I learned early this morning from a colleague that George Carlin had died. I was surprised and saddened and throughout the day I thought of George and the impact he had on me, on our culture and how we look at language. He was a gifted comic and one who like other great comics will not easily be replaced. His famous, “Seven words you can’t ever say on television,” is perhaps his signature. I didn’t realize until reading earlier today that the U.S. Supreme Court got into the fray on that one. How typically American that is. We censor Carlin’s use of profanity, but our airwaves are filled with replays of bombing runs, combat footage and endless recitations about all our wars. George’s genius was bringing those hypocrisies to light.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h67k9eEw9AY]