Selective mutism

[fayanora]

Whilst reading a story about a girl who is “differently brained,” one part of the story has her saying how she can't sing along with the national anthem, even though she wants to. It made me think about how the same is true of me. It's something I notice a lot about myself, something that bothers me every time I notice it. I find it difficult to

Comments

[acelightning]

Little kids are smarter than grownups give them credit for, and any thinking kid is going to have trouble with the Pledge of Allegiance - I certainly did! When I started school, I had to learn the pledge:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag"
Why to the flag, not the country itself?

"of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands,"
Why aren't we pledging allegiance to THAT in the first place?

"One nation, indivisible,"
Then why do we have states?

"with liberty and justice for all."
People in jail don't have liberty. Colored people in the South don't have justice. (I may only be six years old, but I hear stuff on the news...)"

When they added "under God" a year later, I just moved my lips - by then I was already pretty much an agnostic. (And, of course, as I grew older, I began to question pledging allegiance to the nation itself, since I hadn't chosen to be born here, and I had no idea whether it deserved my "allegiance" or not.)

[fayanora]

I think I understood that "indivisible" meant "all these states are a united country," but essentially I think I had the same issues.

[acelightning]

The children's revenge:

"I led the pigeons to the flag of the United Snakes of Armenia, and to the Republican, Richard Stanz; one naked [underground] individual, with lima beans and jockstraps for Al."