• magnetosphere
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    623 months ago

    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.

    • Flying Squid
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      153 months ago

      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.

      • magnetosphere
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        103 months ago

        You make a very good point. My wording was poor. I’ve now changed it to “that isn’t all he was.” Thank you.

    • @Scrawny@lemm.ee
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      113 months ago

      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.

      • @f4f4f4f4f4f4f4f4@sopuli.xyz
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        63 months ago

        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:

    • My father was a Carlin fan, I would take his albums and started reading his books when I was maybe 14. It was a part of my education that I wish every American shared. We’d be much better off. Al Franken’s books, too.

      • @PolydoreSmith@lemmy.world
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        93 months ago

        It still pisses me off how they did Franken. They cancelled him for absolutely no reason and you know the Dems were so excited to get an actual progressive out of the party.

        • sunzu2
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          33 months ago

          Can y’all provide some context here?

          I vaguely remember they forced him to resign over something that others never resigned?

          • @MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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            53 months ago

            He made a joke photo where it looked like he was grabbing a sleeping friend co-worker by the breasts. That’s it. It was clearly a joke. He was immediately purged because the Democrats were happy to get rid of a progressive.

    • @adam_y@lemmy.world
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      153 months ago

      Did you down vote that because:

      1. You think it isn’t true.
      2. You don’t like that it is true.

      You sort of moralising cowards are the sort of folk he took the piss out of.

        • @adam_y@lemmy.world
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          153 months ago

          Only if you think it is mud. I’m kinda proud of the guy for being so succinct and bang on whilst enjoying the powder.

          • magnetosphere
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            73 months ago

            And because the only person he was endangering was himself. It’s not like he was committing sex crimes, like countless celebrities and politicians. The man actually had ethics.

            • Flying Squid
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              33 months ago

              Well if we’re going to go down that road, if you watch the excellent documentary made about his life a few years ago, his daughter was pretty frank about her dad not being the greatest dad during his drugged-out phase. She was still a kid at the time.

          • @Screamium@lemmy.world
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            133 months ago

            I guess I should have said “Ad hominem” instead of “mud slinging”, but the point is who cares what someone does in their off time while they’re delivering a truth

            • andyburke
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              33 months ago

              You, do, clearly.

              How can you not get how much you are being exactly what Carlin railed against?

  • djsoren19
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    93 months ago

    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.

  • @niktemadur@lemmy.world
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    62 months ago

    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”.

    • @HappySkullsplitter@lemmy.worldOP
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      62 months ago

      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

    • @madcaesar@lemmy.world
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      12 months ago

      Absolutely. People like George and Jon Steward are fantastic at shining a light at the bullshit, but their solution is either apathy or just laughing at the bullshit and moving on. Both are akin to giving up.

      All their bits should end up with the message don’t just vote, get involved in LOCAL government. Don’t just wait to vote for president and expect things to get better.

      The GOP controls everything because they started the local level, from city councils to librarians, these fuckers are everywhere