F*!#: George Carlin dead at 71.

I intended to do a post on faith healing, though it seems that is a beast that I don't have the discipline to conquer at the moment. Perhaps at another time.

However, I do feel the need to at least write something about the fact that George Carlin passed away yesterday at the age of 71. Now I'm not a die-hard fan, though I do appreciate what he offered to our culture. Carlin was a ballsy guy. He made a living from not only being inappropriately shocking, but bringing to the forefront the issues we as a society shy away from. In his obituary released by the AP today, the quote I wanted to use as a pull out on the front page was: "The whole problem with this idea of obscenity and indecency, and all of these things — bad language and whatever — it's all caused by one basic thing, and that is: religious superstition. There's an idea that the human body is somehow evil and bad and there are parts of it that are especially evil and bad, and we should be ashamed. Fear, guilt and shame are built into the attitude toward sex and the body. ... It's reflected in these prohibitions and these taboos that we have." (It was too long to use in the space I had.)
I think this epitomizes what Carlin dedicated his life to proving. That our culture is so virginal and scared of taboo subjects. He broke the rules and people loved him for it. Many hated him, but what he accomplished was showing us how easy it is to laugh at our own societal stigmas. He talked about what no one wanted to talk about. He said things no one wanted to hear or say, at least in a public venue. In 1978 the Supreme Court made a ruling upholding the government's authority to fine stations for broadcasting inappropriate language because an excerpt from "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" was broadcast on a New York radio station. Carlin made a significant impact on our culture and it's devastating to lose someone like him.
I wish that I would've been able to see him during his early years. When I saw him at Purchase in 2006, he was bitter. Granted that was part of his schtick, but it wasn't funny bitter; it was old, worn down and hateful... but still a legend. I appreciated that fact that I was able to witness such a cultural icon live. I respect him for the work he did. Though in today's society the boundaries are tested frequently, Carlin was one of the first to try and succeed.

"I love and treasure individuals as I meet them, I loathe and despise the groups they identify with and belong to."

"The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, “You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done.”

"The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it."

"Honesty may be the best policy, but it’s important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy."

R.I.P. George Carlin, 1937-2008