RIP George Carlin - A man who spoke the truth.
And seven other words we aren't allowed to say in public.
Man...Its really rare that someone speaks the truth without fear of reprisal like George did*sigh*. RIP
Rare? Please. It happens all the time.
I for one enjoyed a lot of his original work - including the bit about changing the dialogue in Westerns wherein he thought it would be interesting to change the word "kill" for a certain word starting with the letter "f."
BAD GUY: "OK, Sheriff, we're gonna **** you. We're gonna **** you real slow."
GO STRONG BRO! GO STRONG!
PS - Can we get a mod to edit the thread title to have the spelling of his name corrected? Please?
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Tim Robbins? Keith Olbermann? Alec Baldwin? Matt Stone? Trey Parker? Rush Limbaugh? Janeane Garofalo? I heard Al Franken was actually disembowelled on live TV.
Those pesky assassins. There's just no one left to rouse rabble any more.
Tim Robbins? Keith Olbermann? Alec Baldwin? Matt Stone? Trey Parker? Rush Limbaugh? Janeane Garofalo? I heard Al Franken was actually disembowelled on live TV.
None of those you have named were in the same league as George Carlin, IMHO.
George was more in the league of those that were assassinated.
JFK, MLK, John Lennon, etc.
Also, most of those you named were not operating through the same decades that George Carlin was - namely the 60s and 70s.
Al Franken would be about the only one in your list that I would say even comes close - and he was never a public figure until the last couple decades (and even then, he was never as abrasively confrontational as George tended to be).
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Fortunately it cured me of my Post-Traumatic-Stress-Syndrome.
Bummer that you're gone George.
Bigger bummer that people are gonna argue about how people like you get assassinated constantly due to the army of ninjas hiding behind every corner, waiting to strike you down for saying it "like it is".
But hey, what ever. Here's what I have to say: You rocked, Sorry you're gone, Who cares what "class" you were in - You were good at what you did.
I'm going to miss George Carlin. I can't say I didn't see this coming. His last HBO special, "It's Bad For Ya", was almost heartbreaking to watch. The fire had really gone out of him, he was stooped, exhausted. He even repeated a joke. Once in a while you could see him perk up, but I knew then that this was his last hurrah. Carlin was an avowed atheist. In a way, I hope there is a God to greet him and say, "right on, George, right on".
Who else fits into your League of Surprisingly Unmurdered Celebrities? I'm curious now..
I think perhaps we're working on two very different definitions of the words "common" and "rare", along with "public figure" and "public speaking", so I'm not sure how much farther this is gonna go. But the fact remains that tens of thousands of people who publicly spoke their minds in the 60s and 70s did NOT get murdered, then or later. That alone counters your 'rare to NOT get murdered' assertion, IMO.
I know I do.
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Not just because he was funny, but because his social commentary struck such an accurate chord. He was brilliant, and not just a comedian to me, but a philosopher. One of the heroes of my life.
This hit me harder than even the death of Gygax. And it is why I have been on edge all day.
RIP George.
7 words.
Personally, I think George would have appreciated the imagery of him having to dodge death-dealing ninjas for 71 years.
I know I do.
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Hahaha, yes, I think he would have gotten a kick out of that :D
hole move I've seen on these boards in a long time…and given some of the bull people have been spewing lately that is saying something!If you don't like it - or him - than that is you prerogative - and your loss - but if all you are going to do is split hairs and
all over the place then please off out of this thread so the rest of us can discuss it in peace.This behavior is
disgraceful and I for one am not afraid to say so, despite what the repercussions may be.This behavior is
I think you are overreacting, dude.
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I think you are overreacting, dude.
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I think that was intended more as an homage to Carlin. though, if he really cared, he would have made sure to include all seven of the words.
Rare to NOT be killed. So it's "common", then, for a public figure to be murdered for what he or she says. Common. I see. So you should be able to rattle off, say, 20 or 30 names of famous people who were murdered in the past year as a direct result of their public speaking?
Tim Robbins? Keith Olbermann? Alec Baldwin? Matt Stone? Trey Parker? Rush Limbaugh? Janeane Garofalo? I heard Al Franken was actually disembowelled on live TV.
Those pesky assassins. There's just no one left to rouse rabble any more.
All the people you just mentioned (that I know who they are anyways, what the hell is a Keith Olbermann? He must not be that outspoken because I don't even know who he is) are not in the same field as George Carlin, I'm sorry.
Tim Robbins- I don't even know how he got in here?
Matt Stone, Trey Parker, Janeane Garofalo- Wandering around being ridiculous for no particular reason does not make you outspoken. Don't get me wrong, I like all three of these people, however they don't really wander around and say shocking things, unless the point of saying said thing was purely to shock you. For perfect examples of this with Matt Stone and Trey Parker please refer to Baseketball and Cannibal: The Musical. Funny? Yes. Any true point? no.
Rush Limbaugh- This man is a big fat idiot. I'm sorry, I'm mostly republican, but it is for people like this big fat moron that I would never totally follow everything about the party. He doesn't just speak the truth no matter what, he sells his agenda, and says 'screw the truth'. There is nothing shocking about him other than his flaming ignorance.
Alec Baldwin- In my eyes this man falls into the same category as people like Angelina Jolie. He doesn't say things because they're true, he says things because he wants the spot light. These type of people are a dime a dozen.
No, George Carlin was something different. He brought up topics that were on everyone's minds, but were too uncomfortable for most people to talk about, and he did it with such feeling that everyone that heard what he said would never forget it. The 7 words are so famous that they are still being argued today, decades after him saying it. HE was the one that got the FCC to actually put out a list of words that were inappropriate and he was the one who actually asked why. Throughout time he's also tackled a lot of other issues like overcrowded prisons, cancer, racism, and so many others, and he did it in a way that everyone laughs, but everyone has to think about it.
In my eyes, I can only think of ONE other person alive right now that is in the same category as George Carlin, and thats Andy Rooney, and I think he doesn't have much time left either, he's starting to look old.
And so, in closing, *I* think that George Carlin is different than all of the dime a dozen shock jock comedians. Thats my opinion. If you don't like it, tough, because I don't like the way you talked to me about what I think. If you think that George Carlin wasn't rare, good for you, but why don't you save it for yourself instead of linking MY respect for the man to your blatant disrespect for everyone. Thanks a ton.
And what better place to discuss the meaning and usage of words?
Settle down, folks. No disrespect to GC, or any of you, was ever meant.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Followed by...
:: Booom ! ::
- George is shot out of a cannon.
"There he goes!"
"God I loved him!"
It's as he wanted it, folks.
:: fthip thip thip thup ::
- Body parts rain down.