I love Carlin and I love his insight and comedy, but I don't take him that seriously.

By that I mean that I take his comments as a challenge. Not a challenge to debate him on facts - yes all sorts of people have made all kinds of bad decisions. Politicians, corporations, individuals, gangs, clubs, schools, you, me, your friends and my friends have all made all sorts of bad hypocritical immoral backwards ass actions that have maimed, destroyed, burned, polluted, hurt, deprived and desecrated.

Yet I am not willing to give into the cynicism and contempt some fellow sifters do about the world and people around me. I can't look at any of the above and say any are perfect or that any are evil.

I believe that Steve Pinker is right - while we are still violent we are statistically less violent.

I look at what Bill Gates is doing.

I look at the "toys" we have, and the art we are making.

I watch two young guys go give waitresses $200 tips.

Maybe what is circling the drain is all that SHIT we do. All that bad stuff making a slow, but eventual, exit.

evolutionary history shows that the planet only gets smarter. even when the dinosaurs went extinct, birds remained; a much more refined, cooperative, and less violent species.
we're not circling the drain, we're stirring the pot.

I'm glad to see the George Carlin fanboys haven't apologized for his comments in this video yet. Because this was the most bullshit hypocritical rap I've heard from him.

"I put myself out of the mix. I don't have a stake in the outcome." He acts as if he's so high-and-mighty as if he has actually removed himself from the process he complains about. A simple search for his net-worth shows that he was worth over $300 million, earning over $2.5 per year at the time of his death.

He wanted shiny things just as much as the rest of us. Though I don't think that over-commercialism is a good thing, his judgement of our society doesn't have a leg to stand on.

We can afford to be the way we are because we exploited (still do) the fuck out of third world nations. Exploited = people's lives and suffering. At best we can all claim ignorance for our economic drunk driving homicide but the point is moot.

The greater point is; put us through a real recession and see where this humanity lies. No, not this fake crap we went through to enrich the rich with unemployment and trading. I mean where people can't buy food or gas. Where government programs don't exist. I mean where children are massively starving in the street.

I am highly disenchanted that this is the best we have come to because we can afford it. Some sorry shit we have created with billions in abundance. I believe in Marx's ideas of capitalism exploitation (Though hold no faith in his communist beliefs,) Webber's views on logical thoughts for the dollar and how it will fuck us over, and Carlin's views on how shitty we are--at our greatest pinnacle.

Yet poverty and literacy rates continue to improve globally.

Infant mortality, life expectancy, access to clean water and food. All improve. Perfect? No.

But those are just facts.

There are no magic wands to fix the problems around us. It takes time and concerted effort.

its all about perspective.
once you stop deluding yourself that you are this amazing individual ,who is just so special and that all you have worked hard for was somehow mana from heaven with zero consequences.
when you realize you are part of the problem only then can you be part of the solution.
i think carlin is talking about those people who are so enamored with themselves and their own privilege,while ignoring their complicity in the suffering of others far far away,is pretty vulgar...even for a human.
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@enoch

This has nothing to do with how I feel about myself or how you feel about yourself. It isn't about whether we are good or bad. That is not topical.

Carlin loves to say that everything is in the toilet, everything and everyone is terrible, and we are all going down.

My point is while it is important to point out our failings, of which I admitted there are many, things ARE getting better incrementally over time.

This guy telling his kids they are terrible is an idiot. You don't need to tell your kids that their finger paintings are picasso. Just educate them and help them to aspire to be conscientious good people.

@kevingrr
who said anything about feelings?
while i actually share your optimism and am nowhere near the nihilistic philosophy that carlin is bemoaning in this clip,i also have my eyes wide open.

i realize that the computer i am using to converse with you was due to the exploitation of workers on the other side of the globe.that some 15 year old indonesian worked 16 hours so he/she could buy a bowl of rice and live in an apartment with 20 other people.or that the 5$ pair of nike shorts i am wearing was made by some worker in bangledesh who made 27 cents and sleeps in a tin shack covered with plastic bags.

i live in a country where ones self-worth is directly related to what they can buy.people are judged by what they own.how they look.how they make their living.

when you compare the social attitudes,in regards to community, from 50 years ago to now the radical changes are immense.

this is what carlin was addressing.
that basically your only redeeming social value is your ability to buy useless crap.

argue all you want about which pair of shoes is better,or whats the best toilet paper but dont ever question the system.

carlin is just lamenting the willful ignorance of an american populace that has been brainwashed into believing that they are the center of the universe.

and you are right.there has been improvement,but in other countries.
it is america that is circling the drain.

@enoch

There is little doubt that Child Labor, Labor Explotation, and Forced Labor continue to be of a major concern with Africa and Asia/India being particularly problematic. That said, concerted efforts are being made to reduce these numbers and they are improving, but slower than anyone would like. Unfortunately the problem is largely cyclical - even educated youth have trouble finding productive work, so they are forced into unskilled labor, and there is little economic growth.

Again, there is no magic wand that any one organization or person can waive to resolve these issues. The ILO has been trying for almost 100 years...

I would not characterize every person who is lucky or privileged enough that they do not live in those conditions to be terrible people.

Consumerism?
Nor would I characterize people's value as simply being good consumers. The people I know in my life all make contributions to the welfare of those around them and are rewarded for those contributions.

e.g. My best friend, a p.h.d. doing research regarding immunology I can't begin to understand. My fiance, finishing her ER residency at the county hospital. My brother, working as a kayaking guide.

Circling the Drain
Is America really circling the drain? I doubt it. Has it done terrible things? We all know it has.

When I look around I see a lot of problems here. We do have a huge wealth gap. We do have ghettos and crime. We have all sorts of selfcentered ego driven loons.

Yet we also have an enormous pool of talented and intelligent people working on all kinds of things. Some of which are mundane and some of which are really amazing - and many of which are sifted about on this website all the time.

Carlin
I saw Carlin live twice before he died. I own several of his books. I think he is a brilliant comedian and insightful thinker. My point is and was - he saw it as his job to remind us "HEY - look over here. See this shit? This is FUCKED." And he was right.

@kevingrr
you are engaging in a false polemic defense.
and it is unnecessary.

i did not call you out specifically so there is no need to defend your actions nor those who you know personally.

and just because i point out one truth does not negate the other.
example:

"the soldier who oversaw the gas chambers during world war 2 was a fantastic father and husband"

1.the soldier was a fantastic father and husband=true
2.he oversaw and fascillitated the deaths of thousands of jews=true

as for my "america is circling the drain" assertion,let me rephrase to make it a more succinct statement:
"the american empire is circling the drain"
see:rome (and pretty much every empire known to human history)