Dissent is this highest form of... something, something...
@Gooddoggy said:
I'm stunned by the number of people in this thread who somehow think that refusing to participate in the pledge of allegiance is somehow just as wrong as a public school teacher haranguing a student for that student's political opinion.
The courts have rule multiple times that no one can be forced to participate in the pledge of allegiance. Respect doesn't enter into it - you don't have to say it, you don't have to stand for it if you don't want to. So even if you are offended by the OP not standing, he was well within his rights to do so. Even if he is some punk teenager just rebelling for the hell of it, his rights deserve as much respect as anyone else's.
The teacher reacted unprofessionally and inappropriately. Her students' political beliefs are not a matter for the classroom. The school board (or the state legislature, more likely), forced the pledge to be said, the OP responded as he saw fit, and as he was allowed to do. The teacher should have let it pass, rather than create a disruption over it.
Agreed. As far as I know, sitting in silence isn't rude or disrespectful. If he was flipping the bird to the flag and making fart nosies, that'd be different. If his body language conveyed juvenile defiance (e.g., folding his arms and putting his nose in the air), then I'd call his foul. Based on his side of the story, I can't find any fault in his actions. I can't blame him for the responses he gave to the teacher's biased, weighted questions/comments. She had an opportunity to attempt to open up an interesting discussion that required some critical thinking, but instead jumped right into pushing her own political beliefs. I could see how some might infer his comments as behaving like a smart-ass, but I can't imagine any other junior in high school being ready for such an on-the-spot attack from their own teacher.
If you're really not happy with your country, why not make your voice heard in some non-violent matter? As long as he's not doing harm to himself or others, what's the problem?
I remember making the choice not to bow my head in prayer at assemblies in my high school (how they manage to continue to allow the church into the public school system [Newfoundland, Canada], I'll never understand). I didn't make a fuss - and I don't think anyone else noticed (their heads were bowed, so duh), but I listened to what the pastor was saying and thought critically about what I agreed and didn't agree with what was being said. I agreed with the positive messages about treating others well, but I didn't agree that Jesus was my one and only savior or that the reward of heaven (or threat of hell) should be the ultimate determining factors on how I decide to live my life. If I thought my country was in a terrible state and that it was hurting those I cared about, I'd probably stop participating in the national anthem too.
Make the change you want to see in the world.
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