By Ramisa Ahmed
To stand for the Pledge of Allegiance or the national anthem of the United States is common etiquette in American culture. It is a common belief that standing for the pledge or the anthem is a symbol of respect to soldiers and an oath to America, but is this belief brainwashing Americans to forget the flaws in American law enforcement?
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick chooses to kneel during the national anthem to protest the mistreatment and misrepresentation of black people and people of color in America.
“There are a lot of things that are going on that are unjust.– this country stands for freedom, liberty, and justice for all. And it’s not happening for all right now,” said the quarterback, in a recent interview with NFL media. His actions have jeopardized his career and created major controversy throughout the nation.
Similar actions were practiced by California high school student Leilani Thomas, who chooses to sit during The Pledge of Allegiance because of her Native American heritage, but she was docked participation points from her teacher for doing so. The decision to decline standing for the pledge or anthem is also under debate here at Indian Trail.
“I stand up for the flag because it represents our country and I respect it. I think in America, everyone should stand out of respect for the people who fight for our country,” said Indian Trail KMA student Alysa Hendley.
Hendley believes that standing is an American obligation and that Americans should respect the soldiers who fight on America’s behalf.
“I understand why people choose not to and I don’t think they should be punished, but it’s just disrespectful to do so,” Hendley said.
“I stand for the pledge because it is required by my teachers, but not everyone believes in it. Standing up does not justify your levels of patriotism,” said Indian Trail Med-Sci student Nyla Shah. Shah believes that it is not mandatory for students to stand and that one should not be penalized for their actions or beliefs.
“Being penalized would be an example of violating a student’s First Amendment right,” said Shah.
“ I don’t let my personal beliefs judge how I feel about someone. I think it’s good that people are actively talking about stuff like this. Whether you agree with this way of protesting or not, I think that it’s necessary to be respectful of others beliefs and understand where they come from, which is ultimately what America stands for,” said Shah.