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u/grizzgaroany 3h ago
"It's called the American dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it"
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u/EdwardBil 3h ago
And that's what woke means.
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u/garitone 47m ago
Before it was dysphemized by dickheads on the right to mean basically anything they don't like.
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u/BongDong69420 3h ago
God, I miss him.
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u/hoptownky 2h ago
We saw him in Evansville Indiana years before he died. The crowd started booing him when he made some anti-Christian jokes. He proceeded to make comments like “I’m surprised most of you fat ass rednecks fit in these seats”
A little while into it, he won them all over. But he kept making subtle jokes making fun of the crowd that most of them didn’t even get. He ended with “Well, I am going to get out of here. I’m sure most of you all have to get home to watch professional wrestling”. He gave such a little fuck that he gave it to the audience until the end, even though they were eventually laughing and cheering. He was one of a kind.
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u/BooCreepyFootDr 2h ago edited 38m ago
We used to use Carlin and Hunter Thompson to spit in their faces.
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u/Ardal 51m ago
We used to Carlin and Hunter Thompson to spit in their faces.
is there a translation of this phrase that shows what it actually says?
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u/BooCreepyFootDr 37m ago
English can be difficult for non-native speakers. But you’re doing better than some.
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u/christiandb 3h ago
Staying home sick from school gave me an education I'd never forget. Carlin standup just spitting facts into my ten year old mind. Look where we are now
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u/Guyappino 3h ago
What I find intriguing about this GOAT comedian is that in this segment of the video clip, he's not actually being a comedian The greatest of comedians have that perfect blend of comedy & realism
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u/m0j0r0lla 3h ago
We have forsaken the wisdom of our forefathers
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u/More-Meringue3969 2h ago
What wisdom? They were almost all slave owners.
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u/II_3phemeral_II 1h ago edited 1h ago
Be me, founding father who helped mold one of the greatest commonlaw proclamations the world has ever seen, born of ideas from some of the greatest 17th and 18th century thinkers. Sign document in the name of treason against the King of England, punishment for which is a very public and brutal death.
Some loser nobody 250 years later doesn’t like that I participated in something considered widely within the norm at the time, comments that my entire existence and life’s body of work is null and void despite said loser nobody benefitting from it every single day.
He sure got me good.
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u/DerelictCruiser 1h ago
Not mocking you, but I mean…with an Atlantic Ocean between you and the king, I can think of a few not-so-brave people who would also sign if there was profit in it.
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u/II_3phemeral_II 1h ago
Yes but one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen was on the other side, and they had a few boats. We were just lucky they had other priorities going on at the same time.
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u/DerelictCruiser 1h ago
I mean, sure, but also…a whole ocean between AND continent behind you to flee? I’m not knocking the revolutionary nature of their ideas, or that it benefitted me, just saying…ehhh can we be a little honest and admit they did it for the moolah just as much as to make a good life for all us losers? Like, you do know they came out pretty okay collectively from their ventures, right?
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u/II_3phemeral_II 51m ago
But, like, literal wars were fought and a whole lot of people died. England just happened to also be at war with bigger fish and decided it wasn’t worth the cost in lives and resources. Most of these dudes would have been very publicly executed and made an example of.
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u/BIayneRobinson 3h ago
I wish Carlin was here to help us feel sane 😔
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u/EdwardBil 3h ago
He got pretty dark at the end. I don't think he had any faith in humanity left.
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u/BIayneRobinson 3h ago
I don't blame him
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u/Thesinistral 2h ago
I guess we will all get there, when we are old and shit hasn’t changed. I’m getting there.
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u/Thesinistral 2h ago
I thought the same at the time. (Hate to admit it but I was still a Republican at the time…just barely)
Yet here I sit, saying “Hell yeah, George!” Where are the George Carlins today? We have a few, like Chapelle , (if he would knock off his trans ‘humor’), but almost all have taken up “the cause “ with one party or the other.
This is exactly what our owners want. Yes, Carlin was a democrat but he was under no illusions they were fighting for us. They were just slightly less reprehensible than the other guys. He saw it,man. I wish I’d listened better, sooner.
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u/gotothepark 1h ago
Unfortunately I don't think we'll ever have someone as famous as Carlin. Social media has created too many silos.
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u/ZenMasterful 2h ago
Yeah, he was always socially astute but he stopped being a comedian long before he died.
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u/MasterShakeAndBake33 3h ago
Guy was a genius. A lot of people say he got too cynical in his old age but I like his later material a lot more.
