There are plenty of articles circling the internet about the debate over whether or not Colin Kaepernick's decision not to stand for the National Anthem was justified or disgusting. There are a plethora of articles that talk about the evil of disrespecting the fallen heroes of the country; so much so, that another article about the same thing would fail to contribute any substantial value to the debate. Ultimately, the first amendment allows for the right to free speech, and, as citizens of a free country, sometimes Americans are going to have to tolerate deplorable acts and speech in order to uphold the virtue of the nation. It is that concept, the idea of a national virtue, that uncovers the true problem with Colin Kaepernick's decision: the problem that the American people no longer think along the basis of right and wrong. The moral fiber of the country has been sacrificed in the name of "social progressivism."

The major folly revealed by this event is that the American people have fallen into the trap of confusing the idea of Human and Constitutional Rights with morally right behaviors. The "rights" outlined in the Constitution are not moral guidelines that people should follow, they are legal obligations for government and man to protect certain unalienable aspects of the human experience so that they remain unhindered. The problem that has become evident in this issue is that one side of the argument is making an illogical connection between having the right to do something, and that right making it an acceptable behavior, where in actuality this is not the case. For example, The Fifth Amendment guarantees the right of criminals not to self-incriminate themselves. Simply put, this means that, during trial, criminals do not have to take the stand and confess their crimes. That does not mean that it is wrong for a criminal, who has actually committed a crime, to not confess. On the contrary, the morally right think to do would be to waive the right and admit the wrongdoing.

It is counter intuitive and appalling. The country should rise above frivolous acts of hatred and move towards acting like honorable and respectable human beings, or society will continue to remain stagnant.