More On The Pledge, and Patriotism Examined
In case anyone missed it, my daughter has been having an issue with being forced (or, asked) to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance in school. One of her teachers this year specifically requested that everyone stand, but my daughter continues to sit. I was worried about it, so the next time she had that class first period I asked what happened with the Pledge. She looked confused for a second and then said “Oh! I guess we forgot to say it.” Wait- how can you forget? It comes over the school’s PA system! That class is jazz band, and she explained that everyone must have been talking and getting out their instruments and didn’t hear when it was time for the Pledge. They forgot about the Pledge? What kind of school is this, anyway? Just kidding- I’m relieved it wasn’t a problem. And also slightly annoyed that the teacher went from telling everyone to stand, to ignoring it. Hopefully it will be a non-issue from now on. But it got me thinking about my own feelings towards the Pledge of Allegiance, and I realized what it evokes most in me is nostalgia for my childhood. In elementary school we said the Pledge every day. In first grade, we followed it up by singing “My Country Tis of Thee” (Aw! We must have been so cute!) But by middle school, I don’t remember saying the Pledge. Either we didn’t have it, or we didn’t stand and acknowledge it? Both those scenarios seem strange, but I just don’t remember it at all. If anything, I thought of it as something for little kids. Nowadays, I guess I’m neutral on the Pledge. But I love “The Star Spangled Banner.” I think the words are beautiful, and I always tear up during an Olympic medal ceremony when I hear our anthem. (side note: my elementary school music teacher had a strong opinion that our national anthem should be changed to “America the Beautiful” because she thought “The Star Spangled Banner” was too hard to sing.) Back to the Pledge. My brother-in-law is a high school art teacher in Illinois. At his school they do say the Pledge every day but the kids can opt out. He always says it, but remains silent for “Under God” because he’s agnostic. Just for context, he’s a liberal democrat and is unhappy with many things going on in our country (obviously), but when we asked him why he says the Pledge, his answer was “Because I’m a patriotic American.” I had mixed feelings about the concept of “patriotism,” until I realized I was getting it mixed up with “nationalism.” According to The Helpful Professor: Nationalism is a belief that your nation sits at the top of a hierarchy of nations. You believe your nation’s interests are inherently more important than those of any other country in the world. Patriotism, on the other hand, is simply the love of your country and culture. Patriots know that you can love your own nation without thinking it’s objectively better than anyone else’s. Yes! I am a patriotic American! I hope someday my daughter will say the same, but that’s her choice- it’s a free country. Did you say The Pledge of Allegiance in school? Would you describe yourself as “patriotic?” (In case you’re thinking “what does all this have to do with RUNNING?” fear not! This Friday is the last Friday of the month, which means I’ll be joining Marcia for “Runfessions.” It will be all- or mostly- about running.)