George Carlin
Court Jester
The medieval court jester was much more than just a prankster who danced around like an idiot for the amusement of others; he was an important part of the King's advisory council. He was an observer, a listener, a psychologist, a prosecutor, a spy. One might say he was not unlike the satan in the Hebrew bible (which is not the Devil, by the way), who was a person in Yahweh's court that was given free reign to test, question and challenge without fear of reprisal. Enter the jester who, in jest, could reveal the obvious or even the not so obvious and live to tell the tale.
While things have changed for the better in the American system of government (although not so much as we might think), in a medieval monarchy where the King had the power of judge, jury and executioner over his subjects, the desire to stay on his "good side" was a prudent policy of self preservation. As such, misinformation and the disingenuous conformity of "yes men" made it difficult to get a clear understanding of a given situation. This made the court jester a very important resource for information.
The modern court jester
I have always been amazed at the subtle power comedians in general, and stand-up comedians in particular, command in the public eye. Few others can get away with the outspoken observances these individuals make without finding themselves ostracized or having their credibility tarnished or being censored into oblivion. Who but Jim Carrey, for example, could walk on stage as a presenter for the Academy Awards (a formal affair), bend over with his butt facing the crowd, grab a "cheek" in each hand and start undulating them together while reciting the words, "may I ASS you a few questions?" (mimicking a scene from one of his movies), and have people burst out laughing? Can you imagine going into your boss's office and doing that?
For the comedian most any topic is fair game be it racial slurs, character attacks, admonishments of government and public policy and, yes, even religion. Not even rock stars are afforded such latitude, which is evidenced by the public opinion outcries against people like Marilyn Manson who frequently find themselves ostracized and blamed for every problem of modern society, scapegoats for people who will do anything to avoid looking into the mirror.
Like the medieval court jester, however, comedians are afforded a certain amount of immunity to say things that would be deemed taboo, even criminal, by the general population. And not only are such things accepted, they are encouraged, and we eagerly tune-in to hear them! Why? It's really very simple ... we tune-in for the simple fact that they are saying aloud the things most of us want to say but do not dare for fear of the ramifications such expression might cause for us. We fear conflict in our relationships, both private and professional--and such fears are not hysterical, they are well-founded! The comedian can stand up on an international stage and be brutally honest, tell it like it is, bring to light things everyone can plainly see but dare not espouse, else suffer the consequences. We adore their freedom! We justify our enjoyment by pretending that it is just "light-hearted humor" and that "it doesn't really mean anything," but inside we know it is so much more! We know that the reason it is so funny is precisely because it cuts right to the core of truth. This is especially so in the biggest taboo of them all, religion, and specifically Christianity here in the U.S.
To illustrate the above point, consider the ramifications Jesse Ventura suffered after his comments about religion in his Playboy interview (Nov. 99):
"Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers."
While this was not career-ending for Ventura (only because he's not Democrat or Republican, though!), he took an incredible amount of heat and had to offer a public apology or it might still have spelt an end to his political career. Sad, but true.
But what of George Carlin's comments on religion? He goes far beyond anything Ventura has said publicly about religion. He speaks openly about his history of drug use and other social problems growing up; he pulls no punches in stating his position on Christianity, the clergy, indoctrinated dogma and the horrors they have caused in the world. But while millions found deep offense at Ventura's singular comment, reviling him as a "godless atheist" in the process, millions of these same people (Christians and non-Christians alike!) will eagerly tune-in to be entertained by Carlin, even as he exposes the very questions about their own religion that years of indoctrination have taught them to suppress!
Now I do not pretend that Carlin would not also be severely criticized for his outspoken views against organized religion if he were somehow to be elected to governmental position of public trust (wow, there's a thought...); he most assuredly would, and rightly, since in that situation he would be expected to represent "all of the people," not just those who hold his own beliefs. It would be imperative that he separate his personal non-religious views from his public service responsibilities, which is something all of our government representatives should be doing...
Are you listening Mr. President? Mr. Vice President? Mr. Attorney General? No, of course not, and therein lies the problem...
The point I am trying to make is that there is an ingrained hypocrisy built into the public mind, and it starts early in youth. We usually know when something is wrong with the establishment, but we are conditioned to look the other way and to not only support the establishment, but to attack those who do not support it. And that is what religion has done to society. We are taught to view those politicians who support Christianity, the church, and "faith" as being virtuous, moral, family oriented and pro-American, and conversely, to deplore those who do not believe or support it as being immoral, anti-Family, anti-Christian, and anti-American. But in the private recesses our minds we know the truth and even while the right hand is publicly denouncing the nonconformists, the left hand is praising them!
Conclusion
If it's the truth you're looking for the people to ask are not the church ministers, the corporate giants or the high seats in office; they will tell you what they think you need to hear, and usually for self-serving reasons. No, if you really want the underlying truth go ask the court jester. You may not like what he has to say, but he'll tell it to you like it is; which is precisely why they were so valued by Kings.
George Carlin is one such court jester who is not only a talented artist and orator, but he is an American icon that grabs the public attention with his work. As much as the religious leaders would like to ignore him and just hope he goes away, they can't because Carlin is too popular and he commands immense public attention. In fact, someone like Carlin can do more to educate the public on the hypocrisy of religious intolerance in just one HBO comedy special than most organizations dedicated to such causes can do in a year, or even for the entirety of their existence. The reason is that he is in a unique position to speak to millions of people at once, about very serious issues that typically incite dissension and anger under normal circumstances, and yet he can make them laugh in the process. That is power!
MP3 Audio
Video Clips
Text Quotations
Interviews