This one is just an appreciation post for George Carlin.
I like comedy. I like comedians. I enjoy humour. What's not to like about laughing? It's enjoyable.
One of my absolute favourite comedians is George Carlin. The comments would often say that he's a philosopher that happened to be funny. I'd have to agree. Lately I've noticed I'm obsessed with accuracy. I like my statements to be truthful and exact. I don't like things that are wrong or off. Maybe that's why I like Carlin so much, he points out the quirks and inaccuracies in our lives.
I mostly viewed his stand-up through YouTube clips though now that I think about it, I should try and source full specials to watch in one go. His earlier works were more tame, but nevertheless amusingly hilarious. Clips like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaR3sVpTB98 showcases his prowess with sharp observations, satirical musings and world-class delivery.
Then as he got older, his content just became more and more offensive and unhinged XD. In my opinion, this also made him funnier. I'm a big fan of shock humour and South Park. But he didn't deviate from his observational roots. It's raunchy and raw but not untrue. Take this piece on religion, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tp0UNcjzl8&t=730s. On the surface he appears to be mocking religion (which, ok, he is a), but more deeply he is mocking the human need to use religion to serve our own agendas. Or this piece on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W33HRc1A6c&t=13s, where he seemingly mocks environmentalists but more deeply is mocking humanity's ego and the need to be heroes of our environment.
He's not a comedian for everyone. He's a bubble popper. If you've lived an insulated, simple, comfortable life feeling naively happy, he'll rip a hole in it and make you see the ugliness and hypocrisies that surround all of us. I personally like that. I personally like the idea of ripping the band aid off and facing the ugly truth. When I eat meals, I eat the worst parts first and like to occasionally ponder horrible deaths for myself just to remind myself of mine and everyone's mortality.
Of course he's not perfect. One could argue that he is perhaps a bit too cynical.
I'd like to imagine George is smiling down at me for writing this blog.