Pledge

Indoctrination. Have you had yours?

In Blog, Culture, Politicsby Fedayn5 Comments

Pledge

Pledge

A hot Reddit post today asks ‘is the Pledge a harmless affirmation of patriotism or a daily dosage of propaganda?’

An American studying for a Master’s degree in Ireland asks the question following her recital of the Pledge in front of her new classmates.

‘Littlespark88’ goes on – I’m getting my master’s degree at a university here (Ireland), and was completely startled by a lecturer’s comments about the daily American pledge. He even asked me to recite it for the class. Everyone was horrified.

Some of us grew up saying prayers at school but did any of you rabble have a similar experience, in Ireland or abroad, of indoctrination/nationalist propaganda along the lines of the American Pledge?

The original post is here

Comments

  1. When I was a primary school teacher in Thailand, the whole school (10,000 students) would line up in the main square of the town every morning and as the flag was raised at 7:30 exactly by the chief of police, everyone would sing the King’s anthem in unison. Every room in the school (and your own house) had to have a picture of the king in it, and it had to be the highest thing in the room. If anyone was asked the best thing about Thailand, they would say “the King”.

  2. Oh such language- indoctrination… Not arguing that it is right or wrong, just reminding that while the fight in Europe was against nationalism gone fanaticism in WWII, in America nationalism is what pulled the country through. Very different views of societal roles are in play so it is very difficult to judge based on our own bias.

  3. Probably worth reading through the reddit thread, stories of fundamentalism mixed with nationalism and religion being forced upon children under pain of punishment and even physical attack – especially on visiting foreign students – it would simply not happen here we think?

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