When I first heard that Dallas Mavs player Josh Howard insulted the national anthem, I shook my head and moaned about his seemingly regression in maturity. Then I looked at psoted comments on this topic by various people, and it all made sense.

In no way do I condone Howard's attitude, but I do understand where he is coming from. This country represents the idea that every single person is equal regardless of race, sex, or religion. Regardless of any differences. Sadly throughout US history, these ideas, embodies in the constitution, have largely remained an ideal.

Who knows how much racism Josh may have encountered or continue to encounter. While I and many other people can love the US in spite of there being a large gap between ideal and reality, there are many people like Josh who can't reconcile the differences.

There are many people calling Josh unpatriotic and ungrateful. That may be so. But is he any more ungrateful or unpatriotic than people who tell citizens of Hispanic ethnicity that they'll call immigration, as if not all citizens are equal? Or than people who proudly display the Confederate flag even though we live in the United States of America?

Who is more pathetic? Josh Howard saying that he doesn't believe in the anthem, or the racists who in the most unfriendliest of terms say he should go back to Africa? Perhaps Josh had these racists in mind - these racists who are so eager to use the "n" word, who blame every single thing on immigration, who at best tolerate blacks - perhaps he had these people in mind when he insulted the National Anthem.

As long as there is discrimination, whether it be racial, gender, or ethnic, as long as there are Confederate flags hanging on statehouses, as long as people continue to say "Go back to Africa" or other dumb statements," then while I don't agree with Josh's attitude, I can clearly see where he's coming from.