The New Gay » Privilege

Little Black Book: Privilege

3 November 2009, 9:00 am 7 Comments

This post was submitted by corey

Corey’s new column, Little Black Book, runs Tuesdays at 9am. Tune in for creative writing on queer life.

Halftime in America

At halftime, there was a hip-hop performance on the court. Apparently it was a fairly well-known act – this was, after all, opening day in a city with little else on its mind. But I had never heard of them, the result of iPod OCD and my desire – nay, my need – to know profoundly each album on my hard drive before I’d move on to a new one. The radio, of course, was thus out of the question.

About two minutes into their act, however, my father erupted into a fury that could not be cooled by our cheap Coors Lights, a fury directed at the idea that the entertainment desires of old, white men might not be exclusively catered to at this – HIS – sporting event. He rushed up the stairs, knocking over our food along the way, and waited in the bathroom of the promenade for it to end.

I myself could not hear the performers. My head was instead filled with what I imagined to be my father’s enraged inner dialog, his supposed futility of life in this modern age.

Confessions of a Teacher

A few weeks ago, my co-teacher was out sick and we had a substitute for her. I basically lead the whole class and he just kind of stood around… But at one point when I was trying to get my presentation to work, he had all of the students stand up. “None of you said the pledge of allegiance during the announcements,” he said to my surprise, “so we’re going to practice now!” And he made them all say it. Which, in addition to being against school policy, is also against the law.

I didn’t want to be rude to him then, and I was caught off guard… I was also being observed and evaluated in about 20 minutes, so my head was elsewhere.

But the next morning, when all the students rose and recited the pledge, I knew I had to say something. After they were done I said I had an announcement to make. “I know that our substitute yesterday said that you had to stand up and say the pledge of allegiance. With all due respect to him, that’s not true. You don’t need to stand and say the pledge of allegiance if you don’t want to. I didn’t say the pledge today, I have never said the pledge, and I will never say the pledge. That’s my choice. I respect people who choose to say it, and I hope that they respect me for not saying it. As long as you respect that other people will make different choices than you, it’s a decision for you to make.”

I don’t think I’ve ever held their attention like I did during that little speech. Looking around the room, I saw a few faces smile for the first time in my recollection. I didn’t have to tell them why I don’t say the pledge – I didn’t add that I will never pledge allegiance to a government that denies me full citizenship, and that acts so unjustly in this world. But I don’t think I had to.

For the next day, the room was silent as the pledge was read over the speaker. I sat quietly but defiantly at my desk, slowly sipping my coffee, and trying not to grin.

Missed Connection

I told a gay, white friend that I was writing a column on privilege. He proceeded to tell me about perks he will receive on a first-class cross-country flight. But I told him that’s not what I meant.

7 Comments »

StreetPunk said:

OH MY GOD…not another column on “privilege.”

Do you really think you gave your students the choice of saying the pledge if not one of them said it the next day? That is statistically unlikely. Rather, by expressing your personal opinion of the pledge – as someone in a privileged position of authority – appeared to create a climate of intimidation that didn’t foster free choice but rather prevented it. The more ethical path would to have not injected your privileged opinion, but instead to have created an environment where all expressions were treated with the same value.

3 November 2009 at 10:48 am

msh said:

so because the united states doesn’t fully live up to its cread of “liberty and justice for all,” we ought to teach kids not to pledge allegiance to it?

3 November 2009 at 4:13 pm

Ben said:

“Patriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in it.” -George Bernard Shaw.

There’s nothing wrong with not saying the pledge, especially given Corey’s position that it is his choice not to pledge allegiance to a country that preaches equality, liberty, and justice for all and so often fails in that effort. In my school, we were always informed that it was a choice, and most students decided to say it anyways as a matter of routine.

Freedom includes the right to be free of blind patriotism and nationalism.

3 November 2009 at 5:50 pm

Andrew said:

Yeah, but StreetPunk is right. You tainted your students’ perspective with your own – and you actually used your position of privilege to do so. Ironic.

4 November 2009 at 12:58 am

Kyle said:

I see that folks are criticizing Corey for voicing his opinion to his students, but no one has said how he should have gone about countering the influence of the visiting teacher. Do any of you have some constructive criticism? I’d like to hear it.

4 November 2009 at 9:33 am

Michael said:

I stopped saying the pledge a long time ago, around the time of the first gulf war. I would have appreciated a teacher who informed my of my right no to participate in it.

So many issues with the pledge. First, allegiance to a swath of fabric? Second, “one nation?”. Right. “Under God?”. What god? Liberty and justice for all? Define “all.”

Privelege is tricky, since it’s hard to tell when you have it. Sounds like Corey did a good job of countering his sub’s blatant exercise of it.

4 November 2009 at 11:56 am

J. Clarence said:

Children should not be forced to say the pledge, especially at a young age because have such a little understanding of its meaning. At the very least it is them reciting empty words, but a worst it is indoctrination. I think it is important that they know why we have one and why some people choose to recite it, and of course that they always have the choice to what they want to do.

The pledge, like the National Anthem, and the flag, are all really rituals and practices all cultures construct to assist in forming a common identity.

It is also a good way to spot the Ruskies. I kid.

5 November 2009 at 12:22 am