A George Carlin Quote!

[babsbunny]

“Now, there's one thing you might have noticed I don't complain about: politicians. Everybody complains about politicians. Everybody says they suck. Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don't fall out of the sky. They don't pass through a membrane from another reality. They come from American parents and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses and American universities, and they are elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do folks. This is what we have to offer. It's what our system produces: Garbage in, garbage out. If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're going to get selfish, ignorant leaders. Term limits ain't going to do any good; you're just going to end up with a brand new bunch of selfish, ignorant Americans. So, maybe, maybe, maybe, it's not the politicians who suck. Maybe something else sucks around here... like, the public. Yeah, the public sucks. There's a nice campaign slogan for somebody: 'The Public Sucks. Fuck Hope.” ~ George Carlin

The Church of George Carlin of Modern Day Saints

[YoungDemCA]

1. While I sympathize with the sentiment...

...I would also say that "the public" is itself conditioned by the values and cultural norms of the society at large, which is controlled, in large part, by the Power Elite.

[jtuck004]

11. The 1%? That would be 3 million people vs 310 million or so. That says a lot more about the

unwillingness of the 310 million to leave the plantation, it seems. Maybe that's why George said what he said.

It's like an elephant being afraid of an earthworm.

Wonder what they are afraid of?

[Cirque du So-What]

2. I don't know about 'saint'

but I sure consider him a 'prophet.'

[Initech]

12. We should start the First Church Of Carlinism.

[russspeakeasy]

3. Love it...

[L0oniX]

4. K & R

[cantbeserious]

5. "Garbage In, Garbage Out" -- Too True

eom

[tblue37]

6. Of course, even when we TRY to elect better

people these days, the two-party system with no run-off voting; the stranglehold the party power brokers have on the primaries and the decisions over who gets to run and which candidates receive party support; the hackable voting machines; and the gerrymandered districts make it certain that our actual wishes will have only limited impact on the outcome.

And then, of course, the fact that we have a system of legalized bribery in our politics means that in order to hold on to their jobs, elected representatives must do the bidding of the 1% who control everything and finance their campaigns (or, if necessary, the primary campaigns to oust those who dare to rock the boat), not the bidding of the huge majority of mere citizen voters who want something closer to sanity and decency in public policy.

Look at how the people rose up in Wisconsin--but their concerns were ignored; they could not make themselves "heard" by those in power.

[geckosfeet]

7. Ahhh Carlin. The classic New York cynic. One of my favs.

He played well in NY and NJ.

Southern audiences were a bit cooler to his shows I suspect, but I have no google foo to prove it.

But yeah - I agree somewhat. Our politicians are a reflection of our society. That's where they are grown from and what they react to and in. They are immersed in a culture of greed and corruption, lobbyists and financial mega-corps pressing in from all sides. The little guy, the consumer and the citizen falls by the wayside after the election, only to become somewhat important the next election cycle.

Citizens need to be able to influence policy. Or at least have an equal opportunity without having to buy our way past the lobbyists and the mega-corps.

[WillyT]

8. K & R !!!

[Recursion]

9. I never liked him when he talked that way

Fuck that. Pointing at people and saying "you should do better" isn't a strategy, and isn't "helping".

[quaker bill]

17. Don't confuse Carlin with someone who wanted to "help".

I detected no sense that he thought we should do better, he was just telling us that we are profoundly F***ed, and that we did it to ourselves.

[FrodosPet]

10. So what about his using "The N word"?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023115386

[Egalitarian Thug]

13. K&R&LOL. Though I'm pretty certain George would never found a church.

[Curmudgeoness]

14. I have to agree that we have too many selfish, ignorant

people, in politics and in the public. How many times do we see a shitty politician get re-elected because he "brings home the bacon" to his home district. Selfish....as long as we get what we want, screw everyone else and screw to country.

On the other hand, it is really hard to run for a public office without being selfish and arrogant. Having the confidence to get the popular vote means that you have to be.....so those are the people who we have to choose from. Every once in a while, we have a good, sincere choice....but not often enough.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. I like Mark Twains thoughts on the subject of politicians:

"History has tried to teach us that we can't have good government under politicians. Now, to go and stick one at the very head of government couldn't be wise."

[Billsmile]

16. There's a Problem with Carlin's Whole Idea

If you go further into Carlin's routine it's as if the only thing you can do as a citizen is vote. That where it begins & ends. But Carlin is incorrect. Change comes from movement politics.

[angrychair]

18. While I love Carlin

I can't walk all the way down the path with him on this one point. If you watch the whole "Politicians" bit you get a little more insight into the point Carlin is making. It is a very jaded and raw expression of the state of our society. Its the same now as it was then. I've made the observation many times and so have a lot of you: "how do we always end up with these shitty politicians?" the answer is simple, "Shitty voters" (see 2010 mid-term elections). People have just forgotten how to be citizens anymore. We love to say it, "I'm a citizen of the United States". We love to wave the flag. We love to shout "USA! USA! USA!" during the Olympics. Many love to beat their chest about their military service. While all these things have there place, they don't make you a citizen in the true sense of the word. Doing those things no more makes you a citizen than the lazy bastard melting into his coach, cramming Cheetos into his blow-hole and screaming obscenities at "Celebrity Apprentice". To be a citizen requires something special, active participation. Knowing that the presidential candidate married his high school sweetheart and his favorite color is redwhiteblue means nothing. Knowing your state senate candidate's position on state medicare funding means EVERYTHING. Knowing the city council candidate's position on rezoning public land to for-profit business use means EVERYTHING. Knowing each presidential candidate's position on EVERY issue that matters to you and understanding the differences means EVERYTHING. If you say you will vote for the guy with a "D" after his name because you heard him say "something about civil rights or gay rights or whatever" or if you vote for the guy with the "R" after his name because he said something about "family values and used the word God" than, in either case, you get what you deserve: Garbage in, Garbage out. You suck. Fuck hope. On the other hand, If you want good government be a good citizen.