Yesterday, a “friend” posted some ridiculous drivel about not apologizing for being an American and some other mess about making kids say the Pledge of Allegiance. Something about they “don’t make the kids say it no more.”
So, I mentioned that yes, indeed kids do say the Pledge at school and I know this because my boyfriend’s three boys all say it. The response was that “well, we were forced to say it.”
Being a fan of actual facts and not fear-mongering, divisive, made-up bull-shit, I said that no, compulsory recitation has never been the case, though it has been tried in several areas of the United States since its addition to the school day. You can actually thank the Jehovah’s Witnesses for saving you from being forced to pay allegiance to any flag or country without your permission. I know this because I stopped saying the Pledge in the 5th grade in protest, ironically enough because I felt like we weren’t “One Nation under God” and until we were, I thought it was fallacy to recite it. I was further supported by, I dunno, a little summer class I took on religion and politics. But, hey, what the hell do I know?
I also mentioned that I don’t believe in god and non-belief really has not one damn thing to do with being an American (apologetic or not) and that the country was built on the backs of all of us (many of whom didn’t speak a lick of English, as it were.)
Which was met with some crap about feeling sorry for me because I don’t believe in god.
Really?
Good frakking grief.
First, be proud that I held my tongue, er, fingers far enough away from my keyboard so that little jolts of high voltage didn’t emerge on the responder’s end of the interwebz.
Second, I live in a part of the world that has a church on every corner. I grew up immersed in the Southern Baptist tradition and I am the granddaughter of a United Methodist pastor. Do you really think I don’t know all about your god, what he entails and whether or not I’m really missing out on something?
Give me a break.
The mere mention that I might believe something different, or nothing at all, offends you. Stupid. You piss and moan about how you’re so damn persecuted because you no longer have free reign to indoctrinate my child whenever and wherever you want, but when it comes to showing respect and compassion and tolerance to someone else…all that Jesus-itude goes right out the frakkin’ window.
I won’t even get into the fact that non-belief wasn’t a choice and if I had my druthers, it sure as shit would be a helluva lot easier to believe than not. When I was a Christina, I never heard someone say they didn’t think a Christian ought to be able to raise their own child…but I’ve had a Christian tell me someone ought to call DFCS and take my son away because it’s abusive to raise a child without god. I didn’t say anything about the fact that I really don’t find your god to be all that good and I surely wouldn’t say I feel sorry for you for believing because believing in something so obviously without evidence is really kind of stupid. Why? Because my Mama raised me with some semblance of manners and it’s RUDE to be condescending to someone you don’t know not to mention that it’s a little bit gaumless to engage someone who’s light-years ahead of you in knowledge of religion, belief and history.
Idiot.
So, I hit “remove from friends.”
Bah. Bunch of BS if you ask me.
