I’ll start by saying that yes, a peaceful protest is infinitely better than a violent one. The latter kind if what groups like Black Lives Matter are notorious for, and with every protest that involves thrown rocks, fires, and fights, the people become just a bit less inclined to want to listen to what BLM says.

So, I’m more than happy that because of Kaepernick’s trendy “let’s take a knee during the Anthem” bit, that peaceful protests are suddenly in vogue. MLK would be proud…for once.

But just because this protest is peaceful, it doesn’t make it any less childish. This goes especially on 9/11, which is a day of mourning for people who died from a terrorist attack that had nothing to do with the injustices within America.

The fact is, you’re protesting because there are injustices in America. Great! I protest the injustices too, on the daily. Usually by disseminating information that people should know about so they can then vote the way they feel appropriate to change things. But the difference here is that my protests are against the injustices, not America itself.

America is still the place where people can make the necessary changes for better egalitarianism. It’s a place where politicians have recognized the problems faced by the black community, and are moving to make important changes by pushing for things like criminal justice reform. It’s where communities are attempting to come together for a better understanding of each other. It’s the place where men have fought and died for each other, even though they weren’t of the same race, religion, background, or what have you.

That’s America, but that’s what you protest when you sit during the anthem honoring the country filled with these kinds of good people. It’s shallow.

If you want a perfect country, where there is no injustice, then may I recommend something off planet? I’ve heard there’s one beyond this life, but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait till your called to it to get there. If you really want to help make the country better, then stop spreading the mentality that America is something we should protest, and get to work making moves to improve things.

If you think it’s horrible that Trump and Hillary are the nominees – as Kaepernick does – then show us an alternative that you do like. If you don’t like the way police and the black community interact, then help support politicians that are going forward with legislation that will ease tensions, like Rand Paul is doing. Etc, etc.

Instead, these NFL players are just taking knees at inappropriate times, and we’re supposed to applaud them because it’s “peaceful,” despite how ridiculous of a protest it is. They aren’t fixing problems, they’re just complaining, and doing so when people are remembering 3,000 innocent people who lost their lives during a terrorist attack. Draw attention to yourself and your wants at inappropriate times is what children do.

Thanks for encouraging peaceful protests. Now grow up.