That is awesome. I had a discussion with my mother, a sixth grade teacher, about students standing for the national anthem. My mother holds many progressive views, and she is of the opinion, and one should show respect for this country be standing for the anthem. I asked her once, what she would do if one of her students refused to stand. She said that she would ask them why they did not want to stand during the national anthem. If, she said, they gave her a reply that showed they were thinking about issues and not just trying to get a rise out of her or someone else, then she would respect their decision. She still says I should stand, but I'm glad she at least recognizes that many people could have serious and compelling reasons not to stand.
In particular, I think about the native children at the school, who stand at attention for the anthem of a country that has been established on land that was taken from their ancestors. To me, this is much of the legacy of my home country, a legacy of genocide, and I think anyone living in the Americas has to acknowledge this reality when the see the flag, or hear the anthem.
Troy
"Forstater, Mathew" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I refused to pledge allegiance to the flag in 4th grade. It was the
1970-71 school year and I was 9 or 10 years old. The teacher kept me and
a friend I had convinced to go along after class and asked us why. Our
answer: "Because there isn't liberty and justice for all." Nobody had
told us to do it, it was the spirit of the times to think about those
things and question them.
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