# To pledge allegiance to the flag? What does this mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 24, 2002, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-pledge-allegiance-to-the-flag-what-does-this-mean/129508 "2002-09-24T20:00:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ready29003](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@ready29003](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ready29003)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-pledge-allegiance-to-the-flag-what-does-this-mean/129508/1 "2002-09-24T20:00:41Z")
Allegiance: 1 a : the obligation of a feudal vassal to his liege lord b (1) : the fidelity owed by a subject or citizen to a sovereign or government (2) : the obligation of an alien to the government under which the alien resides 2 : devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause I almost think this should be a general question, since we all do it, and it should not be a matter of opinion, but rather a rigorously defined item. To pledge your fidelity, devotion, and loyalty to the United states means… I will do whatever my country’s leaders tell me to do? No. I will support my country’s leaders in whatever they decide to do? No. I will support and agree with the majority consensus of my fellow citizens? No. I will favor the United states over other country’s when their is conflict between country’s? still no… I will fufill my duties as a citizen by paying taxes, observing laws, respecting judicial opinions, and voting. Hardly. all I can come up with that it definately means: I will live here. I will participate in my duties as citizen at least so far as saying this meaningless pledge, but no further. I will chant “USA! USA! USA!” during the olympics. Any other input?? Is their an official interpretation of what saying this pledge means and obligates a citizen to? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-pledge-allegiance-to-the-flag-what-does-this-mean/129508/2 "2002-09-25T03:08:11Z")
> [@](#): > > I will fufill my duties as a citizen by paying taxes, observing laws, respecting judicial opinions, and voting. Hardly. I don’t think the Pledge of Allegiance means much of anything, and I’m pretty sure that legally it doesn’t mean much of anything. However, in the oath taken by naturalized citizens under [8 U.S.C. 1448](http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/8/1448.html) “true faith and allegiance” to the United States does pretty much mean fulfilling one’s duties as a citizen (including military service). ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-pledge-allegiance-to-the-flag-what-does-this-mean/129508/3 "2002-09-25T05:24:42Z")
Service guarantees citizenship! [Do you want to know more?](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0120201) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-pledge-allegiance-to-the-flag-what-does-this-mean/129508/4 "2002-09-25T18:24:56Z")
> [@](#): > > we all do it Er… I’ve never pledged allegiance to the US flag… [sub]Of course, I’m not an American citizen and I don’t live in the USA.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![ready29003](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@ready29003](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ready29003)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-pledge-allegiance-to-the-flag-what-does-this-mean/129508/5 "2002-09-25T19:50:36Z")
sorry, i should not have said we all do it. This message board is certainly not exclusively US citizens. Moreover, I am a us citizen, and I don’t say it either, since I don’t believe in saying something when I have no clear understanding of what i am saying. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-pledge-allegiance-to-the-flag-what-does-this-mean/129508/6 "2002-09-25T20:38:41Z")
If you’re asking what reciting the pledge binds you to do, I can’t imagine anything. What it means to the individual varies widely by the person. While it doesn’t bind me to anything, I (US citizen) won’t pledge the flag because of what it symbolizes, and what pledging it means to me personally. ---
**Author:** ![Leonora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7bcc69/32.png) [@Leonora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leonora)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-pledge-allegiance-to-the-flag-what-does-this-mean/129508/7 "2002-09-26T05:59:05Z")
I do say the Pledge of Allegiance. I stand with my hand over my heart too. To me, I am pledging my allegiance to the U.S. and what it stands for through my flag. What does it stand for? Those things we so often take for granted. Freedom of speech, religion, the right to keep and bear arms, etc. Had it not meant anything to me, it wouldn’t have made alot of sense for me to join the military to serve my country. ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-pledge-allegiance-to-the-flag-what-does-this-mean/129508/8 "2002-09-26T23:30:05Z")
I would guess that to most people it means: **"I am proud to have by pure chance been born in this, the greatest nation on the face of the Earth!"** \* \*Please note that this sentiment also applies to citizens of every other nation on the face of the Earth. ---
**Author:** ![No\_Dragons\_Here](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@No\_Dragons\_Here](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Dragons_Here)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2002, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-pledge-allegiance-to-the-flag-what-does-this-mean/129508/9 "2002-09-27T16:24:40Z")
IIRC the pledge was made up during one of the great imigration waves (late 1800s). People from an earlier wave where uncertain of the loyalty of the new imigrants and thought the pledge would help somehow. Kind of funny, since many historians think that the “founding fathers” would have rejected such a pledge without including wording protecting individual liberty. Something like “I pledge allegiance as long as the government isn’t too corrupt, and I also pledge to hang onto these weapons, so watch your butt and keep your nose out of my business.” ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2002, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-pledge-allegiance-to-the-flag-what-does-this-mean/129508/10 "2002-09-27T16:52:45Z")
When you think about it, it does seem odd to pledge allegiance to the flag as opposed to the nation. My opinion is based, I’m sure, on my peacenik hippy father getting all disgusted at a song I used to sing in elementary school that had a line “oh flag you take care of us and we’ll take care of you”. He was all up in arms about how fabric could take care of people. This was in the late 60’s/early '70’s.