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u/notruth_allpermitted 2h ago
"Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist" - Carlin
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u/nthensome 3h ago
I would LOVE to hear his take on the world today
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u/sofaraway10 2h ago
You just heard it. Not a single thing he said then is any different than it is now. We just have different player and different means of control.
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u/Mysterious-Snow496 1h ago
Even if you're only vaguely familiar with Carlin's material you'd know he would slam liberals just as hard as conservatives for being giant spineless pussies. And he would be right.
He'd get his slams in on trump. He slammed on trump in several of his stand-ups long before he was president. He couldn't stand him. Seeing him today I could only imagine the adjectives he would use.
But, ultimately, he would slam the public. The citizens.
He said it best in this very same standup special.
"If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're gonna have selfish, ignorant leaders. This is the best we got folks. Garbage in, garbage out."
Carlin was a realist. He loved when the public was in distress. He knew it was a result of human engineering. One group of people trying to control another. He was happy just sitting back and watching the shitshow.
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u/Prestigious_Try_5396 2h ago
I told you so and you were too fuckin dumb to listen !
That's what he would say.
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u/Asininechimp 3h ago
Telling people they're smart and great makes them feel better about the fact they are owned. Smart or not, you're still in the same box.
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u/Strange_Salary 3h ago
Maybe people will start seeing and hearing what’s been in-front of our stupid mugs for decades..
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u/Thesinistral 3h ago
It’s weird that when I saw this 20years ago I remember thinking: “Carlin isn’t funny. He’s gotten bitter and negative.”
I see it now and realize he wasn’t funny. He was right. He was a damn truth teller and a clairvoyant.
“It’s a big club…and you ain’t in it!”
RIP George Carlin. We miss your kind.
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u/catpissdust 3h ago
A real life prophet...
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u/inalavalamp 3h ago
I bet he’s looking up at us, smiling.
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u/atomsmasher66 3h ago
Up at us?
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u/inalavalamp 3h ago
It’s a Carlin reference. I’m a huge fan of his. Watch the whole thing, but the joke starts at 2:24
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u/Immadawalrus 2h ago
https://reddit.com/link/19rgfcs9p4bqc/video/i6q1zudhjwwh1/player
What are you a Christian? Fuck off.
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u/pcbeard 3h ago
He was always telling it like it is. But people ignored him because the truth was too hard to accept. I wish he’d worked a little harder to suggest what we can do about our oligarchy. Maybe he simply thought by waking enough people up things would change.
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u/nightmare_floofer 3h ago
If the people were/are waiting on comedians to tell them what to do to fix their situation, I don't think it's a situation that can be fixed by 1 comedian
We're gonna need a whole team of comedians for that
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u/AdultishRaktajino 1h ago
Unfortunately people clutched their pearls because he swore and was negative, and wrote him off as a bitter angry misanthrope. Same folks preferring the stylings of Bill Cosby, who all know was an upstanding citizen…
He was even arrested for disorderly conduct and maybe obscenity in Wisconsin during the early 70s after leaving the stage of a performance. The judge dismissed the case.
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u/Fit-Appointment5262 23m ago
I wish he’d worked a little harder to suggest what we can do about our oligarchy.
There are people doing that today, some better than others. The good ones are generally misrepresented, ignored, maligned by the mainstream, as well.
Look for people who are saying a similar thing as Carlin on the "problem" side, but then suggest solutions. It's not right wingers because they don't fully understand the problem on this level, much less what to do about it ("blame the other").
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u/Malbosiiq 3h ago
Lol, When he says it nobody bats an eye, but when I say it, everyone loses their minds. Ahead of his time. My favorite comedian.
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u/thetyser 3h ago
The thing I don’t know about George is whether or not he encouraged voting, whether local/state/federal. He always had the same sentiments that a guy like Frank Zappa had, yet Frank actually wanted to run for office in his later years. What sets them apart?
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u/TheyTried2BanMeAgain 3h ago
He did not.
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u/thetyser 45m ago
Did not encourage? I would believe. But beyond his standup, was he ever on record of discouraging?
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u/TheyTried2BanMeAgain 39m ago
He actually voted Democrat the last few chances he had, but said he did it as a lesser of two evils, and that he hated the two party system and the American voting apparatus in general.
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u/garitone 41m ago
That's one of the few things I disagreed with him on. He refused to vote. I get the frustration and sentiment, but it's too critical these days (great punchline, though).
