One of the all time best--I loved this guy, George Carlin--died of heart failure on Sunday.
I will miss him. Here is the article.
When Will Jesus Bring the Porkchops?
Soon, George, very soon. Rest in peace.
Here is a good one for us religious folks, Religion is Bullshit (OK, disclaimer, typical George Carlin language, as if you didn't know):
I remember his monologue on religion in the very first episode of Saturday Night Live, in which he suggested that God's work was a little sloppy, because everything he had ever created...died.
ReplyDeleteI loved George Carlin. He was like a modern day prophet to me. His stand-up on education and the real owners of America is what woke me up to how bad the situation in America has gotten.
ReplyDeleteYes, prophet and excellent social critic. He was the prototype of the American Iconoclast, at times a breath of fresh air. Without comics like Carlin our culture would be a desert.
ReplyDeleteCarlin told the AP in a 2004 interview.
"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."
Nice job, George.
Seeker--I am impressed that you remember the first episode of SNL.
ReplyDeleteRachel--Yeah, he talked about stuff that mattered.
David--You nailed it. People who are too squeamish to say the seven words you can't say on TV should not be allowed to run our country or dictate our morals.
My wife (soon to be ex) and I saw this together. She was a relatively new "Christian" having been raised Catholic and then lived outside the Church. I'm born and bred Presbyterian to the bone (fortunate to have been exposed to a blend of good theology and noxious fundementalism from a young age). My wife (soon to be ex) was highly offended. I thought this was prophesy straight from God. Today I'm glad I'm a universalist and hope that George got the reward coming to him (peace and respite from anger I think).
ReplyDeleteHey Gord,
ReplyDeleteI think George was prophetic in the truest sense of that word as well.
I hope it wasn't Shuck and Jive that led to the ex status in your relationship!
I am very curious how any Christian would NOT be offended by this clip. I don't say this out of self righteous judgment, standing on my soapbox, pointing my holier than thou finger, I say it sincerely out of naive curiosity. A prophet? Seriously? Do you really think God is up there going "Hardy ho ho, George, you got me there!" I felt like he was going on and on about my Father, not some "imaginary friend". Now that's just my own humble opinion. I'm just trying to wrap my head around how you can NOT be offended, much less declare him prophetic. Please, enlighten me, you might just change my mind, you never know with me, ha
ReplyDeleteWelcome Smarteralec! I guess folks appreciated him or they didn't. Thanks for your opinion.
ReplyDeleteFYI: Carlin fans will be interested to know that this Saturday, June 28, SNL is going to air his monologue from his first appearance on that show. I look forward to seeing it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brenda! I will try to remember to watch!
ReplyDeleteSmarteralec:
ReplyDeleteWhat I love about this monologue is that George Carlin is angry about all the same stuff about religion that makes me angry. He's right - our theologies of evil cannot account for the "Ice Capades" :)
But seriously, what he does is he holds up the bad theology that we still try to pass off - that God is male, that God is the Big Angry Dad who controls everything, that God loves us and also created Hell to torture some of us, that God is primarily concerned with telling us how miserable we are, that prayer is merely to get us what we want, and so on. I'm right there with him, and have been for a long time. The only difference is I choose to stay within Christianity and find ways of making meaning in it apart from accepting what I'm handed uncritically.
I'm not sure about prophet, but George Carlin throws a gauntlet down, and most of us don't dare to even pick it up.
I love George Carlin, loved and love, for reminding me that I have tho think, and think very hard, and always test what I say I believe.
Thanks Doug, I think I "get it" as far as how we keep trying to pass off bad theology and I guess he is somewhat rubbing it in the face of those Christians who come to the table thinking everyone else sitting there is wrong and going to hell. That I can appreciate and agree with. I still can't shake that he's also rubbing it in the face of Christians as to how ludicrous it is to even believe in such a thing and we're all just a bunch of misguided lemmings, headed off a cliff for an imaginary friend. However I do think George Carlin was a genius with words and timing (Joe Pesci? Hilarious), its just this rant made me feel like I was being bullied on the playground because my Dad is ridiculous. Oh well, we all have our own views of God. I guess that's what makes him so accessible to some, a punchline to others.
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