Author Spotlight
Mary Gagen
It’s 9:25 a.m. on a Tuesday. The Pledge of Allegiance is recited, and junior Thomas Garmon, slumps in his chair and flips off the speaker with both hands — a weekly occurrence. As his classmates stand for the flag or giggle quietly at him, Garmon holds his stance.
According to Kansas state law, the Pledge of Allegiance must be recited, but the logistics of reciting the pledge are left to the Kansas Board of Education.
Garmon doesn’t value the pledge. According to Garmon, pledging your allegiance to something other than your own morals will backfire.
“There will almost inevitably be a time where you have to choose between your moral code and your nation-state,” Garmon said. “I wouldn’t want to pledge allegiance to something I couldn’t uphold.”
Garmon argues that he respects soldiers as individuals, but not the idea of sending innocent people to war.
“First of all, the soldiers died for me to be able to do this,” Garmon said. “Second of all, I don’t have an issue with America itself, I have an issue with generals who send soldiers to die.”
Freshman Avner Crafton disagrees and believes that being patriotic and standing for the flag during the pledge is the respectful thing to do.
“Standing for the flag shows that you like America,” Crafton said. “Being patriotic is a good part of society.”
Crafton emphasizes the importance of respecting the flag because it’s both a good way to bond with fellow Americans by having a common ground and similar goals and also a sign of respect for those who fight for our freedom.
“Celebrating our country is a great thing,” Crafton said. “Holidays like the Fourth of July are my favorite.”
Despite Crafton’s beliefs, the U.S. government can’t enforce legislation requiring citizens to salute to or stand for the flag, according to The Hill.
For students who fall in the middle of the political spectrum, they fear being attacked socially for whichever decision they make. Sophomore Nia Zugelder feels she’ll be made fun of if she stands during the pledge.
“I would stand for the pledge but no one else in my seminar does and I’m scared to because I don’t want to be politically labeled,” Zugelder said. “ I just feel like lately supporting or not supporting the country has been controversial.”
Excellent article. We have the right to sit or stand, recite the pledge or remain silent but disrespecting either of both is unacceptable. Flipping the other of our the pledge itself is juvenile and that young man needs to learn some manners.
Respecting the flag is respecting the country that the flag stands for. The fact that one is free to sit or stand is protected by the what the flag stands for. So when one freely chooses to NOT stand for the pledge, they are unknowingly supporting the very premise that the flag stands for.