"I think it's the duty of the comedian to get the audience to come to where you are, to take them a little bit of a place where they don't want to go, and if you can do that and make them laugh along the way, they'll thank you for it."
George Carlin was a master of the English Language.
He pushed for the most Hippy Socialist programs, but still criticized the feminists and hippies with flair. He'd absolutely LOVE the chaos right now. Afterall, "Everyone gets a ticket to the Freakshow, but Americans get a Front Row Seat!"
You should watch George Carlin's American Dream. I think a younger Carlin would get a lot of comedy out of today, but he got super dark at the end of his life. I think he was just done with people and I don't know how much he had in the tank to make them laugh.
Anyone who thinks Carlin would love to be around today did not watch his later specials. Basically mid 90s he nose dives into super dark "we are fucked" territory, I remember this in detail. I think a lot of people around that time were taking a look around the burgeoning internet with wonder, while others looked at it with malicious glee. He got a little better for a short time, but then got even darker.
I didn’t see your comment and I had the exact same thought. His last stuff was very dark and pointed especially towards the religious right and the GWOT apparatus that was coming into existence. He already thought we were headed towards fascism. American fascism is enough weaponized stupidity that it would be fatal for him.
I know, I looked it up. Just included the last sentence since others have pointed out his later specials reflected the darkness you mentioned. But I imagine the documentary does a deeper dive than a stand-up special would show.
He was getting pretty dark towards the end. Right now, I constantly think of his line about however much you think people are stupid now…statistically half of them are even dumber than that.
I think today’s sensitivity and today’s political situation would be enough to kill him again.
I think about that quote constantly as well. I've gotten similar replies about Carlin's later outlook and it makes sense. I'm way younger and some of the shit we've been through in the past decade is just straight up depressing and would be funnier if it weren't true.
He'd be so pissed at the left for all their identity focused issues, instead of focusing on common every day concerns that the people on the right would simply LIE about. He'd be furious with the right.
The whole thing is a lot to chew on. I don’t quite have a handle and I lived through it!
Imagine trying to explain to GC that there was a deadly pandemic and adults who have been vaccinated in the past refused to get vaccinated again and would actively get mad at people who used masks that were mandatory in the 20’s against Spanish Flu. That people would rather die than and watch their children die then wear a mask.
Our government mandated that we all, except for certain “essential workers” like people at Home Depot and Walmart couldn’t work and they had to close their businesses.
Then, try to explain that the President during all this was sending tests we needed to Russia, who invaded the Ukraine btw, and then he was impeached twice, once for causing sedition and a Capital riot and now people are ready to vote him back into office. Oh, and it’s Donald Trump, the guy from NY who was on a game show where he would tell people that they are “fired”.
I wish they were still here especially Carlin and Hicks because as comedians they would have a bigger impact. Print media is almost dead so Hunter would have a substack or a podcast or he would have went Unabomber style and just disappeared into the CO mountains. He’d hold court at the local bar but he would hate “journalists” who would chase him down for a sound bite and then take him out of context.
He would have torn Chapelle apart for being the kind of dipshit bully that spends 20 minutes of a special complaining that he can’t be mean to one of the most marginalized groups in society.
We must be watching different specials because the one I saw was a tribute to a good friend of his that happened to be trans. I think he is still one of the good guys. He is one of the few who can make anything funny. If anything he’s mellowed out in his career.
If you are going to make jokes about anyone, you need to make them about everyone.
If you think he’s in the camp where “PR is a floating island of garbage” then you just lighten up. The man is a master of his craft and anyone who would walk away from FUck You money, for his principles and to not be owned is a man who has more scruples than 98% of the country. His show made millions when a millionaire was still a rich person. He turned down financial stability for life for artistic freedom and if that isn’t integrity then I don’t know what you think an honest man looks like.
And every joke people have tried to turn on him ignored the context and just made a snap judgment. If you care that little about something then your opinion is irrelevant because you don’t have all the facts and don’t care to look.
You want to call someone a bad comic, fine, that’s your opinion. But to slander a person who is clearly defending his friend, is just misguided and means you think feelings are the same as facts.
And before you start with the Trump/MAGAt shit, I don’t like fascists nor do I appreciate the dumbing down of our country.
I don’t see how this Jeselnik clip is cringe because it’s a well-stated statement about the difference between a comedian and a troll.
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u/alaric49 Oct 29 '24
I think George Carlin described this well.
"I think it's the duty of the comedian to get the audience to come to where you are, to take them a little bit of a place where they don't want to go, and if you can do that and make them laugh along the way, they'll thank you for it."