With guns specifically, I think the second amendment is just a convenient cover for an underlying fear of government and other people. Our mythos is built upon a “We did it ourselves” idea, all rugged cowboys and revolvers. I think someone once said something like “America is a 21st-century superpower that thinks of itself as an 18th-century frontier”.
So the gun nuts don’t necessarily care about the Constitution, they care about, well, the guns. The illusion of self-determination preserved through small arms ownership is what drives them.
Yeah. As a somewhat college-educated American, I’m still unclear about the history of freedom and democracy. It goes something like “Ancient Athens was a democracy, the Europeans wrote a document to reign in a king, and then America saved the world” :dubious:
The pledge is something we memorized in elementary school. I don’t think I’ve had a reason to recite it since (I’m 45). It’s not creepy. It’s an important piece of history and a bit like a love letter.
We make fun of Americans who can’t identify a photo of significant politicians, see this on the late night shows often. So I’m glad teachers are showing kids what our presidents look like.
I think the average educated well read American knows very well that the US has some significant issues and that not everyone in the non US world is rooting for us. Some of our pro USA stuff is just to prop our own spirits up. You don’t change the words to your anthem when your team goes through a losing streak.
Not every American agrees with what comes out of Hollywood or is reported in American media.
I do find this interesting to read what others think of us.
I said it every school day for about the first three years of school. I consider it creepy and fascistic. It offends me as an American that a pledge of loyalty of any kind should exist.
Showing kids what presidents or other important people look like can be done in many ways. Hanging up a portrait of a particular office holder in a place of honor is offensive to me.
Oh yes, it’s creepy all right. Most school have kids recite it “voluntarily” through the 12 grade. I’ve seen it a civic meetings, and other public events. I don’t see it as a ‘piece of history’ at all. I don’t associate with any historical event, major or minor. Just part of the Cold War craziness, so there’s that, I guess. I’d put in one step below prayer in public on the offensiveness meter.
You’re convinced that you have the best schools in the world, and will tell so to anybody who listens; furthermore, all your schools are superb. From your propaganda, the only universities outside the US are Harvard and Cambridge.
Note that, per the OP’s request, this isn’t you-Acsenray or you-Dopers, it’s you-propaganda.
Not suggesting, stating, and you have to say it when you become a citizen.
The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag is not part of naturalization.
There’s a separate oath of allegiance that says upon becoming a citizen, you will give up any allegiance to any other state and that you will serve in the Armed Forces or other national service if required to by law. I don’t have a problem with that one. That’s basically what being a citizen is, at a minimum. The law allows you to request a modification if you can show that serving in the military would be against your religious beliefs ( I think they should expand this to non-religious beliefs as well). You can also request a modification to remove the words “oath” and “god.”
[Maryland
The state requires all students and “teachers in charge” to stand, face the American flag, and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.** Any student or teacher who wishes to be excused will be excused**. Md. Code Ann., Education, § 7-105(c)(3)-(d) (2005)
Washington
Students in public schools who wish to recite the Pledge shall do so before all school assemblies and “immediately before interschool events, when feasible.” At the beginning of each school day, and at the beginning of each school assembly, “appropriate flag exercises” shall take place in each classroom. Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28A.230.140 (2005).
I find there’s a kind of subtle xenophobia that exists in American culture. As if only true Americans can be really trusted and everyone else is slightly flawed in some way. Bad guys in movies… they’ll cast an Englishman. Even though the Englishman is putting on an American accent, somehow it’s the English guy that gets given that role. And I look at things like Star Trek: it seems pretty blatant to me that Star Fleet represents America and the aliens are other countries/nationalities. Maybe not specific ones (although sometimes I wonder). Often a crisis is resolved in Star Trek once a Star Fleet officer has just made an alien culture or enemy see reason i.e. once Star Fleet has demonstrated it’s values are better. It’s actually sickening to watch once you realise this.
This to me is American propaganda. And in typical American fashion it’s done by the private sector!
It’s creepy as hell! It fosters in little kids the mentality that the Republic is something above and beyond them, to be worshipped and saluted, not participated in and changed as necessary. It’s one of the first steps in a lifelong indoctrination into a pseudo-democracy where loyalty and subservience are subtly taught as more important than reform and social good. It’s where the whole USA! USA! thing begins in little kids. It’s the same have-faith-in-your-benevolent-overlords mindset that any authoritarian government pushes on its citizens.
The very idea that our government needs a “love letter” instead of a harsh spanking now and then and is why the average US citizen thinks they’re powerless to do anything but consume and have sex.
The educated, well-read American is already not average. Our pre-college education sucks compared to the rest of the world, and our best college education is reserved mostly for our elite. Thinking “It’s ok, the smart Americans know what’s up” doesn’t really help when most people don’t know, and when they do they just think the foreigners are wrong and dumb, and then go on to vote for policies that they don’t really understand but are nonetheless passionate about because they were told be by some charismatic politician or vitriolic talk show host.
Maybe you should change the anthem when your team is always fighting the wrong wars and your anthem just keeps beating the drums, because hell, it’s always U.S.A. versus them, them, them, right?
I presume you mean Oxford, but point taken. I really can’t think of any major non-American universities besides Oxford, Cambridge, and maybe the Sorbonne. Which other ones are internationally reknown?
To be fair, it’s questionable whether they consider themselves part of the Republic to begin with
Participation has to be voluntarily. We haven’t completely lost our freedom yet. But the exercise is mandated by law, with an opt out if you wish to be “that guy.” (which, by the way, I was always happy to be.)
Nevertheless, every morning, during announcements, comes the same stupid pledge…
Of course, according to prophecy, The Pledge of Allegiance will be recited from memory by only the most patriotic among us—hand in hand over the grave of Benjamin Franklin, thereby resurrecting him from the dead by way of our one, true God, to finally gain dominion over all the earth as is America’s rite, having invented freedom, democracy, rock and roll and cold, hard cash. All those who have taken the Pledge will be immune from Franklin’s electric wrath.
