Americans possess rights that don’t exist in other countries, but just because citizens have the right to do something does not mean they should do it.

Colin Kaepernick, a back-up quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, has not been standing during the national anthem for the last few games in protest of what he calls ongoing violence and discrimination against African-Americans in the country. Legally, Kaepernick has the right to protest, but doing it in this fashion is distasteful.

It’s clear that Kaepernick wants to make the situation better, but he has the resources and knows important people who could help him try to stop what is occurring without causing a national scene that is now focused more on him than his cause.

By not standing, Kaepernick is showing that he isn’t happy with the current state of America, but he’s also offending soldiers who have served and sacrificed to protect America and those soldiers’ families.

Also, the national anthem is a song that unifies people as much as the Pledge of Allegiance does in schools. Kaepernick doesn’t seem to understand that everyone stands together as respected equals no matter their race, origin, gender, or sexuality during the Star-Spangled Banner.

If Kaepernick wants moments of equality like these to become more frequent, he should focus his efforts for change outside of the stadium and participate in the unifying moments he can, starting with the national anthem.