http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbZhpf3sQxQ"There are some words you can go to jail for! There are some words that we have decided that we just won't say all the time."
-George Carlin, 7 Dirty Words You Can Never Say On Television
George Carlin was such a versatile person. He could make a statement while making you laugh and you paid attention the entire time whether you agreed with him or not, because he was a say-as-he-pleased type of guy. He was a satiric comedian who told his jokes so well and scripted that he was recognized for his skill by winning 5 Grammy awards. I mention “scripted” because every word uttered on stage was practiced, and purposeful, and a part of his act. What this means is that Carlin was always aware of his audience, bringing him great success and recognition as a comedian.
He was most known for his jokes about politics, the English language, and religion. In the context of the "7 Dirty Words" or "Filthy Words", the joke was centrally around the 1st Amendment on our freedom of speech. It was a political joke on how there are certain words that we can’t publicly say, but, as it goes, there are exceptions. These exceptions are due to the peculiar way the English language works. For example, there are some words that have dual meanings and in some contexts it’s perfectly non-offensive but on the contrary it can be vulgarly offensive.
Carlin argues that these “offensive” words are not always known because what constitutes as offensive may range from person to person. The meaning of offensive can also vary upon person. Another variable is that the meanings of words are often transforming into something entirely different from its original meaning. As you can see there are many variables that come into play. And that was all part of the joke as well.
The joke caused so much controversy because it was publicly broadcast. When Carlin was first arrested for this act he was let off clean, with the judge declaring that it was his freedom of right so long as he wasn’t causing a disturbance. Apparently, this disturbance was made the day the act aired on WBAI-FM when a father and son sat through Carlin’s segment and were utterly offended.
Once again Carlin found himself facing the system. This time it wasn’t aimed directly at him but directed more to his segment, which was central to the supreme court case FCC v. Pacifica. His material was found indecent but not obscene. What’s interesting about this case is how much controversy Carlin’s joke caused. Although this was done back in 1973, there are still shows, documentaries, movies, radio segments, social media, billboards, ads, commercials, etc. with vulgar language or material either containing the same words Carlin used, or material suggestive of those words. Yet, these are stilled aired.
The article, “Children, Indecency and the Perils of Broadcasting: The ‘Scared Straight’ Case”, speaks on this by comparing Pacifica (George Carlin) to the TV documentary show “Scared Straight”. The documentary takes juvenile offenders to penitentiaries to essentially scare them “straight”. The article argues that “both Carlin and the convicts employed a vocabulary intended to “shock” the listener; both used offensive language repeatedly and deliberately”. Although this portion of both parties equals out, the results didn’t. Carlin was found indecent by the Supreme Court and “Scared Straight” was not found indecent by the FCC.
I provided a link to a segment of Carlin’s “7 Dirty Words” , take a look and let me know what you think. Do you find it offensive? Or is Carlin harmlessly exercising his freedom of speech? If you find this clip offensive, why? And, do you find shows like “Scared Straight” offensive?Sources:
Article: "Indecency in the 21st Century: Revisiting the Assumptions Underlying the Reguation of Indecent Broadcasting in Light of Empirical Evidence"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbZhpf3sQxQ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Carlin
Very good Blog! Just like Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy back in their time of stand up. They pushed the envelope a lot using sexual words as well as profanity.
ReplyDeleteWhen watching the video Carlin says, “The same words that can hurt you can also heal.” I never thought of it that way. I have heard of the same words that can make you smile can make you cry.
After doing further research I cam across a story that says he went to jail because of a comedy script that he did. Yes his 1st Amendment was violated. It seems like we are not that free when we cant say what we want when we want. The times have changed so much that now days many words that adults didn’t say on TV are actually said in cartoons today. When I was with my son watching Cartoon Network the cartoon character said the word “ass”. When I heard it I was a little disturbed that they would allow a cartoon to say that. It amazes me on how much time has changed things.
I absolutely love this post! George Carlin was a favorite of mine for this reason! He was out spoken and took a stand for freedom of speech (in his own way of course). As a journalism students, first amendment rights are something that we hold close to us. It's always important for us to know that we can and should be heard.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a really good job showing this argument through Carlin's experience!
Elduvina Fraga June 19, 2013
ReplyDeleteOnline or Offline, we are Still human
Yes, I agree with the article and with your comments that we are humans. However, censorship has existed for a long time and human rights have been violated since the human race was created. Do you remember the first men and women who lived in caverns? Men then were said to pull their women by the hair and hit them with matzos. Is that not considered a basic human rights violation?
Well, what can we expect from Facebook? If we post our daily life on Facebook, whether it is to help others, share ideas, or do business transactions, then we are letting our “friends” into our private world. If we weren’t so open, then maybe we would have fewer opportunities to have our rights violated. When we face daily life issues in person, we often hurt each other, so why should we expect social media to be any different. After all, on Facebook, you don’t know if people are lying about their personality and intentions. For all we know, our “friends” can be a disguised child molester or thief. Because on Facebook and other social media, people tend to say what others want to hear, as responsible media users and consumers, we need to use technology to improve our knowledge. Instead of damaging others, we can encourage ourselves and others to use the media for appropriate transfer of information. Since privacy violation does exist, my recommendation is to post only the things you really need to post on your wall, rather than posting every minute of your life.