Today, the world is more connected than it has ever been, though at times it seems that people have become detached.

There is a disjointed separation between what is a right and what is a privilege. There is a miscommunication between the constitution and those in positions of authority or even those who have a platform of acclivity. Recently, through the media, I have seen this phenomenon occur much too often.

I have seen it in the incident involving ESPN reporter Cari Champion’s interview with basketball legend Lebron James in which he gave his personal opinion on the Trump administration and the agenda that he believes Trump is carrying out.

Champion's response was, summed up, “stick to sports.”

“Stick to sports” as if James does not have the right as an American to have an opinion. “Stick to sports” as if James isn’t allowed to use the platform that he has earned.

The student’s of Stoneman Douglas have also been receiving backlash regarding several responses of activism that they have started after the shooting.

People have said that they do not have a right to share their opinions on gun control because as high school students they haven’t even been self- sufficient or employed, that their experiences do not legitimize their outcries to the NRA.

It is because of the terrible events that occurred on February 14th, 2017, that these students now have a platform, and they are now and have always been entitled to their opinions.

In a country that prides itself on freedom, let us not forget that having a voice is not only the privilege of an American citizen, but a right.

Whether you agree with the statements of those that choose to speak out or not, stifling the voices and opinions of others taints one of the fundamental ideas that sets this country apart.