The Future of the Pledge of Allegiance

May 31st, 2011

As years go by and more and more restructuring happens in the K-12 schools, public and private, I wonder what kind of autonomy kids will retain during these cooped up years of life. Tons of laws to control student’s behavior within the walls of schools have surfaced including: no more sack lunches in Chicago, no soda or junk food vending machines in most metropolitan school districts (some rules have good intentions-I understand), AND some kids have been busted recently for information they’ve submitted to websites like Facebook and Twitter.

Do we have future mini-domestic terrorists on our hands or is the government prepping them for what adults have to deal with on the outside? I have to admit I immerse myself in articles about governmental/law enforcement abuse so my bias may come as thick, but with the growing use of technology it is easier to track behavior of your public servants and I’m not sure they are enjoying the spotlight. So, perhaps we are going to see stricter rules in the school systems as the children become trained to be outstanding citizens later in life.

Since I can remember there were certain things done at K-12 schools that make the experience comparable to jail. No talking, only going outside part of the day, only using the restroom when allowed, and even crappy food! Man if I could go back to those days I’d fight for more rights then these wimpy kids are requiring today. To me, most seem complacent with the rules provided. When was the last time you saw a news story about a sophomore in high school protesting their 1st amendment right when it comes to saying the Pledge of Allegiance? If you have some cool stories about concerned teenage citizens I’d love for you to share!

I recently came across this video and it triggered more and more thought on the subject of the Pledge of Allegiance. You’ll see what I mean:

I’m not going to sit here and dissect the words of the Pledge, we’ve all said it at one point in our lives. Don’t we want the future citizens of the country to ask questions instead of do whatever they are told to do from public officials?

So where do you see the Pledge of Allegiance going in the future? Will it be obsolete or will schools begin other propaganda techniques?

 


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