The Pledge of Whiteness
Hey white folks, pledging to liberty and justice for all in a nation where one in every three Black boys can expect to go to prison in his lifetime is not patriotism. It’s white supremacy gaslighting.
MY BOYS WERE BORN in Hong Kong and are dual citizens of Australia and the United States. They’ve both been coming to the States since they were about one month old, coming at least four times a year, so they’re no stranger to the specifics (and peculiarities) of American culture.
Yet, it wasn’t until we officially moved here early last year that the boys first encountered the pledge of allegiance at school.
“Mum, it’s weird,” Harry said to me. “Why do we have to say it?”
“You don’t,” I replied. “I think it's hella weird too.”
Is it just me as a foreigner, or is the pledge of allegiance a bizarre jingoistic indoctrination that closely compares to the patriotic pledges of totalitarian states?
If we have to force ourselves and our kids to profess nationalism regularly, are we genuinely cultivating a learned love of our country and freedom . . . or just peddling pretend patriotism?
In contrast, if we promote nuanced, free-thinking and a culture of considered critique in order to sustain progress, aren’t we then truly striving for transcendence?
To the people reading this who are cynical about the sincerity of the American Dream: do you say the pledge of allegiance? If so, why?
To the parents reading this who are skeptical about America’s track record with *liberty for all*: do your kids say the pledge of allegiance at school? If so, why?
I am not opposed to a pledge, per se. Yet if we are going to profess to something, ought it not be to all living things within land, sea, and air?
For all souls.
All beings.
All communities.
All dreams.
And not to arbitrary Stars and Stripes.
So here’s also the truth of all this: my children are two little white boys in a blue state. Do you know what happens to them when they do not say the pledge at school?
Absolutely nothing.
On the other hand, I know of plenty of non-white kids who have, at one point or another, chosen not to say the pledge.
Do you know what happened to them?
They were relentlessly bullied, othered, vilified, and told to “go back to their country”.
Perhaps if more of us with white skin and white privilege started to push the envelope here — and talked to our children about our *actual thoughts* on the pledge — then BIPOC folks would not be taunted for their choices.
You can live in the United States and appreciate aspects of society while also having a healthy, democratic critique of many other parts. You can acknowledge the good about being here while also relentlessly hoping and pushing for progress. For equity. For humanity. For liberty and justice FOR ALL.
Pushing for progress resulted in the abolition of chattel slavery. Pushing for progress resulted in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. And pushing for progress will always yield necessary and compassionate solutions to the many times we, the people, have endeavored to regulate inhumanity.
The idea of pausing momentarily to pledge to something each day is not in itself bad, though. It can be a moment for hope. For reflection. A mantra.
Yet pledging to liberty and justice for all, in a nation where one out of every three Black boys born today can expect to go to prison in his lifetime, as can one of every six Latino boys, compared with one of every 17 white boys, is not a mantra.
Pledging to a polyester flag in a nation where Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native women are three and two times more likely, respectively, to die from pregnancy-related complications, as compared to white women, is not a moment of zen.
Pledging to a country that claims to cherish life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, all while financing another government that has indiscriminately bombed more than 12,000 children in 123 days, is not a heartfelt reflection.
It’s gaslighting.
So recently, my boys and I rewrote the pledge to serve our concept of liberation. And now, while others stand and look at a flag with their hands on their chests, my boys will say and feel our pledge, in their heads or aloud, to confirm their commitment to humanity.
I pledge allegiance to life and land
On our great green Earth
And to compassion and community
One people under humanity, indivisible
With liberty, joy, and justice for all.
I ask again . . . to the people and parents reading this who are cynical about the sincerity of the American dream: do you or your kids say the pledge of allegiance?
If so, why?
Ought we not instead start pledging to the nation we would like to see and consequently manifest its creation?
I, for one, would rather mindfully embody a brave, new civilization rather than be complicit in the damage and dysfunction of the one already constructed.
And THIS, my friends, is progress.
Yes!! As a Canadian I've always found the practice of having children say a pledge of alliance each morning odd and clearly meant to indoctrinate. Another thing that I found very strange when my niece and nephew lived and went to school in Florida were there school pictures. The entire background of the picture was always the US flag. It always took me aback. Subtle and not so subtle means of indoctrination that might not be noticed when you don't know anything else.
I totally agree and while we are on the subject, I dislike the national anthem having to be sung at every sporting event, from high school football to any random youth event. Why? I´m okay with it at the Olympics every 4 years, but it too does not reflect equality or the land of the free in the USA.