George_Carlin_Uses_His_Anarchist_Views_on_Modern_American_Society_and_Its_Institutions_Effectively_Illustrating_Marx's_Social_Conflict_Theory

George Carlin Uses His Anarchist Views on Modern American Society and Its Institutions Effectively Illustrating Marx’s Social Conflict Theory. George Carlin was one of Americas most talented and courageous artists of the century. He started doing stand-up comedy in the early 60’s during a time of crisis and civil disobedience. Carlin used his talent for making people laugh as a way of becoming a social commentator, a radical, and an anarchist. Carlin’s main focus in his routines was providing a forum for highlighting America’s idiosyncrasies and social issues in a way that Americans could laugh at their own inability to change their situation. He used political and social issues as the focus of much of his comedy, effectively highlighting illogical human theory concerning some of the most basic truths in life. Carlin’s anarchist views gave a rise to his scathing explanation of the American eccentricities pertaining to human societies and their economic, political, and moral tribulations. Marx’s conflict theory offers the lens through which Carlin views the enmity between the rich and the poor. Conflict theorists, such as Marx, would argue that property is the critical element of capitalists. Thus, struggles over property become political struggles and material conditions enable one group to proliferate their views to others in society. This exploitation is what allows the bourgeoisie to dominate and impose their ideologies on the proletariats of the world. For Marx, this conflict arises because capitalists exploit workers for their labor and do not allocate compensation of their labor equally, pocketing most of the profits to increase their own wealth and maintain the conditions that perpetuate the status quo. The only demand that property recognizes is its own greater wealth, privileges, and power. Power is an aphrodisiac that subdues, degrades, enslave, demoralizes, and emasculate the spirit of the masses. Carlin demonstrates his use of anarchism and conflict based views on his 1988 album, What AM I Doing in New Jersey', which preaches against the consolidation of wealth and power. Carlin states, "The real owners are the big wealthy business interests that control things and make all the important decisions. Forget the politicians, they're an irrelevancy. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don't. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control the corporations. They've long since bought and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the statehouses, the city halls. They've got the judges in their back pockets. And they own all the big media companies, so that they control just about all of the news and information you hear. They've got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying – lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want; they want more for themselves and less for everybody else". "But I'll tell you what they don't want," "They don't want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don't want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They're not interested in that. That doesn't help them. That's against their interests… You know what they want' Obedient workers – people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork but just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shittier jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, reduced benefits, the end of overtime and the vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it… It's a big club, and you ain't in it. You and I are not in the big club." (Carlin, 1988) Carlin continues to remain loyal to his beliefs through a half century of societal, political, and economic changes. He shows no sympathy for any political party and uses brutal realism to analyze modern American society‘s disintegration into absurdity and moral perplexity. During the early 80’s Carlin started to reevaluate his views creating his voice by viewing the disparity of the conditions faced by the various classes of people he came into contact with during his vast travels across America. Carlin began subscribing to publications like Anarchy magazine, Mother Jones, In These Times, Nation, and the radical Village Voice, which allowed him to study the philosophy and principles of radicals like Gore Vidal, Hunter Thompson, and Noam Chomsky. These writers said things in a daring and bold manner, truly dissenting voices. He classified himself as a left-wing, humanitarian secular humanist, with a liberal inclination on the one hand, and on the other hand a man filled with prejudice, anger, and hatred toward various classes of people.