Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Texas Pledge of Allegiance

I went to a PTA meeting Monday night. The student council did a presentation on the flag. So of course we started with the US Pledge of Allegiance and then went to the Texas Pledge of Allegiance. Wha? TEXAS Pledge of Allegiance? So, for all of us non-Texans (and I will always be a non-Texan no longer how long I live in Texas) here is the pledge:

Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible

Okay, WTF? What does allegiance to TEXAS mean? That I will defend the state if Oklahoma attacks from the North? That I will fight to the death to defend their sports teams?

I performed the pledge of allegiance despite my current issues with the state of our country (justice and liberty for all? Tell that to the people in Gitmo). After the pledge, I do what I always do which is drop my hand from my heart and put my arms behind my back. When they announced the Texas pledge, I thought about moving my hand back and then decided not to and shrugged my shoulders. I DON'T pledge allegiance to Texas, I won't even act like I do.

A lot has been made of all the reactionary patriotism since 9/11. People suddenly wearing flag clothes all the time. Having every item they own covered in stars and/or stripes. Yeah, move to Texas and you'll see symbolic patriotism (state-ism?) taken to a whole new level. More houses than not display either the Texas flag or multiple "Lone Stars". You go to Home Depot and you can buy benches, ceiling fans, chandeliers, wall paper and probably dozens of other items I haven't seen yet covered in a Lone Star.

As an Oklahoman (until the day I die, no matter where I live) it makes me very uncomfortable to be around such outward displays of zealotry. I'm beginning to get used to it, but it's still very weird.

2 comments:

Tanya Brown said...

Texas has a strong sense of national loyalty. That is, I'm pretty convinced that its native sons and daughters think of it as a country in and of itself, apart from the rest of the United States.

Gaia said...

I think you're right Tanya. I always wonder when they are going to secede from the union.