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George Carlin's Influence On American Culture

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Sameness: A Research Response American Culture is centered around uniformity. Individual minds have been infiltrated and programed to expect sameness; many of the strongest and brightest minds have been programed this way. Rather than embracing the qualities that make each individual unique, society pushes individuals to abandon their own quirky traits in favor of conforming with the “norm” decided on by society. In his quote, “Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?” George Carlin used experiences from his own life, observations from the world around him, as well as counterculture to shape his comedic routines. Does George Carlin use his routines to encourage or …show more content…

Counterculture is “the culture and lifestyle of those people, especially among the young, who reject or oppose the dominant values and behavior of society.”1 This small sect of society rejected the “norms” decided on by the larger majority and in doing so, counterculture created a safe haven for those looking to create their own individuality. Carlin’s switch from his “establishment job”3 to his work in counterculture provided the perfect avenue for his message to be delivered widespread. A 1972 album of Carlin’s won a Grammy award after “going gold”3 and his work has been nominated ten times in total for a Grammy, with Carlin accumulating four wins in total. This alternative place in society rejected “the dominant values and behavior of society,”1 yet it is through his work geared toward them that Carlin had the most success. Counterculture rejects sameness, but so does Carlin; these similar viewpoints, in the end, embody sameness in itself. Each person in society looks for the group who shares their views, in the end society craves sameness; without it, individuals would be left to try to understand the world in their

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Television programs often retain an aspect of reality in order to relate to the audience and commentate on social issues. Although both The Goldbergs and The Twilight Zone address controversial issues such as gender roles, insanity, and ethnic stereotypes, genre differentiates their approach and their audiences’ receptiveness to change. Whereas The Goldbergs, an ethnic sitcom, addresses the external world using comedic relief, The Twilight Zone, a science fiction program, delves into the human mind using imagination. Despite their common efforts to direct social change, the programs are inverse images of one another, and The Twilight Zone’s genre structure allows it to resonate more with the audience. From 1949 to 1956, The Goldbergs dominated television as the first televised sitcom.

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“The Influence on the Unconscious” As young adults, we have laid around our homes for countless hours watching different types of television programing. Many of us, have a good idea on whether a program tries to offend viewers with their content. For over a decade, the popular television show “Family Guy” created by Seth MacFarlane, has shown controversial content that many people throughout the world have either loved or hated. In the writing piece titled, “Family Guy and Freud: Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious” by Antonia Peacocke that is discussed below encourages us to distinguish between offensive and insightful content that airs on Family Guy.

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George Carlin is one of the most renowned comedians of all time, known for his sharp wit, insightful social commentary, and irreverent attitude towards authority. In his stand-up special "Jammin in New York," Carlin delivers a masterful performance that tackles a wide range of topics, from politics and religion to language and culture. Through his incisive humor and provocative insights, Carlin challenges the audience to question their assumptions and think critically about the world around them. One of the key themes of Carlin's performance is his critique of American society and its institutions. He takes aim at politicians, the media, and the education system, arguing that they are all complicit in perpetuating a system of oppression

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The first half of the book, Dr. Glenn Altschuler, largely focused on how rock ‘n’ roll and those who wrote and produced it stirred up topics such as race and sexuality. As with any new social or cultural shift, rock ‘n’ roll faced an almost immediate resistance from both religious and fundamentalist extremists. In most cases, it was the same types of people that opposed rock ‘n’ roll also opposed other major social reforms such as racial integration.

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Collectivism is the idea that a group 's needs must be put before the needs of oneself and the society functions as “we” rather that “me”. Throughout the stories one sees how each author portrays the use of a collectivist society though uniqueness, equality, and transgression. There are many similarities between the novella Anthem by Ayn Rand and the story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. In Anthem and “Harrison Bergeron” one could see that a similar theme is that going against the grain causes consequences. According to “Harrison Bergeron” a ballerina states that “ ‘Harrison Bergeron age fourteen,’ she said in a grackle squawk, ‘has just escaped from jail, where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.

