Friday, November 26, 2010

Critique of Impure Reason

In 1892, the following statement was written with the purpose of bolstering sales for a magazine around Columbus Day: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In 1942, after a few revisions, the following statement was added to the Flag Code by Congress: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In 1954, anti-communist sentiment enabled the Knights of Columbus to persuade Congress to further modify the statement, which now reads: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In 2010, every one of my teaching mornings begins with an intercom call for "The Pledge of Allegiance," and 80-120 choir members (I don't think anyone ever refrains) recite it.  This is what I hear: "I pledge allegiance (which is a big deal) to a symbol of a nation of which I am [most likely] a citizen by default, and to the form of government for which it stands, one nation (that's redundant) under something unknowable that we decided to claim as our own decades ago in political response to another nation's philosophies, indivisible (which is a stab at those guys who started the civil war that I'll pretend we didn't have), with liberty and justice for all (except for gays, women, minorities, the impoverished, atheists, and others).

To maintain a low profile, I keep my lips moving with these words (from this poem) by Langston Hughes:
Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

2 comments:

  1. Forgive the dissection I don't mean to compare it to a frog in science class.

    "I pledge allegiance (which is a big deal)": I don't like that we make children, who don't fully understand what they are saying, pledge themselves to a country that is so young and far behind the world that we had others.


    "to a symbol of a nation of which I am [most likely] a citizen by default": And when they hit 18 how many of them will still want to be part of it? I relish the idea of leaving. The only thing holding me here are my friends (and barely my family).

    "to the form of government for which it stands": a bad form of government which will most likely lead to another revolution and a dictatorship (as shown by history).

    "one nation (that's redundant)": let us butcher the English language so that students struggle with learning other languages.

    "under something unknowable that we decided to claim as our own decades ago in political response to another nation's philosophies": I'm not going to say anything...

    "indivisible (which is a stab at those guys who started the civil war that I'll pretend we didn't have)": excellent way to paraphrase that.

    "with liberty and justice for all (except for gays, women, minorities, the impoverished, atheists, and others).": this is why I do not support my country, my government, or my economy. It does not support me, many others, my friends, and those I love.

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