Sitting for the Pledge – why I do it and why others don’t

By Angie Hund | Manor Ink

I’m a junior at Roscoe Central School, and I’ve been sitting for the Pledge of Allegiance throughout the duration of my high school career. At the beginning of my freshman year, when I began sitting for the Pledge, I was criticized both implicitly and to my face. Despite my classmates’ and the RCS staff’s opinions of my action, I continued doing sitting every morning. It was partially out of stubbornness and resistance to my peers’ glorified view of America, but it was also partially because of my personal feelings about the current state of our country.

Many have asked me, “Why don’t you stand? Don’t you respect our nation and those who fought for us?” In response, I would say I sit for the Pledge in solidarity with Americans that aren’t granted “liberty and justice.” For my fellow women who no longer have access to abortion care, for the African American community who still have to fight for their lives every day, for the transgender individuals having their rights stripped away at every turn, or the rest of the LGBTQIA community’s quality of life and for every single minority that isn’t granted the same opportunities as cis-gendered heterosexual white Americans.

While the Pledge states “liberty and justice for all,” we can infer this isn’t true. In a country partially built on genocide, stolen land and slavery, how can one claim every citizen is equal? How could one be proud of our problematic history and flawed government? We still have a long way to go in creating social and economic freedom for “all.”

I’m uncomfortable with saluting a country that neglects its citizens. Time after time, I feel the Supreme Court has failed us. Whether it’s been reproductive rights, marital rights, trans or indigenous rights, we have seen a diminution of liberties. Personally speaking, I feel corruption runs more rampant than ever in government. Lastly, I refuse to conform to the nationalist beliefs pushed onto me since kindergarten, having me pledge allegiance to a country before I even knew how to spell the word “America.”

Overall, I enjoy using my right to peacefully protest, the right granted to me by this country. I’m not harming anyone, nor am I forcing my beliefs on others. I’m simply practicing my freedom of speech with my action. Curious about how my classmates felt about the issue, I interviewed three other students regarding their opinion on the Pledge of Allegiance. One favored standing, another did not and the third was too afraid to sit. Here is what these students had to say.

“I stand for the Pledge out of respect for my country, the men who have died for us and the veterans that continue to live,” said the student passionate about standing. “If you can’t even stand for the Pledge of Allegiance out of respect, why are you here? Many people close to me have gone and fought for the United States. It’s a shame if we can’t even honor them.”

“To me, standing for the Pledge of Allegiance always seemed a bit too nationalistic,” said the student opposed to standing. “I stopped doing it after the seventh grade, because I just didn’t feel the need to pledge my loyalty to a country I didn’t feel any respect for. I also always thought that the ‘under God’ thing was weird, considering there is supposed to be a separation of church and state, and I have never been religious.”

The student who wouldn’t sit out of fear of peer criticism said, “I’ve never really held any strong nationalist beliefs, and I’ve never felt loyalty to my country. But I mostly still stand because that’s what is expected of me by my classmates and teachers. I think living in this area, we’re so conditioned to not think outside of everyone’s general beliefs.”

While I don’t agree with the majority of my schoolmates’ and teachers’ views politically or economically, I can acknowledge their right to stand for what they believe. Unfortunately, not many students have joined me in this act of “protest,” but I hope action I’ve taken may empower others to feel comfortable doing the same if they wish. I recognize that it’s not easy to stand out from the crowd in a predominantly conservative area like Sullivan County.

Still, our generation is the future of politics and revolution within our small communities. Regardless of your “side,” I encourage young people to get involved in politics, to begin new discussions, to challenge ideas and become vocal about their beliefs.