"Nine more NFL players were seen kneeling during the National Anthem last Sunday" (every media outlet). I constantly find myself spacing out in class just baffled by the backlash players have received for kneeling during the National Anthem and I truly can't understand why. I've heard it all, "If they don't like the country, just leave, rich entitled brats!" or the classic "They're playing a sport for a living and they're disrespecting all of the soldiers actually fighting overseas for their right to play football." Considering we attend a University that's 78.5% white, I'd expect some backlash from fellow students because, well, it's hard to imagine life outside a cute little New Hampshire town.

The penal system in America is warped, but most choose to turn a blind eye to the mind-boggling numbers relating to arrests in this country. We have the largest prison population in the world, we support private prisons, and you can still face serious consequences for relatively minor drug offenses. African Americans suffer the most from this broken system as they make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population, yet make up 40 percent of the prison population.There are ignorant white boys running around UNH that actually believe that African Americans are just innately criminals, which is why NFL players should be encouraged to protest the National Anthem. The racial divide in our country is seemingly growing by the day and while I consider myself an independent, Donald Trump and the Republican party are playing a major role here.

Ben Carson -- the current Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is under fire for potentially "stalling a rule that would help families with low incomes secure affordable housing " (colorlines.com). This is just one minuscule example of our warped society attempting to help the rich and further push down those who are struggling economically. It sounds crazy and without doing adequate research, you'd never understand the actual magnitude of the divide in America. Love Thy Neighbor is no longer relevant as our society has been overrun by narcissistic, egotistical and merciless individuals. I'm not suggesting we turn into a communist society or anything extreme like that, but every day I'm surprised by how little people voluntarily want to help one another. So where does all of this kneeling for the Anthem stuff come in? Sit tight. I'm not a famous philosopher, nor do I hold the answer to every moral dilemma present in our culture, but I typically think/act on one simple rule. "Is this action directly affecting my life or my family/friends life?" It's simple, but unnecessary complexities do not make a philosophical concept anymore valuable than another. "Treat others the way you want to be treated" aka, The Golden Rule has been around for centuries and it's quite elementary.

Why should you condemn someone else for a belief or action if it literally has no impact on you. I always think of the legalization of gay marriage. Yes, of course, your religion is strictly against it, but why does that give you permission to shun others for partaking in said marriage? It's not your business, you're not being affected in any way whatsoever, other than having to see two gay individuals kiss. I'm not forcing you to agree with what they're doing, but to attempt to reverse the law and shame those who are gay and married just shows the world how shallow you truly are. Drumroll, please... The NFL. I love it. I've been writing NFL related articles since my senior year of high school and I love watching it, playing it, but I sadly never played. However, the billionaire owners are conspiring with one another in an attempt to make it an actual rule to stand for the National Anthem. I played soccer competitively since I was 8 and always stood for the Anthem, and for most, the rule wouldn't affect them in the slightest bit. But why is a potential rule even being discussed? I personally would never sit for the Anthem. Most people reading this never would. That's not the point. You can't force your beliefs on others simply because you disagree with them. They're protesting peacefully on the biggest stage they possibly can: an NFL game.

If they protest in the streets, people are outraged, if they violently protest, they're all animals. So how do they protest? They clearly recognize the ongoing issue in the United States and are attempting to spread awareness. To reiterate myself, I'd never sit during the Anthem and I'm not saying those reading this article should either. But I am suggesting that the NFL and it's fans are wrong for attempting to force a rule through to prevent this from happening in NFL games. And to those who foolishly attempt to bring up the Flag Code, the code itself is strongly against using the flag for advertising purposes. Hmm, nobody seems to care when that part of the code is violated nearly every day with massive companies. "The U.S. Flag Code frowns on the use of the flag "for advertising purposes." It goes on to warn against the sale or display of any "article of merchandise ... upon which shall have been printed, painted, attached, or otherwise placed a representation of" the flag to "advertise, call attention to, decorate, mark, or distinguish the article or substance on which so placed" (oregonlive.com).The Flag Code is violated each and every day, however; people only want the aspects they care about to be enforced.

Those who have kneeled during the Anthem are presumed to be terrible, disrespectful, military-hating individuals. Donald Trump certainly supported that mislead notion. President Trump also had this to say, "Two dozen NFL players continue to kneel during the National Anthem, showing total disrespect to our Flag and Country. No leadership in the NFL" (Trump's Twitter). Meanwhile, current Philadelphia Eagles player Chris Long is donating his next 10 game checks (worth a total of $1 million) to organizations that support educational equality. He's supportive of his teammates kneeling during the Anthem and he's donating $1 million for education. Protesting during the Anthem doesn't make them worse human beings, as they're simply fighting for equality. But according to President Trump, there's no leadership left in the NFL when a National Anthem protestor is donating his checks for a great cause. Okay.

If you take just one thing from this article, I want it to be this: Those who are protesting aren't doing it because they hate America, or that they're not thankful for our incredibly brave military personnel. They do it because there's a clear racial divide that is present in America and an NFL game is a perfect place to get your message across.

Thanks for reading!