Don’t call me un-American. I love my country. I believe deeply in the dogma and principles in which this country was built on.
The amendment I hold nearest and dearest to my heart is the First, which grants me the right to say as I please. More importantly, it grants me the power not to be forced into saying something.
At last Friday’s Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA) meeting, a motion was made to begin each meeting reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. As a proud member of UNH’s culturally and nationally diverse community, I find this as an act of insensitivity toeing the line on bigotry. I have no problem pledging loyalty to the country I love and call home, however, I will not be participating during these public meetings.
To understand my decision, it is important to understand the history of the Pledge of Allegiance and how the oath has become so convoluted and distant from the original idea of pride and equality that it is no longer evocative of the words it represents.
Francis Bellamy originally composed the Pledge in 1892, but Congress did not formally adopt it until 1942, during the midst of World War II. It was intended to originally include the phrase “equality,” but those in favor of the pledge knew that education leaders were against equality for women and African Americans, so the word was omitted in order for the bill to pass.
The pledge originally used the phrase “my flag.” It was changed to “the flag of the United States of America” during 1923, a period characterizing an influx in immigration. This was only one of the many initiatives used by the U.S. government to force new immigrants to sever ties to their home country.
The phrase “under God” was added in 1954 during the Cold War to differentiate the United States from the atheist-communist state of the USSR. Not only is this a blatant unconstitutional promotion of monotheism, but the inclusion of this phrase also completely goes against separation of church and state, prized especially at a private institution.
In regards to the phrase “Liberty and Justice for all,” whom are we talking about? I’m a woman, a Jew, and an unabashed supporter of gay rights. If someone could honestly tell me how this nation was showing me the same liberty and justice as my Christian, white, heterosexual male counterpart, I would gladly stand up in a crowd professing my undying allegiance. But, sadly that isn’t the case.
We are a part of a diverse community at UNH. We have a large international community that is not American. Yes, they are attending school in this country, but that does not mean they are automatically filled with American spirit and pride. Many people brought up the singing of national anthems at professional sporting games and the Olympics. Singing or listening to a national anthem of another country is in no way similar to a PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
Break down those words. A national anthem does not compel a person to distinguish all ties with other countries and swear undying loyalty to the United States. Imagine yourself in 1943 Germany. How would you feel in a room of German nationalists pledging allegiance to the Nazi flag? While this may be a slightly exaggerated example, it is just that: only slightly exaggerated.
The United States has been a belligerent nation in many wars and conflicts. We do have enemies. The prestige associated with the United States carries little weight outside of North American or the western world. This means that some students will not feel comfortable pledging an oath to a country in which they don’t belong. And if it does happen to be the first time they attend a USGA meeting, it will deter them from coming back. (I’d like to quickly add that the American flag has never been present at any USGA meetings. Don’t ask me to be the person to acquire one!)
Seventeen states have laws requiring students to stand up and recite the Pledge of Allegiance in schools. Connecticut is not one of these states. I understand that no one would be compelled by the authority of USGA to stand up and pledge allegiance to a country that they may not belong to, a country that may not represent them, or a country that does not provide them with liberty or justice. However, after some of the rhetoric that was used at the last meeting, I cannot help but feel that those who do not give this oath each week will be alienated and judged.
One of the main focuses at the USGA retreat was how to make these meetings less intimidating, how to get more diverse students to attend and keep coming back. Inclusion of nationalist rhetoric in meetings is taking seven steps backward.
More importantly, it must be remembered why we attend these meetings. Nearly all of us there are representing an organization. We are constantly reminded to remain unbiased in voting scenarios. “Don’t vote personally, make sure you vote as your organization would choose,” we are told. We are there representing the organizations. Not ourselves. When I attend I am not just Elizabeth Field. I am Elizabeth Field, voice of the Charger Bulletin just as others are the voice of the Gaming Club, voice of the Caribbean Students Association and all of the members of that organization. If I were to stand up and pledge allegiance to the United States I would be doing so on behalf of the Charger Bulletin and our entire staff. That is something I am not comfortable doing.
