FCC asks stations for "pro-America" programming, like daily Pledge of Allegiance • Hacker News Board

Re: FCC asks stations for "pro-America" programming, like daily Pledge of Allegiance

#91

Post by netsharc » Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 12:44 AM UTC

tombert wrote: post #80

rcdemski wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The “under god” part always rubbed me wrong. I was surprised to learn it was added relatively recently in 1954. I wish we could go back to the prior one.

Honestly I think even without the "under God" part I've always thought it was kind of weird and culty.

Your comment reminds me of what one American college student said in public in Italy. It was 2018, Trump was president, I was on a shuttle bus that takes tourists up and down a viewpoint. It was just leaving the viewpoint when it stops, a man hops in and asks in English "Did anyone see an Apple Watch?". "Yeah, right here!". The first person had forgotten it in the bus, and the second person had found it, and returned it to him. The bus drives on, and the second person (American college student in a tour group) says loudly "Boy, he's lucky this bus is full of Americans!".

I wish I was clever enough to come up with something witty, something like "Oh yeah, because everyone else is a thieving bastard, is that what you're saying?".

Re: FCC asks stations for "pro-America" programming, like daily Pledge of Allegiance

#92

Post by mindslight » Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 1:04 AM UTC

themafia wrote: post #29

mindslight wrote: post #2

Let's start with some readings of the Declaration of Independence. They promised us another American Revolution. They neglected to mention that they were planning on taking the position of King George and the redcoats.

It's always the Declaration and never the Constitution. I suppose getting to Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 is a disappointing early start to what is meant to be a uniting and patriotic activity.

Ideals are much more inspiring than a specific attempt at implementation, which if we're being honest with ourselves as systems engineers, has failed pretty spectacularly in a few ways.

Re: FCC asks stations for "pro-America" programming, like daily Pledge of Allegiance

#93

Post by dghlsakjg » Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 1:30 AM UTC

tombert wrote: post #68

dghlsakjg wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some schools do it some don’t. Participation is never mandatory and retaliation or forcing the pledge is an invitation for an expensive civil rights suit.

Wait, which schools don't do it? I've never heard of a school not doing it. Are there states that don't do the pledge? Even if it's not strictly "mandatory" there can be substantial pressure in conservative areas. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47095381

I definitely never did it in high school in Denver, nor did any of the other schools that my friends went to in the city.

I don’t have a list of schools for you.

Sure peer pressure can be a thing (at the school I went to you would have been bullied for doing the pledge), but it is pretty firmly established law that a student has every right to not participate and not be pressured to participate by public school staff.

Re: FCC asks stations for "pro-America" programming, like daily Pledge of Allegiance

#94

Post by cyberge99 » Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 1:42 AM UTC

krapp wrote: post #87

tombert wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly I think even without the "under God" part I've always thought it was kind of weird and culty.

It was added to indoctrinate children into viewing the US as a Christian nation in contrast to the "Godless" communists. So yes, weird an culty by design and intent.

Apparently effective.

Re: FCC asks stations for "pro-America" programming, like daily Pledge of Allegiance

#95

Post by cyberge99 » Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 1:42 AM UTC

embedding-shape wrote: post #47

Ancalagon wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

sounds like the state of AI

Sounds like "products"

Some consumers need to be educated about a product. (different problem, but that’s the why)

Re: FCC asks stations for "pro-America" programming, like daily Pledge of Allegiance

#96

Post by soco » Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 1:53 AM UTC

tombert wrote: post #62

When I was in sixth grade I found out (I am not sure how actually) that I didn’t have to say the pledge if I didn’t want to. I didn’t (and don’t) believe in God, and I didn’t believe in the “under God” part of the pledge, so I decided that I wouldn’t stand for the pledge anymore. This was an extremely conservative area, and so my teachers were very upset. I told them I don’t have to say the pledge if I don't want (an…

In communist Romania you had to kiss the party's behind every morning the exact same way, just without a god being mentioned. I don't think it helped the party in any way, but what do I know.

Re: FCC asks stations for "pro-America" programming, like daily Pledge of Allegiance

#97

Post by orwin » Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 1:54 AM UTC

input_sh wrote: post #55

Kapura wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are limited to a realitwhere words have consistent meaning. the fascists and republicans have no such limitation, which gives them a lot of power if you think you can debate them with logic.

I can't tell if this is intentional or not, but you're pretty much paraphrasing a famous Jean-Paul Sartre's WW2-era quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7870768-never-believe-that-...

Wow, i didn't know that. Isn't it an indictment for every edgelord?

Re: FCC asks stations for "pro-America" programming, like daily Pledge of Allegiance

#98

Post by orwin » Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 2:03 AM UTC

sushshs wrote: post #89

I used to think stuff like this was immoral and cringe. As I’ve aged, it’s become more and more obvious you need a tribe or you’ll lose to somebody that does. I’m not personally Christian, but I grew up and generally like white Christian societies compared to the alternative. And my morals are basically inline with the religion - how could they not be? The west was a Christian project until very recently. It’d be lik…

> And my morals are basically inline with the religion - how could they not be?

The religion is aligned to fit your cultural moral code.

Because original Jesus would be _very_ disappointed in most US christians. "it is harder for the rich to enter heaven than for a camel walking through the eye of a needle", and all the parables about the good samaritain and the temple merchants, presenting the other cheek, etc. Catechism basically told me "god do not exist and whatever the original teaching were, it has been a very long time since anyone of importance ever followed them"

Re: FCC asks stations for "pro-America" programming, like daily Pledge of Allegiance

#99

Post by nebula8804 » Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 2:20 AM UTC

cmxch wrote: post #58

So basically Voice of America scaled up?

Do you really have a problem with VOA when they produce pieces like this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wto1IYLRRRE

Other big countries all have their propaganda outfits. Why shouldn't the US at least have something to promote their point of view? The alternative as we are experiencing now is that point of view is never even expressed among the competing points of view and thus any ideas deriving from it never get discussed.

Re: FCC asks stations for "pro-America" programming, like daily Pledge of Allegiance

#100

Post by Kapura » Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 2:54 AM UTC

techblueberry wrote: post #42

Kapura wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry, i thought that this country took "freedom of speech" seriously. Being compelled to air anything of any description seems to contradict that.

'i thought that this country took "freedom of speech" seriously.' What in god's name in anything that's happened in the past 10 years gave you that idea?

twitter's continued existence