It is 9:51 A.M. and everyone has settled into their third period. Instead of getting the class started, as we have the previous two periods, the intercom blares and we hear the familiar request to stand for the pledge. 

Why? It seems to be an odd itual that most people would see in a country such as North Korea, which is ruled under a dictatorship. It is something we have integrated into our lives and have made it so normal. I believe it is time to start questioning why this is necessary or even remotely needed for an education, it seems like slight propaganda. The words we chant in unison, pledging allegiance to our president and God. If Americans saw a video of Russians or Afghans doing something similar they would scream communism and terrorism. Because everything is weird and unlawful until America does it. 

The pledge comes from Francis Bellamy in 1892, which was then formally adopted by Congress in 1942. The official name of The Pledge of Allegiance was adopted in 1945. This just proves it is outdated, it was made in the first world war. America would never keep something that old, especially when the diversity and structure of American values has changed so much. We need a pledge that matches these changes 

There is also the problem of the line, “under God”. The United States of America has no official or recognized religion as we have separation of the state and church; yet every day the kids around the school swear they are pledging to God and pledging to a country that made this pledge in 1892. I myself am an atheist, and every time I have my hand over my heart, it feels odd to be devoting it to God. The teachers and the students are unwavering and they do it without any question.

 Ignoring that it is also a waste of time, the entire process seems to be a blind allegiance to a massive nation. Our country should not be so insecure that they demand loyalty from their minors all over the country.

 But now, it is time to question it. The pledge is an outdated, unfaithful, and unimportant way for students to go about their day and life. The people who made this pledge are long gone, not knowing the state of the country. 

The students in high school and the schools below are being brainwashed and forced to have a subconscious thought for America and their so called god.