Microblog Memes

In the US, the brainwashing towards Fascist favorites like Nationalism starts when they're still children.

America has always had a contradiction at it's heart: It purports to represent high minded ideas about freedom, egalitarianism, peace, democracy, secular enlightenment ideals, etc... while simultaneously being none of those things for most of it's history. A country built on genocide and slavery, a government that excluded nearly everyone from participating in it, extreme inequality, a war every few years, laws based on religious sentiments of the majority, etc...

That the story it tells itself is so at odds with it's actual identity is a testament to the power of propaganda and self-delusion. I think part of how people try to resolve this contradiction is by refocusing the story to be about steady progress: We may not have always lived up to our ideals, but that was in the past, we learned from them, and got better, as they ignore the problems of today and even actively resist changes that they would applaud if they read it in a history book or saw it in a documentary.

It's not wholly unique in this kind of narrative self-delusion, but I think America's relative lack of longer term history and ethnic identity makes the story a more central part of it's identity. The pledge is one part of this.

That's because it's very strange. Most of the rest of the world thinks we are insane for it We only think of it as 'a bit strange' because we were brainwashed into doing it as children.

I'm from a country which was under a Fascist dictatorship until 50 years ago - Portugal - and even though the place was a total shithole (so poor that it got Food Aid), the regime was massivelly into pushing Nationalism.

The Far-Right are usually the ones who love Nationalism (there really are no greater flag-shaggers than the Fascist Far-Right) and Militarism.

So, at least for me, things such as a Pledge Of Alliegance in schools in the US always sounded like the kind of brainwashing of children done in Fascist countries - maybe not as far as an organised regime Youth movement (like the "Hitler Youth" or the Portuguese "Mocidade Portuguesa"), but certainly partly in that direction.

I know I'm in the minority, but I actually like the pledge, even if it's reminiscent of authoritarianism (and I strongly believe it should be optional). But that's because my interpretation was always "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the USA, and to the [ideals and values of the] republic for which it stands." I viewed it as an affirmation of the commitment by myself to the "liberty and justice for all" we wanted, not as a statement of fact that no matter what the current leadership does, you should be loyal.

All that being said, I could see a contribution of the pledge to an environment of the nationalism or jingoism that led to MAGA. I just don't blame the pledge; I blame the leaders, politicians, media personalities, and individuals that drove MAGA to become mainstream.

All straight, white, land owning Christian Men.

White men that is. Landowners. Rich white men.

They had to cut the last two words when they added “under god” in the 1950’s.

Hence all lives matter

I'm a school bus driver and I attended a meeting of my local school board a few months ago. I was totally surprised when they kicked it off with the pledge of allegiance. I hadn't done it since middle school and I couldn't even remember which hand you're supposed to put over your heart.

It's fucked up. I would proudly pledge allegiance to the fucking Constitution instead.

Indivisible means the south best not try that shit again, while under God means no commies (ignore the fact that a socialist pastor wrote the rest of it)

Was 'one nation indivisible' which they divided with god.

It's not meant to be logic - after all, it's targetting kids, who are hardly likely to challenge it and actually think it through like you did - it's meant to train kids to be Nationalistic.

Hey at least they weren't successful in implementing the one-raised-arm solute that the initial folks pushing for the pledge in schools wanted to see. That would've aged reeeeally well...

I was in high school in the '80s. One day in history class we had a military recruiter come speak to us. After he was done the speaker said "any questions?" My buddy Rob raised his hand and said "yeah, I have a question: does napalm still stick to kids?" I'm still proud of Rob for that one.

My mother just went to them and told them if they tried to make me stand and do the pledge she'd sue their asses and showed them the laws that already were passed at the time. She was pissed the teacher thought mom would side with her because mom knew the law. (Mom was an educator and worked at the school so that's why the teacher, being a colleague, thought mom would agree with her)

There isn't even "justice" for cis white men though - justice in the USA barely even exists any more. The greed and corruption runs so deep that the supreme court are all bribed or heavily biased, so I have no confidence whatsoever in the judicial system.

I'm a cis white man, and I'm working to get myself the hell out of this utterly fucked country as soon as I can because everybody in power is blatantly corrupt and there are no functional checks and balances any more.

A company trying to sell us junk being behind a thing that doesn't make any sense is the most American thing ever.

The more I learn about the history of American norms the more I'm realising it all starts with some early Corpo trying to sell shit.