I don’t know what kind of upbringing you had, but standing up in a presence of something or someone important is a sign of respect. Sure he wants to exercise his freedom of speech, but that doesn’t mean that his actions is anyway less disrespectful. Obviously, for someone who doesn’t know this needs to attend classes…

The only thing not standing for the national anthem indicates is a profound lack of patriotism. Loving your country and being active in its improvement are not mutually exclusive.

It’s kind of his thing: