Pledge cleaner and a book to a flag

I saw this interesting pin.

Is it creepy? Well, here's what's getting the hamster of my mind on the wheel...

It was Sixth grade before the majority of words in the pledge were vocabulary words. So, from K to 5, we said it every day without even knowing what we were saying. Just like kids will sing along to music about drive-bys without any context.

Pledge= a household cleaner

Allegiance= today, maybe a book/movie

Republic= (someone do a random poll of age 5 to 80 and see how many people can accurately define that word-- define, not use)

Indivisible= (then see how many children think America is invisible)

Liberty= cool monument

Justice= we've got courts

Not vocabulary, but clarification comes to play:

Under God= a diety said to be up in Heaven,  meaning we're not a nation floating in the clouds, in case you've seen Star Wars and were confused

So basically, you'll say it for six years before you'll find out what it means. And even then, several of the words are difficult concepts for your average suburban American child. Still, you make this pledge. It isn't a choice. If adults had to say, yes, then it's a choice. Children are not allowed to leave the country, or to not go to school, or to not say the pledge (maybe in home schooling, maybe). And so,  as with any pledge that you're saying because it makes your life easier,  it means nothing to you. They're just words.

Adults who haven't said the pledge in years will argue about the wording. If your family is Jehovoah Witnesses or something,  you just stand but don't say it.

There may be some government jobs which require reciting the pledge. Otherwise, whatever the original function was, it's gone. No six year old is beaming with national pride. They can recite it on a dime,  but they've got no idea what it means.

It's okay. We all grow up someday. And then check the box pledging that we read and understood the terms of service. Like any good pledge, you may as well agree,  because it's not like saying no is gonna make life easier.

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