"So I have solved this little political dilemma for myself in a very simple way: on election-day, I-STAY-HOME. I don’t vote. Fuck ’em. FUCK THEM. I don’t vote. Two reasons. Two reasons I don’t vote: first of all, it’s meaningless. This country was bought and sold and paid for a long time ago. The shit they shuffle around every four years doesn’t mean a fuckin’ thing. And secondly, I don’t vote ’cause I believe if you vote, you have no right to complain. People like to twist that around. I know, they say, they say: “well if you don’t vote you have no right to complain”. But where’s the logic in that? If you vote, and you elect dishonest, incompetent people, and they get into office and screw everything up, well you are responsible for what they have done, YOU caused the problem, you voted them in, you have no right to complain. I on the other hand, who did not vote, WHO DID NOT VOTE. Who in fact did not even leave the house on election-day, am in no way responsible for what these people have done, and have every RIGHT to complain as loud as I want, about the mess YOU created, that I had nothing to do with. So I know that a little later on this year, you’re going to have another one of those really swell presidential elections that you like so much. You enjoy yourselves. It will be a lot of fun. I’m sure as soon as the election is over, your country will “improve” immediately. As for me, I’ll be home on that day, doing essentially the same thing as you, the only difference is, when I get finished masturbating, I’m going to have a little something to show for it folks."
--Back in Town (1996)
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u/ScottblackAttacks 3h ago
I remember when this came out and people were saying he just an old bitter comedian that goes on rants but me watching as a teen, life was pretty sweet back then. Everything will eventually become privatized in America, no more public schools, if you want electricity you are going to buy it from Meta. Like George said our politicians sold out this country back in the 70’s and now we are really feeling it.
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u/Icy-Structure9693 3h ago
Um, where was the comedy? 😅 I had my suspicions before (/s) but now I’m depressed.
Ah, I miss Carlin. Who’s filling his shoes nowadays?
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u/oneupsuperman 3h ago
Love this man and his wit and observations. He's too right.
I don't think this post fits the sub tho
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u/herefromyoutube 1h ago
Stop posting this shit before elections.
Voting actually matters. Lazy fuckers sitting out and dumb idiots voting for the problem are the reason the big club even exists.
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u/concreteghost 3h ago
Go listen to what he says about climate change, redditors.
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u/mrfreezeyourgirl 3h ago
Who is they though?
Much of the wealthy power players of today are very different than 2005. It would be shocking if the old players just quietly gave up ownership to the newer brood.
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u/stratj45d28 3h ago
I couldn’t believe it when I first heard this from him but there was something about it that made it absolutely clear. And that was just two decades ago. Not shame on you shame on me.
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u/Poneke365 2h ago
George Carlin was a wise man and this sort of shit has been happening for decades and getting more and more prolific😑
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u/erutuferutuf 2h ago
This sends chills down my spine... And I am not even American. It's .. everywhere
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u/Mahaloth 2h ago
George was carrying around quite a bit of extra fluid in his chest cavity during this performance. You could hear it throughout, even in this clip.
And he still went out there and gave a great performance.
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u/SnooChickens6081 2h ago
Now just add divide and conquer... These same murderous thieving liars are pitting us against each other saying "Democrats and Republicans blah blah blah". So if you are a person that hates the other party you are basically doing exactly what the billionaires want. Not only what George says but now you hate the other half of America and are even more distracted. Just saying.
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u/blackstarr1996 2h ago edited 1h ago
This is the truth and now it’s 60 years ago they threw us overboard. But people still argue about which political party is worse.
Soon there will be no need for you to run their machines OR do the paperwork. What do you think happens then?
There’s really no war but class war.
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u/CrepitusPhalange 1h ago
Genuine treasure, Carlin. So much of his stand up is sadly still so relevant today.
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u/itjustgotcold 1h ago
I agree with everything Carlin is saying here. But I’m suspi(c)ious about the timing(that word was flagging the shitty automod into thinking it was a slur🙄). If anyone watches this and thinks it means both sides suck, there is no question that Carlin would be absolutely livid about how bad the right has gotten since he’s passed. There is no chanve he’d advocate that bOtH sIdEs SaMe in the modern political climate.
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u/ShakyTheBear 1h ago
Sadly, many people will see this, agree with it, and still keep supporting it with their votes.
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u/FaerieQuene 1h ago
I learned so much from George Carlin. I am terribly sad at the state of things now. When I was younger, I protested and acted out but I don’t have the fight in me anymore. I wish young people today were more passionate. I see the riots n France and wish they were happening here, too. The ruling class has no reason to change because we are just rolling over and letting them do whatever they want. Of course, per George Carlin, there isn’t much we can do about it.
