2020dad posted:Matt13 posted:CaCO3Girl posted:When you are in America you have the right to not stand or sing the national anthem, but it's just rude not to.
No, it's not. Do you think it's rude of me to refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance?
In an environment where it is expected... Yes.
I don't. I will not pledge myself to an object.
This came after me taking several oaths to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. That is what I swore to defend, the foundation of the United States. The US is no less or more great because of a particular flag...it doesn't matter if it is the Stars and Stripes, the Jolly Roger, a pair of underwear on a flagpole, or non-existent, the United States is the United States. For me to pledge allegiance to an object that is meaningless without what I had already signed up to defend, it puts it on the same level, and quite frankly, it's not. That flag can change in meaning; it is a means of communication. The flag itself can be replaced by a different one. The US is an entity that does not have that--at its core, it either exists or it doesn't.