George Carlin, 71, Comedian, Free Speech Advocate, has passed away
George Carlin, Comedian, Free Speech Advocate, has passed away
George Carlin, 71, has passed away.
To some younger readers, this may fall into the "who's he?" category.
Well study up, campers, because George Carlin was a Very Important Dude!
George started out as a fairly mainstream comedian, doing routines like the The Hippy-Dippy Weather Man ("Que Pasa? Que what you call your pasa, man! Tonight's forecast: DARK! Continued dark until morning, when it will get progressively lighter. Tomorrow's low, 58. Tomorrow's high, whenever I get up!") and on into one of the most important comedy routines of the 20th century - The Seven Words You Can't Say On Television.
This routine actually led to a Supreme Court case that eventually affirmed the Federal Communication Commission's "right" to "protect the public from profanity on the public airwaves," which is why TV shows "bleep" certain words. Those words were the ones George Carlin called the FCC out on, loudly, humorously and often.
He stood for Free Speech - the right to speak your mind, to stand up to the government without repercussion BY speaking your piece and brooked fools not lightly.
In other words, he had zero tolerance for bullshit and politicians, but I repeat myself, as Mark Twain (and Carlin) said.
Free Speech lost one of its most outspoken, and funniest, advocates this weekend. We should observe it by shouting those Seven Words from the rooftops.
I am willing to bet that Mr. Carlin would appreciate the gesture and return it with one of his own - middle finger fully extended to those who would quash the civil rights of ANYBODY, ANYWHERE.
George Carlin, 71, has passed away.
To some younger readers, this may fall into the "who's he?" category.
Well study up, campers, because George Carlin was a Very Important Dude!
George started out as a fairly mainstream comedian, doing routines like the The Hippy-Dippy Weather Man ("Que Pasa? Que what you call your pasa, man! Tonight's forecast: DARK! Continued dark until morning, when it will get progressively lighter. Tomorrow's low, 58. Tomorrow's high, whenever I get up!") and on into one of the most important comedy routines of the 20th century - The Seven Words You Can't Say On Television.
This routine actually led to a Supreme Court case that eventually affirmed the Federal Communication Commission's "right" to "protect the public from profanity on the public airwaves," which is why TV shows "bleep" certain words. Those words were the ones George Carlin called the FCC out on, loudly, humorously and often.
He stood for Free Speech - the right to speak your mind, to stand up to the government without repercussion BY speaking your piece and brooked fools not lightly.
In other words, he had zero tolerance for bullshit and politicians, but I repeat myself, as Mark Twain (and Carlin) said.
Free Speech lost one of its most outspoken, and funniest, advocates this weekend. We should observe it by shouting those Seven Words from the rooftops.
I am willing to bet that Mr. Carlin would appreciate the gesture and return it with one of his own - middle finger fully extended to those who would quash the civil rights of ANYBODY, ANYWHERE.
Labels: Carlin, free speech
posted by Lee Darrow at 12:16 PM
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