Throughout the preseason and the early goings of this NFL regular season, San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick has refrained from standing during the performances of the national anthem, a customary part of the pre-game ceremony for any and all NFL games.

So why didn’t Colin Kaepernick decide to stand for the flag of this great country of ours? Here was his explanation following the first occurrence of his actions:

“Ultimately it’s to bring awareness and make people realize what’s really going on in this country,” said Kaepernick. “There are a lot of things that are going on that are unjust, that people aren’t being held accountable for, and that’s something that needs to change. This country stands for freedom, liberty and justice for all and it’s not happening for all right now. I’ll continue to sit, I’m going to continue to stand with the people who are being oppressed.”

People have voiced their concern on the situation, stating that his actions are ‘a slap in the face to our military and the veterans who fight for this country.’ With all due respect to those individuals and their opinions, those claims are nothing more than a bunch of malarkey.

Understand one thing, the flag of the United States of America represents far more than just the military. The flag represents the system of the United States and the country as a whole. Kaepernick simply has a problem with the system and feels as though the system and its principals have broken down.

America is a business and, like any place of employment, when you promise your employees certain rights and don’t deliver, the employees of that business have the right to speak out and demand what is promised to them. Like Kaepernick said, some of this country’s most inherent moral values are its belief in freedom, liberty and justice for all its citizens; unfortunately, these values are currently not being upheld for all citizens.

“To me, this is something that has to change,” said Kaepernick. “When there’s significant change, and I feel like that flag represents what it’s supposed to represent and this country is representing people the way that it’s supposed to, I’ll stand. There are people being murdered unjustly and [their assailants] not being held accountable. Cops are getting paid leave for killing people, that’s not right by anyone’s standards.”

What truly disappoints me regarding this situation are the individuals who have the nerve, the audacity to say things like ‘If this country disgusts you so much, leave. Others would die to be in your spot.’

Statements of this nature give off the impression that people, especially people with the stature and influence as such of Kaepernick, should not voice their concerns in regards to matters involving our country and its complications out of a fear of being deemed unpatriotic. That just because your actions will be widely known, you should hold your tongue and simply not care about what’s going on with the rest of America. On the contrary, people in positions of power with money and influence should be the ones speaking because when they speak, people listen. Kaepernick said it best:

“I’m taking this stand because I’m seeing things happen to people that don’t have a voice,” said Kaepernick. “People that don’t have a platform to talk and have their voices heard and effect change.”

Kaepernick is absolutely right. The poor and disenfranchised within any ghetto in the country can scream at the top of their lungs about Police brutality, racial discrimination and whatever other oppression they are facing and nobody will listen. However, when somebody like Kaepernick takes a stand, it will undoubtedly be all over the news. This is what we should want our athletes, entertainers and anybody in a position of power to do; use their privilege to combat prejudice.

It is inevitable that countless individuals will look to take this situation out of it’s true context and claim false allegations that ‘Kaepernick hates the country he lives in.’ So let me get this straight, you think Colin Kaepernick protesting against the hate that happens to people in this country is actually him hating on the country he lives in? What Kaepernick is doing is exercising his right to protest. He’s exercising his right to freedom of speech and those are constitutional rights that he has as an American Citizen. Kaepernick should be commended for taking this stand because he has nothing to gain and everything to lose in this situation, yet he chooses to stand—or lack thereof—for what is right.

So please, stop saying Kaepernick is disrespecting the military because, quite frankly, nobody disrespects the military more than America itself. If we love our military so much, then why are there homeless veterans? If you fought for this country, you should never have to struggle again. The fact that there are veterans out on the street begging for change is what is really disrespectful to the military, not somebody who doesn’t stand for the flag. I would much rather see a human being stand up for people than for a flag. The flag is a symbol of patriotism, what Colin Kaepernick is doing is actually patriotic.

Ladies and gentlemen please understand this: Colin Kaepernick is Not Anti-American, He is Anti-Prejudice. It’s that simple. If you as an American love America, but have a problem with a person demanding justice for a group of people, demanding equality for a group of people, demanding the constitutional rights that are promised to this group of people under the laws of America, then maybe you’re one of those patriotic prejudice people who love America, but not all the people in it.

In conclusion, many people will say that it is disrespectful to the men and women who fought for this country to not rise for the national anthem and honor the flag. So to those people who hold this stance, allow me to ask you this question: Isn’t it more disrespectful to our veterans if, not only the flag, but the country as a whole doesn’t uphold the ideals and inherent freedoms that they fought, and even died for?