this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2025
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I never liked doing it. Got in trouble a few times for not doing it, though that didn't matter to me since I got in trouble a lot when I was in school. Those dipshits (the counselor) thought I had "Gender Identity Disorder" and was reacting because of "distress" (Not because I wouldn't say the pledge, I did many worse things than that), they also used the fact that I also had long hair and sometimes would wear a skirt as evidence I had GID. What fun people I spent my childhood with sarcasm I'm glad my parents are and were nice people otherwise I might not be here today.

[–] phoenixarise@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

There was always one kid that sat down during the pledge in my class. None of us thought he was annoying or weird. I admired him.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 days ago

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America..."

I mean, you can stop right there. The rest is all fucked up too, but that shit's weird. How can one owe allegiance to a flag, of all things?

And, it's not "as representing the Republic for which it stands", it's "and to the Republic for which it stands". The flag is a separate thing, the second clause is about allegiance to the republic, but the first part is just about the fucking flag.

[–] aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 5 days ago

the pledge of allegiance is brainwashing at NK levels.

[–] drunkpostdisaster@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

I sat down because I was lazy.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

You're welcome

[–] 257m@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 days ago

I have never seen a kid sit down for O Canada unless they are in a wheelchair. Of course getting sent to the principle's is not worth it but I would admire a kid who had the balls to do it.

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 266 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Dear America:

Most countries don't do this shit. At all. It's weird and off putting

[–] alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml 98 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Does anyone else also fly bombers and fighter jets over stadiums at the start of a game? Do you take 2-5 minutes to honor some guys in the military during half time?

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 85 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago (2 children)

When you connect the dots of modern history, you realize America was most of the way to fascist dictatorship the entire time.

Many of us have been waiting for it to drop the facade for decades.

[–] Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 6 days ago

Fascism is just capitalist imperialism turned against your own citizens.

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[–] pupbiru@aussie.zone 36 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (14 children)

to be fair, that one (afaik) is a legitimate training exercise. it’s useful to train pilots to be at an exact place, in an exact formation, at an exact speed, at an exact time… and if you can get marketing and morale out of it, welllll why not

[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

You can train the pilots in other time and area. The combination with an unrelated game makes it propaganda.

[–] pupbiru@aussie.zone -1 points 5 days ago

you can, but as i said at the end of the comment: you have to do it anyway… you either entirely waste the fuel, maintenance, and pilot time, or you use it for something

in a couple of comments people have said they think it’s “plain old cool” and “a mini air show”

propaganda? perhaps

but people also seem to enjoy it… better than entirely wasting it

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[–] peoplebeproblems@midwest.social 133 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

I stopped in elementary school.

At the time, it was because I was convinced that the pledge was essentially worshipping a false idol, and if I continued to do it, I would go to hell. Teachers couldn't fight that argument. Students didn't fuck with it either. I stood. I didn't cross my heart, and I didn't say it.

About 6th or 7th grade, I started challenging my "faith" and realized that the pledge was essentially swearing fealty to something that was supposed to serve the people, not the other way around. By highschool, I didn't even stand for it anymore. It was nationalism.

[–] IndiBrony@lemmy.world 41 points 1 week ago (4 children)

If only there were more in this world with such critical thinking, maybe we wouldn't be in such a shit state.

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[–] jaschen@lemm.ee 95 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Fiest time I had to do the pledge, I just got to America from Taiwan and I honestly thought the pledge was a Christian/religion thing because of the "....under god" thing. So I told my teacher that my family is Buddhist and can't do the pledge.

[–] easily3667@lemmus.org 57 points 1 week ago

You weren't wrong, exactly

[–] w3dd1e@lemm.ee 51 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Fun fact! “Fun”, actually.

Under God wasn’t in the original version. It wasn’t added until 1954 because they didn’t to be like communist countries and be seen as a secular government.

Good old fashion forcing religion on your citizens.

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[–] t_berium@lemmy.world 59 points 1 week ago (5 children)

This shit has always been creepy. Always. Greetings from Germany o/

[–] Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de 16 points 6 days ago

True, but they start you off doing it at the age of 4 or 5 so it is completely normalized before our brains are developed enough to question it

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I moved to the US as a kid, and this shit gave me massive cult vibes from the start. I refused to participate.

I was suuuper popular in middle school...

[–] Lennny@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Agreed

"Our country is really the best, all the other countries suck... God bless Johnson & Johnson...."

[–] aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 5 days ago

Brought to you by McDonald's, on behalf of Nike.

[–] ComradePorkRoll@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

Good choice with the forward slash. Good choice.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Internet Germans convinced me to sit down for it in high school. And yeah its such cult shit

[–] Dragonstaff@leminal.space 57 points 1 week ago

Generally, the main problem with being "far left" is being ridiculed for being right earlier than everyone else.

[–] astro_plane@lemm.ee 56 points 1 week ago

I sat down every time and my teacher would get pissed. I finally told her that my grandpa fought in WWII for my right to protest and that shit her up real fast. I'm not going to pledge my aliegence to an inanimate object, I shouldn't have to prove my love for my country with a pledge.

[–] w3dd1e@lemm.ee 53 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is the kind of shit that leads to nationalism over patriotism. Blindly teaching kids to pledge allegiance without teaching them what comes with that or why.

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

That or the fact that your government should be pledging allegience to you, not the other way around. We the people do not serve the government.

[–] Visstix@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago

Americans are cultists

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