• WhyIHateTheInternet@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    I got suspended for 3 days in junior high for refusing to say the pledge. When asked why I said, “why should I pledge allegiance to this country and not some other country?”. That did not go well with my homeroom teacher who was a veterans wife I guess. She argued people died for this country and I said people died because of this country and I don’t think that’s ok and I’m not swearing allegiance to any government body. I was 14 at the time and this was in 94. When I got back from suspension she want my homeroom teacher any longer. I found out her husband died while serving.

    • OwOarchist@pawb.social
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      1 day ago

      She argued people died for this country

      People died for pretty much every country. That doesn’t make this country special at all.

      • slaacaa@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        That was my first thought.

        It’s okay to love a country, but do it the same way I love the street I grew up in, the park nearby, or the grocery store on the corner. I don’t think these are the best in the world or superior to others, but I know them well and they are meaningful to me because of the connection I built to them over the decades.

      • DiarrheaSommelier@lemmy.ca
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        10 hours ago

        Yep, absolutely. Nobody has died to protect the safety and security of the USA in over 80 years.

        Plenty have died fighting stupid wars that the USA should never have started or jumped in on. But not one of those has been to protect anything but wealth or individual political careers.

    • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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      19 hours ago

      Someone needed to explain to her that her husband died to protect you right to express your opinion, even if she didn’t agree with it.

      But not really. He probably died for no good reason at all, like Oil, or to “stop the spread of Communism.” America seems to have no problem throwing as many lives down those two holes as they need to, and still never achieve whatever objectives they think they have.

    • mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca
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      19 hours ago

      did your parents back you up?

      jw bc my mom gave me good lessons on authority and who should get respect and how. I had a couple “suspensions” that were really just a day off, once or twice she even took it off work to do something with me. I don’t remember the exact scenarios now because they were pretty minor things, but I appreciate the way she handled it.

      except that time I brought a knife to school to have a friend sharpen it at home. I understand why they wouldn’t want knives there, and I broke that rule knowingly and after consideration.

      also, lol @ suspensions in the first place. like what does that even accomplish? Oh no what am I going to do with the rest of the day and up to the next two days completely off, what a terrible time I’ll have biking around town and playing video games. It’s not like getting behind on classwork is an issue for that period of time when you’re an easy A student who’s never had the study and is going to have a hell of a time adjusting to post secondary.

    • pipi1234@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      Its interesting that having a relative that “Died for this country” serves as a tool to further entrench nationalism.

      Almost like it has its purpose by its own. Right?

      • DiarrheaSommelier@lemmy.ca
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        10 hours ago

        I recently saw that the US military has a civilian-kill:soldier-death ratio of like 60:1 since Korea. Who has that high of a K:D ratio and still be at 0% wins?

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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          10 hours ago

          Who has that high of a K:D ratio and still be at 0% wins?

          Gotta ask what “winning” is, exactly.

          Presidents tend to win reelection during war time. And there’s a ton of money to be made. Meanwhile, the market loves a war and rewards shareholders handsomely.

          So who is actually losing?

      • Shellofbiomatter@lemmus.org
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        1 day ago

        So technically more people died for other countries and as this seems to be the benchmark for swearing allegiance to. We all should swear allegiance to the country that the most people have died for.

          • Shellofbiomatter@lemmus.org
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            22 hours ago

            Би тугтаа үнэнч байхаа тангараглаж байна Монголын мөн түүний төлөөлж буй Бүгд Найрамдах Улсад, Бурханы дор нэг үндэстэн, хуваагдашгүй, Бүгдэд нь эрх чөлөө, шударга ёс.

            (Bi tugtaa ünench baikhaa tangaraglaj baina Mongolyn mön tüünii tölöölj bui Bügd Nairamdakh Ulsad, Burkhany dor neg ündesten, khuvaagdashgüi, Bügded ni erkh chölöö, shudarga yos.)