“This is always an uncomfortable moment for me,” Shapiro wrote, referring to an announcement asking people to stand for the pledge and the Star Spangled Banner.
“While I sat at my laptop, most of the reporters around me stood and put their hands over their hearts. This time instead of just sitting and working, I tweeted what I was feeling.”
Shapiro tweeted that he was torn about what to do.
“I’m a rally observer, not a participant,” he wrote. “Yet most reporters around me stand for the anthem & pledge. I’m one of the few that doesn’t. Setting myself up for accusations I guess.”
Shapiro said he anticipated a “flood of vitriol” – but instead received support.
“As a qualitative researcher, I aim for respectful non-participation & try to blend into the background,” one supporter wrote.
“The whole concept has always struck me as a bit fascist, having to stand when demanded to affirm our allegiance,” tweeted another.