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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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