This shit has always been creepy. Always. Greetings from Germany o/
this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2025
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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
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...
Agreed
"Our country is really the best, all the other countries suck... God bless Johnson & Johnson...."
Good choice with the forward slash. Good choice.
Internet Germans convinced me to sit down for it in high school. And yeah its such cult shit
My kids refused to do it and I supported them. We started sending them to online school after that. The pledge was thought up and implemented by White Christian nationalists to commemorate 400 years since Columbus "discovered" America. Prior to World War 2 students didn't put their hands over their heart, they did the Bellamy salute AKA the Nazi salute. Choral repetition and responses are used to brainwash people.
My son is in second grade and ha, chosen to not to say the pledge of allegiance (his own decision because we talk about how the country won't take care of its people). He says he teachers never force him, but subs always do claiming we're the greatest country in the world.
I stopped in third grade. I walked to school so had to hang out till the busses were gone and I asked my teacher after school one day why I had to say it. She said I didn't have to if I didn't want too but that I should stand. It made sense to me . Never said it again.
I asked the same teacher why she said Columbus "discovered Smerica" when there were already people here. She could not answer that one and I don't think the thought ever crossed her mind. I knew school was all bullshit after that and didn't really participate much after that
I don't think kids should even stand for it. Our loyalty should be to the people, to our communities, to the scientific pursuit of truth, to the health of the planet, and to defending the unalienable god given right of dignity for all people.
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.
it me lmao
Im guessing that's a lot of us here lol
Lmao saaaame
Same. But I didn't do it because of a different indoctrination, not because I understood anything special.
"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.
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.
Less of the annoying kid more of an annoying teacher, admin, and staff. Like peer pressure and desire to follow along made me do it but the teacher and the staff couldn't explain why we should and that made me question it and leading me to consider the kid right
Are we all in this meme?
I'm from the UK but I have my own version of this.
I went to a Church of England school. When I was about 8, we had this super religious teacher start. She was Methodist so made us change the words of the lord's prayer to her version. I loudly and defiantly said the old one every time.
It wasn't long after, that I stopped saying prayers altogether, making sure to stare ahead with lips tight and hands unclasped, so nobody could mistake me as being pious!
I probably would have been that annoying kid had just been schooled in the USA.
Pious - adjective
Strongly believing in religion and living in a way that shows this belief: She is a pious follower of the faith, never missing her prayers
For anyone else who has never in their life encountered this word, lol.
Thanks for adding this!
the pledge of allegiance is brainwashing at NK levels.
That was me!
I sat down because I was lazy.
You're welcome
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.
Dear America:
Most countries don't do this shit. At all. It's weird and off putting
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.
I was about the same. Around junior high I was like, "wtf am I doing?" For me the first part was "under God," that got to me. I had found it weird as a child even to say that and then I realized I didn't want to say that at all. I thought it was strange when supposedly, we're allowed to believe whatever we want. I never felt the connection or belief in the Catholic God (what I was, very, loosely raised under) and it started there. Hand on heart omitting , "under God." Slowly it progressed to just standing and saying nothing. It's probably been well over a decade since I've been in a situation to say the pledge, but if I were, I know I wouldn't stand anymore.
I also, do not always stand for the National Anthem.
So the Anthem thing I sort of get, at least for like sports. Lemme explain:
Sportsmanship keeps the games fun. Establishing sportsmanship starts in the mind - "we're all here to have a good time." In nation exclusive sports, (NFL for example) the entire stadium gets "in sync" at that moment. It's also a useful way to start. In international sports, standing for the opponents anthem is a sign of respect for the other team.
I don't really remember where else it plays though.
I don't think I could even silently protest the pledge of allegiance anymore. Fuck nationaism.
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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.
You weren't wrong, exactly
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