People only call Carlin a comedian because it’s a convenient label. That isn’t all he was.
He was a philosopher and social/political/economic critic who wrapped his observations in comedy in order to make the pill easier to swallow. He genuinely worked harder for the American people than virtually every politician who claims to.
I miss him, but I’m also glad he isn’t around to see how badly we fucked up.
I'm sorry, but I think Carlin would be insulted by the claim that he wasn't a comedian. He was a master at his craft and constantly honing it to stay relevant and in the zeitgeist. Comedy at his level (really at any level because I did it professionally at a very low level) is incredibly difficult work. Do not sell him short.
You make a very good point. My wording was poor. I’ve now changed it to “that isn’t all he was.” Thank you.
I think you could say the same about Bill Burr. Not just making it comedy to make it easier to swallow, but because the only thing you can do is laugh at the irony and how hopelessly we are along for the ride.
I'm not trying to insult my fellow Americans' intelligence, but when you-know-who is the bus driver, propaganda is everywhere, and brains are overwhelmed:
I only post this because I saw someone say that they'd never vote because Carlin had a comedy routine where he said he'd never vote.
Carlin was an iconoclast; I think he'd hate the idea that people were trying to turn him into an icon. He was an entertainer and happily worked with Fox Television to make a sit com.
he used to say "Germany lost WW2 but fascism won" and he meant the US back then. if only he could see it now.
Heas a real whistle blower
Carlin was way ahead of his time, he is missed.
because he was right back then, and nothing has changed for the better since. We've finally hit the end goal that Carlin knew was coming.
So did Frank Zappa, so did Christopher Hitchens, so did many many others. Did we listen or did we compile the best of their material into top-10 moment videos on YouTube?
I guess we need actionable top 10 videos
We can tell people they only have the illusion of freedom and that they're owned by the ultra wealthy, but they have no idea what do with that information
What is happening is happening because people don't vote and regularly allow right-wing shitheads to erode the government and society in bad faith, and George Carlin also said "wHy BoThEr VoTiNg?"
So George Carlin was no messiah and no prophet.
There are no messiahs. There are no prophets.
Yet people insist on "if it's not perfect and requires my patience and consistency, I'd rather eat shit than lift a finger once a year".It's an odd reaction many seem to share
Simply recognizing a man's work doesn't elevate him to messiah or prophet
Also, that bit about not voting goes hand in hand with this bit as well
It boils down to the question of why vote if neither option will bring about real and lasting positive change?
Just as it does in this bit that voting is only there to give the population the illusion of choice
