One nation, indivisible...

Hold up, can we squeeze some division in there to make it clear we're not one nation?

The pledge of allegiance was to fight socialism, not encourage freedom.

I got suspended for 3 days in junior high for refusing to say the pledge. When asked why I said, "why should I pledge allegiance to this country and not some other country?". That did not go well with my homeroom teacher who was a veterans wife I guess. She argued people died for this country and I said people died because of this country and I don't think that's ok and I'm not swearing allegiance to any government body. I was 14 at the time and this was in 94. When I got back from suspension she want my homeroom teacher any longer. I found out her husband died while serving.

Growing up in England but consuming so much US media, these things stand out to me as utterly bizarre when I first learned about it or saw it myself:

1. The pledge of allegiance (reminds me of North Korea documentaries)
2. Flags everywhere on houses (don't you know what country you're in??)
3. Singing the national anthem before domestic sports matches
4. Picture of George W. Bush on the wall of the immigration office on the border with Canada, when I first visited with family (everyone in the world knows what your president looks like. This just reminded me of the dictator of Turkmenistan plastered all over their airport on a stopover, and videos of Iraq)

Nah, you're misunderstanding it. Probably a regional accent that's confusing you. It's "liberty and justice for oil"

its almost like we were lied to.

Pledge allegiance to the flag, but when did this country ever offer allegiance to us?

I want a refund for all the time I wasted in school saying the pledge and learning about checks and balances.

Can we do a class action against Trump? HE OWES ME.

Pledging allegiance to the flag means they expect you to blindly obey whoever is holding the flag. The rest is theater.

Liberty and justice for all who can afford it.

Basically, there's an unspoken "rich people" after every important saying in America.

Pledge of Allegiance:

with liberty and justice for all [rich people].

Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [who are rich] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness [for rich people].

4th Amendment Text:

The right of the [rich] people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures

5th Amendment:

No [rich] person shall be . . . deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . ..

6th Amendment text:

In all criminal prosecutions, the [rich] accused shall . . . and to have the Assistance of [good] Counsel for his defence.

Everything makes a whole lot of sense when looking at it through that lense.

Apparently we were supposed to outgrow it like belief in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy

A country that blows hard about "freedom" and "democracy" shouldn't be making its kids take a loyalty oath every day.

Of all the many things that have always struck me as deeply disturbing about the USA, this one is pretty near the top of the list. It's fucking cult behaviour.

No, for whom.

I'm so sorry.

they made you swear fealty to a piece of cloth. that cloth was supposed to be the ultimate arbiter of liberty and of justice. "all" is "everyone who is represented by the cloth" and ever since the cloth was first designed, it's been a limited few who've been represented by the cloth.

it's called hypocrisy

The pledge of allegiance translated into normal english:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America

And for the oligarchy for which it stands one nation, under capitalism

indivisibly held together through an iron fist, with liberty and justice for some"

"Oh yeah, let's remove that and add another 'under god' or some such."

All is only the ones they consider to be people.

It evolved, for a while, but is swiftly regressing past where it was at the founding of this nation.

those who can pay for it

Liberty and protection from justice for the billionaires