The Pledge of Allegiance is a polarizing topic in our country right now. While reciting the Pledge of Allegiance each day in class can be considered an act of Patriotism, some people choose to abstain from the custom. The differing opinions vary, but the common factor may be, simply, age.
The Prowl took an opportunity to explore this topic on our campus. We asked teachers and students for their views.

‘’I don’t believe in everything the pledge says, freedom and justice for all yet everyone is not free’’ answered a student who chooses to be anonymous. Another unnamed student said, “I don’t pledge because of who the president is.” So, we ask this question once again:  Should students be required to recite our country’s Pledge?

On the other hand, the adults on our campus, in general, the consensus amongst the teachers we spoke to all concluded, ‘’We pledge to pay respect for the all the military forces, and people that used to have to pay the price for freedom.’’ Another example supporting the Pledge comes from CNN. Their quote, ‘’ The main reason we say the pledge is to instill a sense of patriotism amongst students,” supports the premise that the Pledge of Allegiance should be honored because of the sacrifices made by people before us, currently, and those who will come after us.

The Prowl recognizes all students have the right to pledge or not pledge based on our First Amendment rights; however, students should appreciate and acknowledge that our country gives them the option to choose whether they would like to pledge or not. In other countries, such as North Korea, students are required to recite their country’s pledge. North Korea’s requirement violates our country’s First Amendment which is the right to freedom of speech, and therefore it’s a free choice whether you want to recite our pledge. Which brings us back to the polarizing topic: should we honor our freedom of choice or should we exercise that choice.  The Pledge of Allegiance is not only a pledge of loyalty for our government but, also, to our nation which is made up of ‘’we’’ the people.

In general, many people get the wrong message whether or not to recite the pledge. Peer pressure may be a contributing factor, and that may be contributing to the effect where young people may feel that they have a need to conform in order to fit in with the rest of the students with whom they share a classroom with daily. If many students do not understand what the purpose of this is and, why they might be pledging allegiance to the flag, then it’s very understandable why people don’t pledge. Many people fought for our country and deserved to be acknowledged for all that they have done, although many people don’t realize the connection. We as a community should do a better job at getting the message out to people that don’t know the history behind the pledge.

We live in a country of free choice in such matters as reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and The Prowl recognizes each student’s rights to choose. We stand by students who want to pledge and those who wish not to pledge. Weston Ranch High School honors all beliefs and supports all students. We’re not asking for change; we’re merely asking for consideration.