Nationalism requires a sense of being part of a collective structured around a geographic region, an idea, a binding force that keeps the group together and gives each member an identity. One of the elements that encourages nationalistic feelings are the rituals and symbols associated with a particular national identity, and we have all had experience of nationalism on this level. I remember as a child, however, that the rituals and symbols did not necessarily have the connotative meaning they were intended to have, though interestingly the net effect seems to have been the same as if we had understood better what we were doing--we developed a sense of patriotism and nationalistic fervor.
The flag is probably the first such symbol we encounter on a regular basis, and we understand what the flag is for, what it means, and how we are to respect it because we learn quickly from seeing it everywhere and from what we are told in school. The more difficult element of nationalism related to the flag is the Pledge of Allegiance, and this daily ritual in schools across the country shows how we accept the sense of patriotism and the excitement of participating with others even when we do not fully understand the meaning of the ritual or the words.
There are many jokes about people using the wrong words in the Pledge of Allegiance, words that sound like what is being said but that mean something else. Many children do indeed mouth the sounds they hear and get the words wrong, showing that they learn from hearing rather than from reading, that they may hear wrong, and that they are not really trying to comprehend the meaning. The words are just sounds, part of a ritual that also involves standing, placing one's hand over one's heart, and gazing at the flag while the sounds are made by the entire room. We start this in first grade if not before, and by the time we are old enough to understand the words, we may have become so accusto...