The Senate Voted For Kids To Do A Pledge Of Allegiance In School For Some Weird Reason
"Well, nothing screams “freedom” quite like compulsory nationalism."
Love Australia? Love proving it in a gratuitous display of nationalism? Love forcing our kids to as well?
You’ll be in good company amongst our Australian senators, who recently voted for students to recite a pledge of allegiance to Australia at school.
The motion was non-binding, but still passed 51 to 9. Only the Greens voted against it.
For context, back in January Labor MP Tanya Plibersek called for all children to learn a pledge of allegiance in schools. It’s something she has supported for years.
It’s an elegant expression of what it takes to be a good citizen – of the rights we hold and the responsibilities we owe.
— Tanya Plibersek (@tanya_plibersek) January 25, 2020
Last week Senators Eric Abetz and Concetta Fierravanti-Wells picked that up and ran with it, moving a motion that schools should consider forcing kids to recite the Australian citizenship pledge. The motion states that the Senate “notes the Australian citizenship pledge … and calls on all schools to consider having the citizenship pledge recited by students on appropriate occasions”.
They really voted to make kids do a pledge of allegiance. Fucking clowns.
— Omar Sakr (@OmarjSakr) February 6, 2020
Totally against bullying but any kid who recites the pledge of allegiance deserves a wedgie
— Thingy (@McThingface) February 6, 2020
@tanya_plibersek @AustralianLabor no-one in Australia wants a pledge of allegiance in public schools. We’re a multi-cultural country with people from all over the world attending our schools. We shouldn’t force anyone to pledge allegiance to any country. #auspol
— Lachlan Hunt (@Lachy) February 6, 2020
While there’s nothing wrong with loving Australia — we do have the best beaches in the world and nothing will convince we otherwise — we’re also a country where patriotism has known to turn ugly.
There’s no better evidence of how shallow and vacuous our politics has become than this motion.
— RB (@jwfnqi) February 6, 2020
Well, nothing screams “freedom” quite like compulsory nationalism.#auspol
— Solo Monk (@JJKALE2) February 6, 2020
In a place where “love it or leave!” has become tied to our immigration debate and we can’t even have a civil debate about the date of our national holiday, it’s easy for nationalism to turn to jingoism.
Forcing patriotism onto people isn’t going to solve any of that.