George Carlin's Influence On American Culture

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.

We are all told that there is a wrong and right way to live our lives. These people are referring to conforming and not conforming to society. Conformity is a noun that means, “compliance with standards, rules, or laws.” The degrees of conforming go from wearing clothes in public like everyone else to following everything everyone does. There are many pieces of literature on this topic. A novel, short story, and poem proves that conformity is the dull way to live life and keeping individuality may be hard, but is worth it. In M.T. Anderson’s novel Feed, it shows the readers that conforming takes away diversity and makes it easier for a government or powerful business to take over and dictate the world. In Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison

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.

The hippie movement is arguably one of the most famous culture movements from the twentieth century, made widely famous in pop-culture involving romanticized images of overly friendly people clothed in bell-bottom pants and flower-print button down shirts. The romanticization of this movement allowed for a widely accepted and skewed view of the true events that happened during this time. The reality is much darker than publicized to the ignorant generations that followed. It can be maintained by many that personal experience and firsthand knowledge provides the most accurate depiction of the true happenings of the time period. Through vivid imagery and impersonal diction, Joan Didion offers a critical unveiling the mayhem that she witnessed during her various firsthand immersions in the developing culture of the 1960s.

Gilbert states that many believed “the very creative energy that welled up in rock and roll, new words, fashions, and customs threatened the stability of American society” (15). On the other hand, many Americans saw the expression of independence from their parents, as a common and traditional trend for teenagers throughout history. Although, this did not stop older generations from pinpointing specific changes in culture to be of “delinquent characteristics” ().

In the early 1960s Newton Minow, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and later, chairman of the board of PBS, once described television as a �vast wasteland.� He also said, �When television is good, nothing is better. When it 's bad, nothing is worse.�

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. This government made everyone became handicapped so that everyone is the same and equal and no one is better than the others.

“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. When Dr. Seuss was thirteen years old, The United States went to war with Germany which brought fear and anxiety to the Geisel’s hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts. During the war, art became a popular method used to depict war and more often to escape the hardships that americans both on and off the battlefield faced. Theodor Seuss Geisel gained inspiration

The war in Vietnam to do this day has gone down as one of the influential and controversial wars in United States history. The war lasted from 1955 to 1975.The nation as a whole began to uproar over the war and the major consequences of the war. There were many reasons why so many Americans were against the war. Public opinion steadily turned against the war following 1967 and by 1970 only a third of Americans believed that the U.S. had not made a mistake by sending troops to fight in Vietnam (Wikipedia). Not to mention, many young people protested because they were the ones being drafted while others were against the war because the anti-war movement grew increasingly popular among the counterculture and drug culture in American society and

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. Differing racial and social groups brewed, worrying the older generations of social

1965, a year which started the most substantial cultural movement in United States history: The Civil Rights Movement. This movement served as a catalyst for equality between White and African Americans. After years of suppression, African Americans took a stand against white suppression, fighting for equality to be placed on the same plane of the social hierarchy. At the time, African Americans lived as socially lower beings in comparison to white people based solely on the lack of sameness. Of course, this lack of sameness is not something they could change. One race cannot simply defy nature and transform into a completely different race. The blacks were not only aware of this fact, but they also embraced it and pushed for equal rights.

“The Wild One” written by art historian Ellen Landau focuses on the psyche of post World War 2 American society and how Jackson’s Pollock’s influence was able to shatter the conventions of an “American hero”, simultaneously bringing about change to what is considered to be an acceptable approach to picture making. Landau’s article begins by asking the question “is he the greatest living painter in the United States?” , she lays this as the platform for her central argument, linking this argument by thoroughly evaluating Pollocks deep rooted personality traits which brought about his own unique style of art making.

Equality 7-2521 tries to persuade them to listen to him, telling them that he gives them "the power of the sky" and the "key to the earth." The scholars respond, saying, "What is not done collectively cannot be good” (Rand 73). Ayn Rands anthem shows opposition to collectivism through the topics, selflessness, family, and invention

Of all the comedic minds to grace the world with their witty and astute observations on life, George Carlin stands as one of the most prolific of all time. With his sledgehammer wit, mastery of the English language, and brash cynicism, he carved himself a legacy not only as a comedian without peer, but as a man who transcended his profession and became more than someone who told jokes: A shockingly precise philosopher whose unique vision of life he shared with the world. With his sharp attacks on taboo institutions such as religion, politics, and American culture, Carlin provided a megaphone for the counterculture, and did so in a way that was accessible to anyone with a love for critical thought.

has lead to negative outcomes. This idea is explored through “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and “The Unknown Citizen” by W.H. Auden. In these two texts conformity eliminates individuality and causes the society to be weakened.