By KYLE PRATT
Opinion Editor
Numerous players throughout the National Football League are standing, or sitting, with their colleague Colin Kaepernick
Kaepernick has been refusing to stand for the national anthem as a form of protest against racial inequality.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL.com.
The actions of the San Francisco 49ers quarterback have upset many and ignited a heated national debate where everyone seems to have an opinion.
On one side, people feel that Kaepernick disrespected the nation, and by association the troops, while others say he is protesting a real problem and is practicing his First Amendment rights.
As for me, I stand with Kaepernick.
The United States was founded on the idea of basic rights, all of which are listed in the Bill of Rights, many in the First Amendment alone. These ideas, freedom of speech, expression, and press, are threads in the fabric that is American culture, and to criticize, threat, and burn the jersey of an American practicing these rights is, as I see it, the most un-American thing one can do.
Everyone’s right to protest, anytime, anywhere, should be of the utmost importance to us. Yet, people are asking, demanding even, punishment for Kaepernick, someone on the national stage who was trying to bring attention to a problem this country so unfortunately still faces, racial inequality.
Sadly, people seem to be more upset about what we do while the national anthem is playing, rather than the fact the huge groups of people in this country are disadvantage, and are treated differently because of the color of their skin.
How are the problems we face going to be fixed if we refuse to recognize that they exist?
Americans need to understand that the United States, just like every country on the face of the planet, is not perfect, and likely never will be. Change is not bad, and standing up for it, especially when it aims to help millions of people, is incredibly important.
It’s okay to not be proud of things that exist in your country. It’s okay to strive for change, but unfortunately, not everyone seems to view it that way.
As we’ve seen with the rise of Donald Trump, there is a desire among people in this country to return to traditional values.
“Make America great again,” they say, but they never seem to be able to pinpoint when America was great. The hypocrisy is unavoidable. The same people complaining that America is no longer great are the ones who tell Kaepernick to leave the country if he doesn’t like it.
They’re allowed to want change. They’re allowed to accuse the sitting President of not being an American citizen. They’re allowed to alienate huge sects of the American populous because of their religion or the color of their skin.
Kaepernick wants to end racial inequality in the nation he loves so much. I guess that is where they draw the line.
