ErikW Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Did you get an e-mail of a certain political slant, purported to be from George Carlin? (For example, "I am a Bad American" or "The Paradox of Our Time.") It's not his. Don't post it here. On his web site, he says, "Floating around the Internet these days, posted and e-mailed back and forth, are a number of writings attributed to me, and I want people to know they're not mine. Don't blame me." There is further evidence that any Carlin-attributed e-mail advocating certain ideas is bogus. The following is from the preface of George Carlin's book Braindroppings. I'm happy to tell you there is very little in this world that I believe in. Listening to the comedians who comment on political, social, and cultural issues, I notice most of their material reflects an underlying belief that somehow things were better once and that with just a little effort we could set them right again. They're looking for solutions, and rooting for particular results, and I think that necessarily limits the tone and substance of what they say. They're talented and funny people, but they're nothing more than cheerleaders attached to a specific, wished-for outcome. I don't feel so confined. I frankly don't give a f*#k how it all turns out in this country - or anywhere else, for that matter. I think the human game was up a long time ago (when the high priests and traders took over), and now we're just playing out the string. And that is, of course, precisely what I find so amusing: the slow circling of the drain by a once promising species, and the sappy, ever-more-desperate belief in this country that there is actually some sort of "American Dream," which has merely been misplaced. The decay and disintegration of this culture is astonishingly amusing if you are emotionally detached from it. I have always viewed it from a safe distance, knowing I don't belong; it doesn't include me, and it never has. No matter how you care to define it, I do not indentify with the local group. Planet, species, race, nation, state, religion, party, union, club, association, neighborhood, improvement committee;I have no interest in any of it. I love and treasure individuals as I meet them, I loathe and despise the groups they identify with and belong to. So, if you read something in this book that sounds like advocacy of a particular political point of view, please reject the notion. My interest in "issues" is merely to point out how badly we're doing, not to suggest a way we might do better. Don't confuse me with those who cling to hope. I enjoy describing how things are, I have no interest in how they "ought to be." And I certainly have no interest in fixing them. I sincerely believe that if you think there's a solution, you're part of the problem. My motto: f*#k Hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Ah, the gritty rasp of truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Now there's some positive thinkin'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokshwn Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Only someone who has made millions while doing nothing to contribute to society could come up with that!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 I've always enjoyed Mr. Carlins work, whether he did it or not!!!!! But, take away his money, then what does he have? Absolutely nothing. MHO FWIW dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Wouldn't he still have the conviction of his beliefs ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Pathetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 (edited) The guy may have been funny, but he's got more bitter as life went on. I don't find myself agreeing with him very often, or for that matter who anyone who thinks that that they are watching the fall of man AND choose to be observers. Not only are they wrong about the fall of man, as everyone who has predicted since the advent of the writen world as also been, but I find the "amused outside observer" to be sham designed to hide laziness or a complete lack of ideas and abilities coupled with a disdain for the human race which can only be spawned from the belief that you are better then everyone else. Edited March 18, 2007 by Duane Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokshwn Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 Wouldn't he still have the conviction of his beliefs ? I suppose he can claim anything he wants. If you think about Carlin in the light of Teddy Roosevelt's quote "It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat." I would argue he is simply a bitter little man who never did and never will matter, and therefore is simply trying to explain away his insignificance. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 The trouble with being detached and seeing the cosmic-scaled Big Picture on our existence is that it can (in some instances) be a little depressing--because it renders us small and seemingly helpless and worthless. And perhaps that's not altogether incorrect. However, the thing is, we still have to carry on from day to day in our IMMEDIATE existences and have an obligation to do a good job of whatever we do and set examples for those around us. Stepping back too far and doing NOTHING is, well, frackin' irresponsible. There are already too many people doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AikiDale Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 While on subject and in the quote forum help me out here. Who was it that said "optimists generally get what they expect out of life and so do pessimists." ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentlemanJim Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 I cant find your quote using google. But one that I think is relevent .. " The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for goog men to do nothing" Edmund Burke. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eager Posted January 8, 2007 Share Posted January 8, 2007 (edited) If only more "suddenly politically omniscient (all-knowing)" entertainers and folks of the media were so honest and unmeddlesome. Edited January 8, 2007 by Eager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 I would argue he is simply a bitter little man who never did and never will matter, and therefore is simply trying to explain away his insignificance." Oh yea..... That's what I'm talking about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Back in you-know-which-decade, we used to call his attitude Negative Cosmic Consciousness. That is, yes, it's the Big Picture view, but it's self-defeating and unproductive and can easily lead to madness. You know, like wandering the streets alone, angrily muttering to no one in particular...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemo Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 My motto: f*#k Hope! Well Mr. Carlin, f*#k you back. Sorry, " no hablo Ingles" thus it's the best I can come up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokshwn Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Well Mr. Carlin, f*#k you back. Nemo Reminds me of the Tony Plana's character Feo in Born in East L.A. "F*#k me senior??? no, no, no, f*#k you" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Loved Carlin back in the day. A lifetime of drugs and booze has left him bitter and in poor health. It is always striking. The people who make us laugh seem to be the saddest amoug us. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A_Med Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 [quote I suppose he can claim anything he wants. If you think about Carlin in the light of Teddy Roosevelt's quote "It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat." " They just don't make presidential speech writers like that anymore. Angel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPatterson Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 They are not making Presidents like they used to either!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 They are not making Presidents like they used to either!!!!!!!! That is soooo true, it ain't even funny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtypool40 Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 When I was younger, like in the early 80's, I thought Carlin was funny, just very physical expressions of humor. Then I saw him live and it was flat, regurgitated crap from years before, ZERO spontenaity, no real energy. He looked like a lazy guy up there who thought we should pay him now for something funny he did years before. Since then he's hooked up with HBO, which is a dead give away and "prima facia" for being a HARD left. I caught about five mintues of a more recent stand up performance and actually turned it off. He was offensive, unoriginal, clearly bitter, and so far left I couldn't even find him amusing, let alone insightful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 My interest in "issues" is merely to point out how badly we're doing, not to suggest a way we might do better. Don't confuse me with those who cling to hope. My, how admirable. Back in you-know-which-decade, we used to call his attitude Negative Cosmic Consciousness. I call it "nihilism." Carlin's little rant reminds me very much of the sort of early-Seventies attitude we see in a lot of movies from the period. The revolution had failed, the followers were bummed, and what we got was this sort of pseudo-hip world weariness that said, "You can't fool us, we know the game is fixed, there's no hope. Oh the world is a horrible place, simply horrible. <sob! whine!>" I get the feeling Carlin thinks he's being edgy, "telling it like it is." Actually, he's terribly passe'. (And how the hell does one do that little accent mark on a standard keyboard, anyway?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemo Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 (And how the hell does one do that little accent mark on a standard keyboard, anyway?) ASCII codes (don't know if this works on Macs) Alt key + 160 = á 130 = é 161 = í 162 = ó 163 = ú Or you can setup your keyboard to International, and type an apostrophe before the letter that you want to accentuate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Passé. Thanks! I learned a new thing today. Always worthwhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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