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u/EnjoysEverySandwich 1h ago
Anyone who likes this should check out Elephant Graveyard on YouTube and his videos on Joe Rogan and the anti-reality Doomsday cult
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u/NursingManChristDude 58m ago
Here's a genuine observation:
One political party president is a faithful husband, educated, and steps to bring people together
Another party president initiated the biggest domestic terrorist attack on our country, openly threatens the other party to withhold funding, and cheated on every single one of his multiple wives.
How is that the same??? Who on earth can honestly say "both parties are the same"?
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u/mhill2012 51m ago
Prescient as ever. The only thing that's changed in 20 years is they don't want workers anymore. They want AI and robots. They want us all dead, preferably by killing each other. But if that doesn't work they'll have the drones on standby.
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u/jberryman 47m ago
Both-sides I'm-14-and-this-is-deep nihilism, making his smooth-brained audience feel smart and superior. Basically why we got Trump. Also Carlin fucking sucks as a comedian in general; he just throws in a "cocksucker" and the idiots in the audience lose their shit. Bring on the down votes and hate, let's see how low we can get this.
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u/FerSimon1016 46m ago
And guess what: Now they don’t the smart people to run machines and do the paperwork
We are well and truly fucked
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u/james_a_hetfield 45m ago
I remember watching this when it came out on HBO at the time..any time his specials came on I always watched. Man if he were still here today...
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u/Extra-Persimmon2359 43m ago
I stumbled upon him as the conductor on Thomas the Train , and It blew my mind
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u/vagina_candle 13m ago
He's not wrong, but I really disliked how nihilistic he became towards the end.
When you accept that things cannot get any better you're enabling this system just as much as the "dumb" people who are content to be making minimum wage at a shit job because it's better than no job.
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u/cute_polarbear 10m ago
As a kid back in the days, I didnt truly understand him when listening to his commentaries, and thought of him mainly as a comedian...now I understand.
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u/Dorythehunk 8m ago
I always wonder what he’d think of the most popular comedians today. I feel like so many of them would cite Carlin as one of the greatest and a major influence, but I’d imagine he would not approve of so many of them performing for Saudi royalty and bending the knee Trump lol.
Modern comedy has really lost the plot.
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u/Mach5Driver 3m ago
It drives me crazy when people say, "I'm not interested in politics." Well, outside of family and friends, literally NOTHING affects EVERY ASPECT of your life more than politics. Nothing. You may not be interested in politics, but politics is VERY interested in YOU.
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u/Awalawal 3h ago
Don't forget, if you're a millionaire (or even a hundred millionaire) you're much closer to $0 than you are to a billionaire. You may be comfortable, but you don't control shit.
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u/1m0ws 3h ago edited 3h ago
active in 0 subs..? dude i am a chronical online autistic creative worker in burnout. i am quite active in many subs.
i write lenghty paragraphs and sometimes get 4-digit karma only on comments. happens.
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u/PeteyMitch42 3h ago
Gotta be something in their settings. I am very active on multiple subs and mine looks like it says the same.
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u/ImRightImRight 3h ago
While obviously lobbying does happen and the uber-rich want more money....
This is textbook conspiracy theory slopulism.
We are not being screwed by a secret conspiracy. We do have democracy and we as a country select and control our politicians.
If anyone actually wants to go to bat for this: what exactly is he talking about? What would make his allegations untrue? Higher taxes? More education spending?
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u/Moldovah 2h ago
I knew I had to sort by controversial to get anything other than redditors praising this most cliche, sophomoric worldview.
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u/Crateapa 2h ago
Have you paid any attention to the current administration's assault on academia?
As for us controlling our politicians, let's see how this midterm election goes.
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u/Thick-Aioli802 3h ago
Once you realize that everyone is full of shit it's easy to tell why things are so shitty.
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u/shampb4ucondish 3h ago
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u/Individual-Level9308 2h ago
Yeah, this aged poorly. I loved Carlin. Bought his books had a few of specials on DVDs but his complete Doomer attitude towards the end sucked.
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u/SixNineWithTheAfro 2h ago
This is actually nonsense as far as education goes. Each person controls how educated he or she is, especially in modern days.
And who is the “owner” in this scenario that controls education and keeps people down? The teachers’ union?
This also misses the fact that low education workers are being imported to step around educated Americans.
There is definitely a class issue tho, and he’s right about that, but that’s separate from the concept of formal “education.”
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u/tatanutz 3h ago
Beyond accurate 20 years later.