Free Speech or Censorship?

 

The big issue recently has been whether the Jimmy Kimmel show was cancelled due to politics or censorship. So, let's set the record straight once and for all. He wasn’t taken off the air due to censorship, government overreach or any other bogus reason; it was due to economics, morality, and responsibility as a public figure. Let’s break it down for those in the back row.

Will Rogers was a comedian back in the day. Rogers would use politics as his main concept to jab against elected officials, but he was never disrespectful in any way with his jabs. Red Skelton, another comedian who also made fun of elected officials, but never in a disrespectful way. You see, these two men were actual comedians, not egotists looking for laughs; they naturally received laughs because they had and shared humor with their audience. Unfortunately, Kimmel isn’t funny at all, and his material is not only crass, but also downright rude, immoral, and irresponsible in nature. Not sure who writes his material, but he should fire them and hire real comedy writers.

You see, celebrities think that they can say anything they want at any time and get away with it because they are a celebrity, but in fact, that’s not the case. There are things called moral responsibilities that celebrities should adhere to. Like my father used to say, “never utter words in public you don’t want to read on the front page of the New York Times tomorrow morning, if you don’t want to be a laughingstock of society.”

Many are claiming that someone's removal violates the 1st Amendment, but it's really about economics and branding.  Mocking tragedy or behaving irresponsibly online leads to consequences—like losing a job.  

Companies don’t want you representing their brand if you act like an idiot in public or on the internet. Then you get back on social media and cry a river because you lost your job. Geez, people get a life and stop acting like a spoiled toddler. Hell, toddlers act better than you do. All the morons getting on social media and creating content that celebrates a murder, or blasts a person for what they say or do in their life, but who uses disrespectful wording, sayings, and screams censorship, and how could you get me fired? Sorry, folks, you got fired by acting like a child on social media. Employers don’t want people working for them to act like petulant children without any moral responsibilities.

What I find interesting is that the people screaming and complaining about a breach of 1^st Amendment rights apparently have never read the 1^st Amendment clause in the Bill of Rights, nor do they understand the historical significance of the amendment. So let me give you all a history lesson and Historical Context:

In 1791, the First Amendment was added to the Bill of Rights to protect individual freedoms from “government intrusion.” 

The Founding Fathers, having faced British oppression, aimed to cultivate an environment where free expression thrived—ensuring that varied perspectives could be voiced without fear of censorship or retribution by the “government”.

Freedom of Speech: The framers intended for the First Amendment to guarantee the right to free speech, allowing individuals to express their opinions and ideas “without government restraint.” This was seen as essential for a healthy democracy, where robust public “discourse could lead to better governance”.

The original intent serves as a compass, but its meaning has transformed with court interpretations.

The Supreme Court carefully weighs individual freedoms against societal needs, expanding our view of protected speech and religious expression.

In essence, the First Amendment was crafted to secure fundamental rights and uphold democracy—an enduring pillar of American freedom today! The Framers didn’t anticipate the invention of the Internet, where citizens would create stupid videos, which gave them a platform to spew nasty, ugly comments, or cry about injustices that are made up and shared while acting like children. Each video does not convey accurate information, viable facts, or authentic perspectives regarding issues presented by the government to society.  It is being produced and allowed by idiots to express their stupidity live and post it up for the world to see that same stupidity and egotistical purposes forever.

Therefore, the First Amendment only guarantees you the right to express ideas and information. It does not give you the guaranteed right to slander, insult, mock, or degrade someone you don’t like or respect. Those types of comments and statements are both dangerous and disrespectful. Like my father used to say, “think, decide, and act.” “Think about your intended actions or speech, decide if you are going to hurt someone or yourself and be very careful about your intent before you open your mouth or create a situation that could harm you or the reality you represent (your boss or the company that pays your bills), then act on your motive and speak, but remember to accept the responsibility and consequences that come from your statement and actions.”

Talk show hosts like Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert forget that the airwaves their show is broadcast on are shown on Public Airwaves that are designed for public interest. Therefore, ABC, NBC, and CBS must broadcast shows that are in the public interest and showcase shows that have entertainment value. Jimmy Kimmel didn’t think before he spoke on his show, which caused him to be cancelled. Stephen Colbert also didn’t think before he spoke and suffered the consequences.  Neither of them is any different than the idiots that went on TikTok, X, and other social media outlets spouting off their hate and evilness, nor think about the potential consequences of their actions; they just wanted the clicks and attention.

Johnny Carson, former host of The Tonight Show back in the day, described to Mike Wallace how his show used to work and how modern-day comedians use late-night shows to their own advantage. “Comedians never used the Tonight show for serious issues; that's not what I'm looking for as a host. Today’s hosts can't say that because they think that just because you have a Tonight Show that you must deal with serious issues. That's a danger, it's a real danger once you start that, you start to forget you’re a host or comedian and begin to feel that you’re so important, and that what you say has great importance, and you know you can use that forum to sway people, and I don't think you should do that as an Entertainer.” He was correct, you’re an entertainer, not a politician or an elected official or of any real importance, you’re just an entertainer, so entertain your audience and shut up already about your political beliefs or ideology. 

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing, with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts degree in Business Management, a bachelor’s in mass communication and cyber-analysis, a master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft, and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, gouache, and pastels. As a political operative who has worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 7 blogs ranging from art to life coaching, food, writing, Gardening, and opinion or history pieces each week.