In a world where television personality CEOs can become president and actual Nazis are brushed off as “very fine people,” it almost seems fitting for the act of taking a knee in peaceful protest to be seen as a radical move of disrespect towards the military.

This is unsettling to say the least. With real problems facing this country, such as natural disasters, shaky international relations, and the very system of racism that participants of the Take a Knee movement are raising awareness of, why are so many Americans only raising their voices about protestors kneeling for a cause?

The main complaint I have seen from opponents of the protest is that those who kneel during the National Anthem are disrespecting the American flag and putting unpatriotic behavior on display for the nation to see. However, I believe the real unpatriotic behavior would be to notice injustice in this country and turn a blind eye to it simply to avoid conflict. The fact is that sports figures such as Colin Kaepernick have a platform on national television, and are using it to bring awareness to a very real problem in American society to try and make America a safer and more accepting place to live.

Not only are these complaints about the Take a Knee movement irrational, they could be viewed as hypocritical.

“The people who are calling this protest disrespectful to the flag should probably check just what all is considered ‘disrespectful,’ because technically things like wearing the flag on a shirt or laying the flag horizontally are against the flag code and therefore disrespectful,” said Gabby Warner, 12.

The United States Flag Code does specify that, among many other things, the flag should never be carried horizontally or used as wearing apparel. Both of these violations of respectful behavior towards the flag can be seen at nearly every NFL football game, and yet no one complains about their apparent disrespect.

To me, taking part in a simple, nonviolent act of protest in the hopes of bettering your country and the lives of its citizens is an honorable, patriotic decision. The Take a Knee movement is not encouraging contempt for the American flag or those who fight for it daily, but rather aimed at holding the country up to its self-proclaimed standards of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.