I will always stand for the national anthem. It's one way I feel I can honor my nation and be thankful for where I live. For me, it's just something that I do.
Yet others may feel differently. Currently we are in a season in which certain athletes are sitting, kneeling, or raising a fist during the playing of the national anthem before their game. Some do it for reasons we may not know about, while others may be explicit in their reasoning. Most who have spoken up have mentioned the 'there is a lot of injustice in America' argument. In doing so they have been applauded by some, but simply been told to shut up and stand by most.
While some of the backing seems trite and simply designed to placate liberal feelings, it's this second attitude that bothers me the most. In telling Colin Kaepernick or Megan Rapinoe that they should not speak, they are committing one of the most unAmerican of sins...telling somebody that they should have no voice. While I and others might wonder whether their action really would make a difference, those who have acted believe that this is the right place to do it, and to simply shout them down or ignore their complaints only adds fuel to their complaints. What are we as a people if we assume that the status quo is the only thing worth standing for?
America is built upon the freedom to protest, even protest against the flag or the national anthem. We are a nation built upon change, upon looking at ourselves honestly and recognizing where we have failed and working towards making it better. In protesting some feel that America is not living up to what it ought to be. And in shouting them down, protesters are being proven correct in their frustrations.
It is ironic that a nation that seems to going down the road towards voting for a presidential candidate that 'says what needs to be said' (gag) at the same time won't allow other forms of uncomfortable truths to be spoken. You can say that they may not be saying it at the right time or in the right way, but we have no right to say that such things cannot or should not be said.
