explain it all too well.
:)
I also stand during the pledge and don't say it. I stand to show respect, because I am not anti-American, I love living in America! I just can't honestly pledge my allegiance to the flag, my allegiance belongs only to my Savior. I don't think saying the pledge is wrong, but it isn't right for me.
I believe everyone has a right not to say the pledge, but that we should all stand out of respect. If I was in a foreign country and they were saying a pledge to their country, I would stand out of respect and not say it. That is what it comes down to. Respect.
-Anne Michelle