Basically: In some countries, the pledge is with the constitution or the people, but in others (like constitutional monarchies), its a pledge to the (constitutional) monarch and their successors.
What is your opinion on this loyalty pledge? Do you believe it’s a reasonable request?
(For context: My mother and older brother had to do the pledge to gain [US] citizenship so the idea of deportation isn’t looming over our heads. I didn’t have do it because I was under 18 and my mother’s citizenship status automatically carried over to me according to the law.)
Yeah, in that situation it’s more demanded than unconditional. You’re right, there’s a social contract, but pledges of fealty are passe in most relationships. Like, if it was an employer or something, it’s generally accepted that they’ll earn your loyalty by compensating you for your work and not abusing you, and maybe through the nature of their vision. There is a whole other layer of security clearance when something is very sensitive.
Unconditional patriotism is what natural-born Americans are expected to have. Loving your country and all the boo-rah, 4th of July shit is a form of virtue in and of itself. That even extends to blindly holding beliefs about things which should really be measured objectively. Canada has it’s problems, but we’ve managed to avoid that one a bit more (so pardon the punching outwards).