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Harrison Bergeron is a novel where the author is expressing what he thinks society is leading to and what the problems are. Harrison Bergeron is the main character and his points of view and thinking matters are interesting to investigate. This author made everyone the same. Societies are pressuring people to become the same and making people think that if they don 't look or act some sort of way, they don 't matter or serve to our world, causing many people to go to certain limits and even causing suicide as a solution. In the story, everyone thinks the same, everyone walks the same, hears the same.

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The Impact of Dr. Seuss on American Culture “ Because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing (Dr. Seuss).” When Theodor Seuss Geisel was born, life was not as easy as it is today. From war to civil rights movements, Seuss endured many influential american “battles”. Theodor Seuss Geisel grew up in a large German community where his family lived and worked.

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Omi said, “Such a process consolidated, among other things, our ‘common sense’ understandings of what we think various groups should look like. Such presumptions have led to tragicomical results.” (547). Popular culture is so accustomed to this kind of mindset that it makes it seem acceptable, and even ‘normal’.

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Overall, perhaps one of George Carlin’s most endearing traits is the value he placed on individuality and free thought. Throughout his long and esteemed career, he made an impact by being unashamedly himself. He didn’t bend to anyone’s will, and believed it was his duty to challenge, criticize, and blaspheme that which was considered sacred. George Carlin, through his love of the individual and his contempt of the institution, solidified his place as one of the most distinct voices of all time, and will continue to impact those who hear his message and decide that they

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Subcultures form due to our deep rooted preference for likeminded individuals and ideas. We hold anxieties about how people are different and we worry about our own status within society (Andrew Campa 2015 YouTube). Schouten and Alexander (1995) describe that “a subculture of consumption is a distinctive subgroup of society that self-selects on the basis of a shared commitment to a particular products class, brand or consumption activity” (43). It is through this continued communal consumption that an individual finds social validation for their beliefs, value and way of life. Popular culture has magnified high school subcultural identities.

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There was rock, folk music, and many more. But, in the late sixties Rock n Roll, commonly reckoned as the golden age of rock and roll when it attained a maturity unimaginable for the delinquent rebellion of the fifties, there are numerous references to the Vietnam War. The criticism of the war is submerged in or displaced by the politics of sexuality, lifestyle, and drugs. Rock music of that time period celebrated anti-materialism, spiritual awakening and social disengagement (James pg 133). Like the social movement it made possible, hippie music was ideologically and economically assimilable.

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Seinfeld was a comedy show that aired in the late eighties to late nineties. It follows the daily life of four single friends, Jerry, his neighbor Kramer, his friend George, and his ex-girlfriend Elaine around New York City. The show features what many consider “observational humor” which focuses on everyday situations. The show also has many elements of the superiority, incongruity, and relief theory of humor. I analyzed the first and second episode of season one of Seinfeld in order to describe the ways in which these theories manifest themselves in the show.

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The way in which Hicks exposed the flaws in our society through his standup routines makes his standup career the most influential by allowing him to inspire other comedians while still providing social value to his jokes. By delivering his commentary and outright disgust of American culture in a casual, personal manner to his audience, Bill Hicks is able to successfully insult his audience by making them consider their own hypocrisies. His ability to challenge society to see the flaws in their views on issues like religion and drugs and society’s overwhelming need to get involved in issues that are not theirs to be involved in

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The counter-culture era was beginning in the 1960’s. It was never more than a “minority movement” which introduced new ideas about sex, communal lifestyles, and new ideas with food, clothes, and music. The sexual aspect of the movement was in full swing as college students were taking more casual approaches to sex and birth control made their appearances. People were also starting to do drugs, such a marijuana, and LSD.

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Cultural Impact of Rock and Roll Amidst the 1960’s Jimi Hendrix formerly stated, “Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.” A generation which was earnestly devoted to peace, protest, and revolution, the counterculture amongst the 1960’s yearned for change. Rock and roll was far beyond just a genre of music; it influenced lifestyles, protests, and attitudes, thus, kindling an awakening in the youth of American culture. The distinction between parental and youth culture was a persistent root of concern, considering that teens throughout the world found a sense of belonging in this style of music.

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