So each week I will respectfully stand, however, I will not be reciting the pledge. I will be saying a silent prayer to whichever God(s) I choose. I will pray for the well-being and safe return of our American troops who are overseas risking their lives to preserve my freedom and liberty to NOT to be forced into reciting an oath forced upon me and my peers.
army wife • Oct 28, 2012 at 10:53 pm
Okay I understand that we all have rights to freedom of speech but some things are just not okay to say. My husband is in the US army and he busts his butt every day of his life to give you, me, and everyone else in America safety and freedom. He puts his life on the line so you and I don’t have to. He is a proud american soldier. The plege of allegiance is said to remind us that we are a united country and we stand by and repersent out flag. Immigrants are grateful to be called Americans, just ask my husbands parents. They are from Laos. My husband was raised here and he was educated here he graduated college from here and now he is in the army here. My brother is also in the amry. He’s been deployed 3 times. He would die for you and this country and you can’t even be grateful enough to say a speech for 30 seconds as does the rest of our country? I think that is not only disrespectful but also unamerican. Men AND women of all different backgrounds and religion fight for this country and by choice. They do this so you can go to bed evey night and not have to do what they do. You sleep in your bed while they stay awake for days. You write on your schools online newspaper while they get to use the internet once every few weeks to months to let there families know they are still alive. People like you take advantage of small american duties and never stop for once and think about my husbands duties or my brothers or the rest of the US militaries. You just think about yourself and how you can let everyone know what your rights are about how to abuse them. People like you have rights in this country to freedom of speech and so do I and I would like to express my opinion to you and say if you do not think you should say the plege please leave because if you can’t honor the country you live in in the smallest way you shouldn’t be here because you obviously don’t care about our flag in which it stands.
– an american amry wife who also has rights.
Melody (Johnson) Soderberg • Oct 26, 2012 at 12:10 pm
As a former USGA e-board member, for two years, I fully supported the American flag at the front of the room at every single meeting, and feel that the pledge of allegiance is just an extension of that.
To pledge allegiance to the flag and all it stands for is certainly a choice. However, if you have reservations about pledging at the beginning of a meeting, I ask you to step back away from all the negative and embrace all the positive for which the American flag stands (there is so much more positive than the few negative issues to which you may be hanging onto).
If you are wrapping politics and government issues with the American flag, recognize the flag isn’t democratic or republican, it isn’t liberal or conservative, it is the symbol that reminds us all that we still believe in a country of freedom – the choice to believe what we want to believe.
It might be easier to lose sight of this during an election year, when the issues we disagree with are constantly thrown in our faces.
To remind me of the positive power of this symbol, I look back to September 11, 2001 (remove the issues – and just think about the event); how we used our flag to bring us together in a time of chaos. This is a flag worthy of a once-a-week pledge of allegiance.
It is your choice to pledge at USGA meeting, however it isn’t anyone’s choice if it is not included as part of the agenda. If you respectfully stand, and not recite, no one can judge you for that.
Louis Eswood • Oct 25, 2012 at 5:56 pm
As a former USGA president, for two years, I can assure you that the American flag was in every single meeting. I made a point to include it because I love my country and we should always honor our fallen heroes.
James Cassidy • Oct 24, 2012 at 8:19 pm
As a former Marine I hold the constitution and ALL the amendments near and dear to my heart.
I hold them so dear I fought for my country to defend your right to say stupid things.
Next time you see a veteran thank him/her for putting themselves in harms way to protect your right to be an Idiot.
You also have the right to leave this great country that I and millions of Americans pledge our allegiance to.
Have a nice life and think twice about reproducing.
Dan • Oct 24, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Yes, let’s not do anything anymore because someone might get offended. It doesn’t sound like anybody is forcing you to pledge allegiance to anything.
Everyone knows that there isn’t perfect “liberty and justice for all” in this country. That being said, you playing the victim and talking about how you are oppressed is almost laughable. You attend a private university that costs upwards of $40,000 per year, possibly with some assistance from the oppressive government you seem to hate. Let me put this into perspective for you: recently, a girl was shot in the head in Pakistan for wanting women to be able to get an education. THAT is oppression.
No, it’s not perfect. Yes, there are still people having civil rights denied to them. No, that is not okay. However, I wouldn’t go around comparing America to Nazi Germany and calling it only a “slight” exaggeration. Careful, you might offend someone and maybe they’ll write an article about it!