BY CAMILA FERNANDEZ
You’re familiar with the drill. Shortly after the first bell rings for the day, a voice comes on the loudspeaker addressing students to rise from their seats. As conversations cease and desks shift, everyone begins to mouth the notorious words: “I pledge allegiance to the flag,” and you know the rest.
These five words symbolically begin the Pledge of Allegiance, the sentence that we have been conditioned to utter every morning as it blares over the school intercom. After hearing it for days, months and even years, it successfully became implemented into our brains. Even kindergarteners can successfully recite it, with little understanding as to why they actually need to do so.
When it was written in 1892, the Pledge of Allegiance was surely a symbol of pride and loyalty for this country, a vow to commit oneself to uphold America’s values. However, as new generations become increasingly less patriotic, more and more students disregard this 128-year-old tradition as an unnecessary hassle, especially as a simple glance at the news stories of the week spark discussions.
Why should we commit loyalty to a country that isn’t loyal to us?
How can we say liberty and justice to all to the victims of police brutality, white supremacy or homophobic acts?
Many students sit to protest against injustices in their community, similar to Colin Kaepernick’s famous controversy four years ago.
How can we say liberty and justice to all to the victims of police brutality, white supremacy or homophobic acts?
The Supreme Court ruled in 1943 that requiring everyone to participate in the pledge violates free speech and, therefore, remaining seated is a constitutional right. For students everywhere, this inspires them to commit these small acts of protesting every day, even if it means just refusing to stand. Such student activism can truly be captivating.
While we can appreciate these star students for their passion and nonconformity, the unfortunate truth of the matter is that high schoolers are lazy. Most of them don’t want to stand for the pledge because they just don’t want to stand, period. It often has more to do with not wanting to move than with their core values.
Unlike our national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which is more exclusive, our nation’s pledge has significantly lost its meaning to students nationwide. They don’t see a reason to stand, so they don’t choose to do so.
Unlike our national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which is more exclusive, our nation’s pledge has significantly lost its meaning to students nationwide. They don’t see a reason to stand, so they don’t choose to do so.
Such ignorance surrounding the pledge can easily be countered by more education in classrooms. Delving into the history or meaning of the pledge and even beginning discussions about this daily tradition can encourage more awareness in students.
Next time you’re told to stand for the pledge, surely in the next week or so, look around the room. Start a conversation.
Photo courtesy of NY Daily News
