George Carlin Predicts Occupy Wall Street's Philosophy (VIDEO, NSFW)

If you can believe it, the world has been without George Carlin for over three years. But his influential stand-up comedy continues to resonate with themes in our society that will never go out of style: inequality, social mores, hypocrisy and disenfranchisement, to name a few. And based on this clip from his 2005 special "Life is Worth Losing," Carlin would likely be marching with protesters in the Occupy Wall Street movement, or at least supporting them from afar.

Even after spending the majority of his life's work writing and performing stand-up comedy intended to expose inherent absurdities in our modern world, Carlin continued to do more new material than the most prolific of today's stand-ups, with the exception of Louis C.K., who heeded that lesson from Carlin.

In this clip, from 2005's "Life is Worth Losing," Carlin approaches themes that could very well serve as the Occupy Wall Street Manifesto in 2011. While not as tight as the Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television -- the comedy bit that got him arrested for indecency -- his diatribe against shadowy elites in politics and finance are just as relevant as any routine from Carlin's heyday.

You know something? [Wall Street] will get it. They'll get it all from you sooner or later, 'cause they own this f***in' place. It's a big club, and you ain't in it. You and I are not in the big club. ... The table is tilted, folks. The game is rigged. And nobody seems to notice, nobody seems to care. Good, honest hard working people ... continue to elect these rich c***suckers who don't give a f*** about them.

Carlin died only a few months before President Obama was elected. We wonder what wisdom old George would have spoken were he alive today.

WATCH:

(via Dangerous Minds)

 

 

Comments

[PoliticalRockChick]

06:53 AM on 10/09/2011

I used to work in Wall Street. I got out because of the reasons Carlin talked about. I got sick and tired of being part of the machine that is lying to the people. All of it are perfectly legal. They have the best lawyers to find them all the loopholes to get them out of every mess and make them lots money. They created the loopholes by making sure legislation is tilted toward them. They want you to stay ignorant, they blame you when the mess hit the fan because you did not have a lawyer present when you signed the contracts you didn't understand; (they love ignorants). They blame you by saying unions are bad, because of them and your demands to get paid minimum wage and above they have to take the jobs overseas.They continue to advise you to consume, cause it's supposedly good for the economy. It's good for their pockets. They make you just comfortable enough so you can be complacent enough, ignorant enough not to get up and start a revolution. Having the people unite, isn't what they want. The rich gets richer because middle, poor class and immigrants continue to believe in this American Dream. It's a dream, not reality. They will continue to make sure you vote against your self-interest, tell you to work hard and you too will be rich like them. Who do you think sold you the idea of the American Dream in the first place?

[lakevu]

12:09 AM on 10/06/2011

No truer words could have been delivered by the master George Carlin.
RIP

[Peace Walker]

09:23 PM on 10/05/2011

I am Ninety-nine!

[KJLSanDiego]

09:15 PM on 10/05/2011

Real talk from the one who kept it real the best!

[JcFractal]

09:04 PM on 10/05/2011

Wow! George Carlin is the Man!

[sharmaine73]

05:45 PM on 10/05/2011

There are things we can do. We are not powerless. We can organize mass strikes. Stop the movement of commerce. I've been saying this for months. Hit them where it hurts. In their bank accounts. Stop loading and unloading the cargo ships at all the ports. Block trains from moving anything. Don't purchase anything that isn't absolutely necessary. Walk off those manufactur­ing jobs en masse. Let everything sit in warehouses and rot.

AND occupy Wall Street.

They'll start to listen. We DO have power. It's called our labor. Without our cooperatio­n, they have nothing.”

[kibibi]

06:06 PM on 10/05/2011

that information is old school thinking and I totally agree whole heartily, this is why the labor movement and the history of labor has been removed from the text books so the generations of 40 and under have no idea of how we got a middle class and who were the foot soldiers that gave them all the things they take for granted today.

[sharmaine73]

06:53 PM on 10/05/2011

We need more people to realize this. I guess people aren't mad enough, poor enough, hungry enough, or kicked around enough yet.

[donk970]

05:44 PM on 10/05/2011

And once again: While everyone has been fixated on the evils of socialism, fascism has been sneaking in the back door. The more corporatio­ns are able to influence decisions in government the more fascist we become.

What George is describing is fascism by any other name.

[Ed Westfield]

11:47 AM on 10/05/2011

Also, I think Bill Maher's New Rule back in August was in-part a Rick-Santelli-style clarion call for stronger and more visible progressive movements like Occupy Wall Street.

Video: http://youtu.be/5lJXlaoAc4U
HuffPost article: http://huff.to/r0p3zr

[nitwitsRus]

11:31 AM on 10/05/2011

Game Changers? what?
football ta fooseball?

[jlab]

09:39 AM on 10/05/2011

Reaction by roughly 75% of voters:

Oh, but that angry old man is not funny! Where's my Jeff Dunham DVD?

[Sid Pena]

08:45 AM on 10/05/2011

Bill Hicks and George Carlin tried to tell you what was happening. But the masses were/are too busy trying to drive an Escalade instead of feeding the hungry or educating the children. You reap what you sow and now that hell has come to breakfast you seem surprised. The world is moving on.

[ZKMC]

03:33 AM on 10/11/2011

exactly. i wish they would have been surprised a bit earlier. i miss carlin and hicks. no one listened to them, or to kurt vonnegut.

[evilgoogleman]

08:39 AM on 10/05/2011

I've been sharing this clip forever, with everyone I know, everyone I love and even those I don't. Truer words have never been spoken about our current situation. Share the wisdom.

[Ossit]

07:37 AM on 10/05/2011

That's what I keep saying especially about re-electing these clowns that people actually believe work for them so they yell to get rid of the old one and elect the 'same' new ones. But when you say it, those people don't want to take the responsibility for it and when Carlin says it, people listen, and when Government wants to limit or take away something for the Poor, no one cares and it's approved of until they're affected like with Social Security and it doesn't matter how much you've paid into it, they'll take it just like George said. When it happens, then people will notice. People who won't believe in Majority Thinking and think independently aren't well received either. You were on the mark with everything George. I sure wish you were around to do more commentary.

[xango]

04:34 AM on 10/05/2011

Carlin's last years were cynical and sour but he was a genius.

[Peace Walker]

09:24 PM on 10/05/2011

Yes he was, but the older I get the more I understand. He wanted to leave a world in which his balls on accurate satire actually made a difference...

[iwannafly]

03:51 AM on 10/05/2011

Carlin for Nobel in literature, science, religion, peace, and common sense!