By Ben Hebert, ’17, Op/Ed staff writer

Special assemblies at U.S. often start with the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and an uninspired singing of America the Beautiful. Why? Is it lighthearted patriotism? Or is it more devious? Is it a ploy by the establishment to persuade impressionable young people to feel loyal to their country as an attempt to prevent civil unrest? Is it just mindless indoctrination similar to the fascist regimes we fought during World War II?

Being forced to pledge allegiance to the U.S.A. goes against the ideas of freedom on which this very country was founded. What does it mean to “pledge allegiance?” A schoolteacher might say something along the lines of, “It means you express gratitude for the amazing freedoms that you have living here.” This is quite misguided. Imagine the U.S.A. suddenly decided to invade Greenland, or some other nation with extensive oil access. Imagine that our president and our military leaders decided to systematically kill all Greenlanders in opposition of their forceful conquest of the nation. Even though you probably would be strongly opposed to this conflict, by pledging allegiance, you are telling our government that if you were to be drafted into a war like this, you would support the U.S.A. in their conquest and willingly fight alongside your fellow Americans in order to carry out their Greenlandic genocide. As with most people, you probably wouldn’t be entirely onboard with taking part in such a war, so pledging allegiance shouldn’t make much sense.

Extreme as the hypothetical is, by pledging allegiance to the U.S.A., you are mindlessly agreeing to such an extreme, should it occur. Although saying a few words does not contractually force you to support our country’s motives in a Greenland conquest-like scenario, saying a few words that you don’t actually agree with is pointless. So stop lying to yourself, and stop pledging allegiance.

So next time we gather for a momentous occasion in the auditorium, join me in silence during the pledge of allegiance to send a potent message to the U.S. administration:

To be American, to be an engaged citizen, and to be a US boy is to reject blind allegiance. It is to think freely.