David Brooks, a professor at Yale University and a writer for the New York Times, in his “The Uses of Patriotism” (2016), argues that the American national anthem promotes unity and therefore Americans should all respect the standing tradition. He first supports his argument by stating that America was the vision of a land where everyone has promised opportunities, then by stating the decline in American patriotism doesn’t fortify the creed of solidarity, and finally by stressing it will support 2016 presidential candidate Donald Trump’s erecting barrier between ethnicities. Brooks’ purpose is to criticize Americans kneeling during the national anthem in order to persuade them it only causes less unification when the Americans need it most.