# Some kid says the Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic, and out come the Crusaders **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 23, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733 "2015-03-23T00:42:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/21 "2015-03-24T22:02:22Z")
So, if you say the pledge in English, do you join Sinn Fein? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/22 "2015-03-24T22:10:53Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > The school said it apologized because some **parents of soldiers** killed in Afghanistan were offended. > > Do you mean to tell me that after thirteen fucking years of war in Afghanistan that even those **Americans who served there** don’t know what language they speak? I’ve bolded the discontinuity in your argument. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/23 "2015-03-24T22:21:43Z")
This is great! I was looking for something stupid and inconsequential to be pissed off about! ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/24 "2015-03-24T22:55:18Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’ve bolded the discontinuity in your argument. And here I thought I was making a joke, not an argument! (But while we’re nitpicking, it wasn’t “parents of soldiers” but rather relatives of soldiers generally.) ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/25 "2015-03-24T23:43:18Z")
I’m not concerned by the fact that it was the Pledge of Allegiance said in Arabic. I’m more concerned that our schools indulge students not speaking English. That is the primary method of integration in this country; what purpose does it really serve in our schools? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/26 "2015-03-24T23:44:45Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > And here I thought I was making a joke, not an argument! This is the Straight Dope! You do both, or you find yourself another goddamn message board! ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/27 "2015-03-24T23:48:43Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > I’m not concerned by the fact that it was the Pledge of Allegiance said in Arabic. > > I’m more concerned that our schools indulge students not speaking English. That is the primary method of integration in this country; what purpose does it really serve in our schools? Ahem… > [@](#): > > On Wednesday, as Pine Bush High School was celebrating National Foreign Language Week, Not sure if you were being serious. The kid said it in a different language because it was foreign language week. Kids learning other languages helps them quite a bit, might even give them a leg up in a global economy. If the kid said it French, no fucks would have been given. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/28 "2015-03-24T23:49:09Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > I’m not concerned by the fact that it was the Pledge of Allegiance said in Arabic. > > I’m more concerned that our schools indulge students not speaking English. That is the primary method of integration in this country; what purpose does it really serve in our schools? Baby steps. It works better than confrontation. IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/29 "2015-03-24T23:50:56Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > I’m not concerned by the fact that it was the Pledge of Allegiance said in Arabic. > > I’m more concerned that our schools indulge students not speaking English. That is the primary method of integration in this country; what purpose does it really serve in our schools? You know that most schools actually have entire _classes_ in foreign languages? It’s true! I saw it on the TV! ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/30 "2015-03-24T23:52:47Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > If the kid said it French, no fucks would have been given. No doubt about that. Let’s just keep our school-sanctioned activities in English. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/31 "2015-03-24T23:57:09Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Oh, come on! Pine Bush is Upstate NY now? It’s Orange County. I still say that’s downstate. It’s north of Yonkers, so it’s upstate. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/32 "2015-03-24T23:58:06Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Baby steps. It works better than confrontation. IMHO. It also puts a magnifying glass on the differences these children have from one another, which causes the occasional ruckus (as in this case) and reinforces the early formulation that this girl is somehow to be treated different than everyone else. \* Hey children, look at her. She’s special and different. Treat her like I just didn’t say she’s special and different from all of you. \* ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/33 "2015-03-24T23:59:22Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Baby steps. It works better than confrontation. IMHO. This caused confrontation. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/34 "2015-03-25T00:00:06Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > It’s north of Yonkers, so it’s upstate. That attitude is the real enemy here. ---
**Author:** ![Lemmytheseal2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lemmytheseal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemmytheseal2)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/35 "2015-03-25T00:16:44Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > You know that most schools actually have entire _classes_ in foreign languages? It’s true! I saw it on the TV! [Those have been controversial as well, for similar reasons.](https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=%22arabic+classes%22+controversial) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/36 "2015-03-25T00:42:14Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > No doubt about that. Let’s just keep our school-sanctioned activities in English. Including foreign languages week? How’s that work, exactly? ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/37 "2015-03-25T01:21:24Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > what purpose does it really serve in our schools? Well ideally it helps the students to grow up into the kind of person who can accept the existence other non-American cultures enough that they don’t freak out when their little darlings hear the pledge of allegiance in Arabic over the school intercom. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/38 "2015-03-25T02:13:41Z")
> [@Lemmytheseal2](#): > > [Those have been controversial as well, for similar reasons.](https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=%22arabic+classes%22+controversial) Oh, for… :smack: Someone signal the mothership. I’m ready to leave the planet. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/39 "2015-03-25T03:35:17Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > That attitude is the real enemy here. I’m from Kingston and the NYT refers to us as “upstate” in the movie listings. Good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733/40 "2015-03-25T03:56:57Z")
Let’s allow all their prejudices for a moment. This the Muslim language, used by those who want to blow up the U.S. Why would you object to your enemies pledging allegiance to your country’s flag and current government? Are we so remedial now that we don’t know what allegiance is? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-kid-says-the-pledge-of-allegiance-in-arabic-and-out-come-the-crusaders/715733.md?page=3)