He’s unpatriotic. He’s a disgrace to his country. He’s selfish. If he hates his country, he should leave. All these things have been said recently about Colin Kaepernick’s decision to sit during the national anthem. By the majority, Kap has been persecuted for the act of treason against his great country. Current players have bashed him the last few weeks for his disrespectful actions. People like Donald Trump have called for Kap to leave the country if America is such a terrible place to live. Others just want Kap to shut up because he’s an athlete with millions of dollars. The backlash has been severe, but other players have shown support for Kap’s stance. Even President Obama said he had the constitutional right to sit during the national anthem. I think the biggest takeaway from this saga is Kaepernick speaking in the first place. No matter your stance or opinion, he did something countercultural and controversial. He voiced his belief on a current issue, knowing that there would be opposition to it. That does not happen in America anymore. One thing that we all admire about Muhammed Ali, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela: they did not flinch when they challenged and opposed the consensus. They did not care if their convictions did not line up with the popular perspective. That takes guts. It takes perseverance. None of their movements would have gained traction if they did not create chaos. Think about any revolutionary in history. Chaos and conflict always preceded change. The uproar that Kaepernick is creating is good for all of us. It is calling us to have a backbone. We are so afraid to take a stance on the evils within the country. We would rather violate our consciences instead of rejected the status quo. Kap tackled the hypocrisy of America head-on. It has and hopefully awakens the conscience of America. We have been lulled into believing that because we are the “greatest country” in the world, we do not have skeletons in our closet. Racism still exist in this country (abortion and sex trafficking are present here as well). The liberties in this country do not equate to freedom for all. Kaeperick is reminding us of the kinks in our armor. If you have a problem with Kap’s method to change, that is cool. I hope that you acknowledge the message. But we all should respect him for doing something most of us are afraid to do: speaking up about the problem.