VIDEO: Cabot Phillips confronts Pledge of Allegiance ban, claim that US is 'oppressive'
Supporters of the ban claimed that the U.S. government is oppressive.
Campus Reform Editor-in-Chief Cabot Phillips reacted to a Michigan school's student government banning the Pledge of Allegiance from its meetings.
Phillips pointed out how their ability to say that without fear of retribution proves the U.S. is not oppressive.
Campus Reform Editor-in-Chief Cabot Phillips reacted Tuesday to Grand Valley State University’s student government voting not to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at its meetings.
As Campus Reform previously reported, the Michigan school student government scrapped the pledge, with some students calling the U.S. government “oppressive,” while some others spoke out in defense of the pledge. On Fox & Friends First, Phillips said that those who backed banning the pledge claimed that the other side were “blinded by their own privilege” if they are unable to see how America is “oppressive.”
[RELATED: WATCH: Student gov axes Pledge of Allegiance]
”The fact that they have the privilege to go out and say just how oppressive our government is shows how wonderful our country is in the first place that you can criticize our government without having to have any fear of retribution...” Phillips said. “Ironically they don’t see their own privilege in that statement. They don’t see their American privilege, the fact that, globally, it’s not a common thing to be able to criticize your own government.”
Phillips clarified that “no one is saying that you should be forced to say the pledge,” adding that “mandatory patriotism is not something that’s patriotic at all, but you should be able to take at least a few seconds out of the day to look back and to realize just how special our country is, and inclusivity of our country’s rights that guarantee freedom to all people and that’s a beautiful thing that should not be removed.”
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