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George Carlin Dead of Heart Failure

ashamanq was one of many who noted that comedian George Carlin has died of heart failure. Most famous for his "Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV" routine which resulted in a landmark supreme court ruling, he was a true voice against censorship, and also one of the funniest men ever. He was 71.

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  1. Sad :( by TimeForGuinness · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A philosopher who was funny...he will be missed. (lifts glass) Cheers, TFG

  2. A great man is lost by thegrassyknowl · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We held a little ceremony here before. Carlin was a truly great man. A voice against censorship and generally against rampant stupidity as well.

    May his memory live long and someone crop up and continue on in his great tradition of telling the 'system' to go fuck itself.

    --
    I drink to make other people interesting!
  3. Best Summary of Religion by copponex · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You will be missed, pal.

    "In the Bullshit Department, a businessman can't hold a candle to a clergyman. 'Cause I gotta tell you the truth, folks. When it comes to bullshit, big-time, major league bullshit, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims: religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest bullshit story ever told.

    Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man -- living in the sky -- who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever 'til the end of time!

    But He loves you.

    He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He's all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can't handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bullshit story. Holy Shit!"

    -George Carlin

    1. Re:Best Summary of Religion by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Insightful
      One of the few comedians who stayed completely relevant over the span of many decades. He was also able to reinvent himself on several occasions, and each time very effectively. In the early 60's he was part of a vanilla Lewis and Martin-type comedy team, in the late-60's/early 70's he became a cutting edge counter-culture comic, and in the 80's he became a great comic actor. Truly amazing.

      I was watching him in Dogma just this weekend. That opening with him introducing the "Jesus Wow!" campaign still cracks me up.

      He'll be missed.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  4. In vein of the man himself... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    With nothing but contempt for modern humanity and politics, I highly doubt he'd want anyone to mourn.

    So I'll tell it like it is.
    Today an great man died.
    He was a foul-mouthed rat-bastard hippy conspiracy theorist.
    May his soul be blessed by whoever gives a damn.

  5. Re:Stern by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The last 8 years have made a lot of us angry. He's hardly alone.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  6. Re:de mortuis nil nisi bonum but ... by dotancohen · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I am prepared to defend the qualitative difference between the rants of Carlin and those of Hicks, but I should stay on topic. What is this, the fucking Debian list? Go on and rant... George would want it that way.
    --
    It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
  7. Words to live by by InadequateCamel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He's moved on, departed from the Big Electron. He was a giant and will be missed. I have taken one of his phrases to heart:

    "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that."

    RIP Mr Carlin.

  8. Re:And now for something completely different... by Zakabog · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Swear words are the equivalent to howling in pain or rage. They're degenerate, and they evoke emotional reactions in other people, causing those other peoples thoughts to also degenerate into mindless, primitive emotional reactions, overriding their capacity to reason things through and act effectively.

    I hope you're not serious. You realize the word "fuck" is as much a word as is the word "existentialism."

    If I was visiting a tribe in Africa where no one spoke English and I went up to the chief with a basket of various gifts, and offered this basket to the chief while smiling and saying in a calm polite voice "I hope you fucking choke on a bucket of cum you worthless pile of shit" the chief would not take offense. He wouldn't know what I said and would only be able to guess that it was something nice, since I said it with a smile, in a calm polite voice, while offering a basket of gifts.

    Now, if I went up to the same chief, screaming to the point where my face was red "Hello Sir! I hope you live a long and prosperous life!" He would take great offense to that, he would think I was angry with him.

    Swear words are just words, they aren't magical, they don't bring down society. If a 5 year old boy never heard the word "fuck" before, hearing it isn't going to turn him into a mindless degenerate. He's only going to know the meaning of the word based on who said it, the context, and how they said it.