It’s been a couple of weeks since Kaepernick’s stand was made (no pun intended). I personally always wait a couple of weeks before trying to form my opinion. I watch what the media says, what my friends say, my parents, etc. I develop my own views, so don’t call me a follower or a fence sitter. I just like to completely form my opinion before I ever speak out, because there’s nothing worse than someone arguing a side of a case or event when they don’t know what they’re talking about.

From what I have seen, there are generally two sides to the argument.

Side one: He has the right to sit. He is peacefully protesting something he finds unfair in his country. The same people on this side have also posted things along the lines of “If he was violent, people would be angry. He is peaceful, and people are still angry. What do you want from us?” They are right. It is included in his rights to peacefully protest, even on live highly watched television. His protest is growing with more and more players paying close attention to the anthem itself, but kneeling rather than standing.

Side two: The other side of the argument is generally from the population of police officers, military families, or those who are close with them -- GENERALLY speaking. These people tend to believe that while he has the right to protest, it’s the freedom the United States gave him that gives him the right to protest. They say in many other countries, he would be executed or put in jail for his speaking against his country, so what right does he have to hate America so much when they let him speak out like this? They are also right. Good men and women who are police officers and military members lose their lives everyday to conserve the rights of American’s, those lost deserve the respect of having people stand to the National Anthem.

Hate me, call me a fence sitter, I don’t care. But, I believe that both views are valid and people have the right to have whichever opinion they have -- that is what the idea of free speech is built upon. We are humans, we come from different backgrounds and different ideals and different religions, different families and different political parties, these characteristics shape us up to becoming who we are. The point of the freedom of speech isn’t just what Kaepernick is doing, it’s what the media is doing. It’s the difference between the leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement and Tomi Lahren that is truly freedom of speech, the reaction to the events that make a change in the nation.

I’m going to try to show the way my thought process through the situation works, and I’m not saying I’m correct in being a fence sitter, but I don’t think my thoughts are invalid just if they are not the same as someone else’s.

In my hometown, I have seen too many amazing men get killed in the line of duty from being police officers. Fact check me, I dare you. Chief Michael Maloney of Greenland and Officer Steve Arkell of Brentwood. Chief Maloney was only a couple more days away from permanent retirement, just to be shot from a call about a potential drug issue. The situation grew violent, and while other officers were hurt, he was killed in gunfire from the suspect. He was my swim coach's brother in law. I was with her when she found out. I’ve never felt as much pain as watching her fall apart with the news. She knows her family has a hero within it.

He’s not the only one who has ever been shot though. While some police officers are heroes and incredible, there are of course corrupt police officers. There are police officers who shoot down men such as Terence Crutcher, whether it be because of stereotype, fear, too inexperienced to be in the field, there’s no one reason that can be determined as to why it happened. All that can be determined in the end is that the final result shouldn’t have happened the way it did. But it’s happened too often. Trayvon Martin is the first case of police brutality I remember. He was just a kid, with a life ahead of him, and he was killed when there were many other ways for the situation to have been stopped.

But again, not all police officers are corrupt, just some. Some teachers have been corrupt (Pam Smart). Some people who work in chocolate factories are corrupt (Jeffrey Dahmer). Some musicians are corrupt (Charles Manson). There are corrupt people in every profession, so here’s the main problem:

Generalization.

Generalization is the most dangerous conclusions that human beings can come to. Because as soon as someone says “ALL cops are bad”, or as soon as someone says “ALL black kids are criminals”, that’s where the problem begins!

So I will continue to stand during the national anthem for the amazing men and women that have died, but I will also continue to stand with the black men and women who have been discriminated against, hurt, or killed for unfair, unjust, biased, and discriminatory reasons.

I am deeply apologetic if I offended anyone in the process of trying to explain my point of view, but I’m entitled to my opinion. Comment yours, just remember to be respectful of other people’s opinions and ideas, we’re all just people. Be nice to people.