Let’s talk real about the pledge of allegiance that we force children to recite every day in school. I spoke at a conference in Europe and casually mentioned it during a conversation with other speakers. And everyone was like “Wait what” I assumed it was tradition everywhere. 1/

After they said no I’ve never heard of that anywhere. Someone said “You mean like the little Nazis?” And it made me think. It’s indoctrination of nationalism. You recite this day after day for eight years starting at such a young age you don’t even comprehend the words. 2/

We are told to stand there with our hands on our heart and recite “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.” I didn’t even have to look it up 3/

Those words are burned into my mind. What’s key is that the first thing we are dedicating our allegiance to is the flag!!! Also look at the end. We say that the republic (we’ll get back to that in a second) is “indivisible with liberty and justice for all”. Think about that 4/

When @Kaepernick7 protested during the anthem. He said this nation does not live up to the standard of “liberty and justice for all”. This country is so indoctrinated they care more that he disrespected the flag than that the flag does not represent what we say it does 5/

Back to that key word in the pledge. Republic. America is NOT a democracy. The people do not decide what happens. We are represented (unequally) by legislators who answer to corporations more than the people. We don’t even elect the president. Twice in past twenty years 6/

Because of the electoral college, the people’s voice was ignored in the election of the president. The two bodies of congress were made to placate southern states. As was the 3/5ths clause where they were able to boost their representation without allowing black people to vote 7/

(This continues to this day by the way when municipalities where prisons are located are allowed to count their prison population in the census) and the senate gives states equal representation despite their population (again to placate the southern states). What should we do? 8/

We should stop this nationalist indoctrination of our children and teach them instead to turn a critical eye toward the injustices in America. Because until there is true Liberty and Justice for all, the flag represents a lie.

Bonus points. The original salute during the pledge looks awfully familiar. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellamy_salute