So any notions of forced pledges and nationalism are bad? I'd hope we're in agreement there
So you're just upset because you had to say the pledge of allegiance in school? Would you have rather said the pledge of allegiance to the USSR or to China instead? Civics and good citizenship is a part of our education and isn't nationalism. Having a degree of appreciation and loyalty to the country in which we are citizens isn't really too much to ask. It's one thing to just reside here, but if you're going to be a *citizen* then there is some expectation that you are going to participate in some way in being a part of "we the people" even if it's just getting off of one's rear end once every couple or four years or so and voting.
Not remotely comparable, because the image of a person has an explicit meaning, versus a vague national symbol that can be taken to extremes in the idea of authoritarian obedience, which is where we get to with the idea that you have to love America or leave, no attempts at improving it, because we prefer the status quo
So you're idea of improving it is burning it down and stomping all over it? It's not that you have to love America or leave, but if you have utter contempt and hatred for a country, then maybe you would be better off in a different one.
Problem is LGBTQ are marginalized and suffer hate crimes, Americans don't within their own country because of being an American, it's plenty of other traits that motivate prejudice. A supposedly unifying symbol shouldn't be used by domestic terrorists as a bludgeon to enforce obedience and conformity to what they think is appropriate, that's why people want things to be better and do the burning as a symbolic act, you're conflating dishonestly with items that don't have the same societal significance historically.
So LGBTQ in America are not Americans? Do they stop being LGBTQ if they become citizens? Do they have their own country somewhere else with the rainbow flag as their national flag?
Do we somehow stop being marginalized by our race or sex if we become citizens? Why didn't someone tell me that that misogyny and rape and domestic abuse, for example, in America would completely vanish if all females would just gain American citizenship! No need for any education on racial issues because American citizenship solves the problem because Americans living in America (which included a variety of races last I checked) don't experience any marginalization whatsoever.
While you might think stomping on and burning a flag is a positive symbolic act, if it's not the message that is received by the rest of the people in the country, then you're sending a different message. And while it might make you temporarily feel better, it doesn't actually work to promote lasting and positive change if you're the only person who believes that stomping on and burning a flag isn't a display of hatred and contempt for the thing you are symbolically destroying.
No, because MAGA is innately divisive and pits people against each other, the rainbow flag doesn't even start to do that except by delusions of persecution from privileged straight people who feel "victimized"
The MAGA is not any more or less innately divisive than the rainbow flag or any other political or religious flag. The fact of the matter is still that the U.S. flag is our national flag and MAGA and rainbow flags are not and that's why the U.S. flag is acceptable in public school buildings and MAGA and rainbow flags are not.
I don't think even the official flag should be there, I thought I made that clear, because it isn't as unifying as you believe it to be merley because it has some legal influence and tradition. That's like saying we should just forget that the Pledge didn't have under God in it until the 50s and just pretend it was always like that
Now we're back to the pledge again. If you want "under God" removed once again from the pledge, then use the same process that was used back in the 50's to put it in there in order to get it removed. I suppose it's easier to just play the victim card though as if you are the only marginalized person here.