By Aya Goldwasser

Learning about American history as an eighth grader, I remember feeling without a doubt that as a citizen I must be guaranteed each and every right promised to me, including the First Amendment right to unabridged “freedom of speech.”However, today’s political landscape seems to defy the basic principles that our country was founded on. As we observe the current presidential administration’s policies on so-called “hate speech,” including silencing those who wish to espouse facts, I can’t help but feel that there is, in fact, a crisis impacting our nation. 

Recently, an incident occurred involving Jimmy Kimmel, the beloved comedian and late-night show host of Jimmy Kimmel Live. In his September 15 monologue airing on ABC, Kimmel referenced the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a conservative influencer who was shot at a college rally in Utah. Kimmel noted that the country “hit some new lows,” with the “MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.” Soon after, Kimmel received intense backlash from right-wing figures and officials, prompting Nexstar, the company in charge of ABC, to declare that it “would pull Jimmy Kimmel Live from its stations indefinitely.” Although Kimmel’s show eventually returned to the air, I can still remember the confusion that I experienced upon hearing this news. Say what you like about Kimmel’s opinion, but it was simply that—an opinion, not hate speech, nor misinformation, but simply commentary that was meant to be comedic but quickly became polarizing. Even if one considers the statement to be hate speech, that would not make it any less legal under the protection of the First Amendment. From my point of view, it was not a fair denunciation. It was a baseless cancellation used to fuel the political agenda of a party and advance the engaged “martyrdom” of a public figure. 

However, an argument can be made that said polarization goes both ways – that there are, in fact, ways in which the political left, too, could be criticized for a repression of free speech. Most prominently, Kirk’s assassination on the grounds of a college campus was seen by many conservatives as a representation of the dwindling freedom of speech on school campuses. However, some left wing leaders dismissed these statements, choosing to ignore the broader effects of the incident and instead focus on Kirk’s controversies leading up to his death. Speaking on this issue, Mr. Braxton, Winsor’s Director of Community and Inclusion, posed the important consideration of the role of free speech on school campuses. “The first amendment is very important because it really outlines something about our values – part of our values is to be able to have free expression. The challenge is where is the line? People get worried that if someone is offended, you can’t say it.” He added that ideas “need to be debated” and shouting down someone’s opinion without listening to them “is not an exchange of ideas”.

Sharing her respective opinion, Grette Buttner ’27, Co-Head of Current and Political Events Club, mentioned the “quiet death of free speech in plain sight” that occurs when late-night hosts are “censored and kicked off of the media” for expressing opinions that differ from those of the government. I particularly like the way Buttner worded her statement, because this censorship crisis is something to not only watch, but also pay attention to. 

As citizens of the United States, we not only possess an ability but a responsibility to speak up when we see something infringing upon the rights of others and ourselves. However, there has been a significant lack of actual action from leaders on both sides of the political spectrum—although many have spoken out and shared their opinions, neither party has made a true effort to create change where they see fit. Despite this, it is important to remember that we don’t have to be political leaders to make a difference in the climate we live in—writing an article, attending a protest or even writing a letter to a representative are all ways for ourselves to create the action we wish to see.