(Carlin, 2009) This constant internal struggle allowed Carlin to evaluate people and situations from many perspectives. He became a master at being able to scrutinize a situation, find the root cause, and illuminate that cause for the world to visualize all under the auspice of comedy. He used humor to point out some of the most thought provoking material ever presented regarding class stratification, religion, politics, the environment, and economics. He spoke scathingly about topics that highlighted American’s general lethargy concerning morals, prejudices, hatred, discrimination and benevolence toward other members of society. Carlin illuminates America’s arrogance during his sketch, Saving the Planet, where he comments on the bourgeoisie who righteously exclaim their altruism for the planet while continuing to exploit our society environmentally, so they can be morally condescending to others. (Carlin, 1992) In a television interview with Bill Maher, George Carlin discusses President George W. Bush, “the real looting of this country takes place in the transfer of wealth from the rich to the poor. The rich have been made richer and the poor have been made poorer under this criminal fascist President and his government.” “All of this back and forth debate implies that there are really choices in this country. That we really have choices. Freedom of choice. It’s an illusion … let me say one thing about choice. There is no real choice. They say “freedom of choice.” You’re given an illusion of choice. Americans are meant to feel free by the exercise of meaningless choices … you know what the choices are in this country' Paper or plastic. Aisle or window. Smoking or non-smoking. Those are your real choices. You don’t get to choose anything in this country.”(Carlin, 2005) This quote exhibits Carlin’s belief that we have no real rights in our American society. We are ruled by those that make the decisions and keep us in a state of oppression fueled by ignorance of our own condition. Carlin points out that raising the educational levels for the subjugated would not be an incentive for the elite, because furthering education should only exist to increase understanding of the instructions that they have been given by the elite. He states, “We’re only supposed to be smart enough to slave for them, not too smart, so that we run the risk of becoming critical thinkers.”(Carlin, 2005) Marx concluded that an individual’s consciousness is formed over time as a product of their social, political, and economic environment. The members of society who are in authority and the media are proficient in altering the perceptions of the lower classes to the benefit of their ideals. The class that dictates the economic, social, and political spheres of a society will also dictate the individual beliefs of that society. The power class persuades the subservient class that the status quo is beneficial and necessary for the survival of all. Thus the ideas of the power elite become the ideas of the weaker classes. This unfounded or misconstrued belief is in part what keeps the subordinate class tolerant of their societal situations and economies. Gore Vidal communicates this philosophy in his quote, “The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequality of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return”. (Vidal, 1977) A recent example of false consciousness was exhibited by millions of Americans during the presidency of George W. Bush concerning the invasion of Iraq after the 911 attacks. Even though Bush’s personal trustworthiness ratings in the major polls repeatedly showed evidence of a lack of trust on the part of the average American, we supported the invasion with an 88% approval rating, thus proving that we have been taught to trust the president and his office, not the man himself. Millions of American unquestioningly gave support to Bush just because he was the President and that was enough to earn our allegiance. (Jones, 2008) Marx’s ideal of the exodus of the state is also shared by anarchists and therefore significant to acknowledge that Marx started with the anarchist’s viewpoint instead of one rooted in communism or socialism. His views were based on his beliefs that the assembling of all revolutionary mechanisms generated from past struggles and doctrines were the answer to creating radical reformative change in the present and future. Marxism is dependent on academic and methodical discussion of revolutionary strategy, where Anarchism is dependent on a moral discussion about radical practices. As a result, where Marxism has produced brilliant theories of application, it's mostly been anarchists who have been working on the application itself. Norm Chomsky, an MIT professor who represents modern American anarchist beliefs stated in an interview with Drug War Chronicle, “Anarchism is a tendency in the history of human thought & action which seeks to identify coercive, authoritarian, & hierarchic structures of all kinds & to challenge their legitimacy — & if they cannot justify their legitimacy, which is quite commonly the case, to work to undermine them & expand the scope of freedom.” (DRC, 2002) Anarchism’s goal is the freest possible expression of all the suppressed powers of the individual. Oscar Wilde defines a perfect personality as “one who develops under perfect conditions, who is not wounded, maimed, or in danger.”(Wilde, 2004) A perfect persona then can only be found in a society that offers true freedom of choice; recognizing the rights of the individual only as a means to itself. Carlin continues throughout his career to reiterate his belief that Americans live self-centered lives totally oblivious to their continued perpetuation of their own repression by continuing the cycle of obedience. “It's an angry and provocative fist in the face of public democracy and its foundation that rests on individualism: we don't vote for what's best for the country as a whole, we vote for what we believe will benefit us individually.”(Carlin, 2005) responds Carlin. He exposes our belief that we actually have a free choice which is determined by our own will. Anarchism offers social order based on individuals free access to the earth’s resources and the human factors of individual desires and circumstances. (Lefebvre, 1968) Carlin’s style of comedy highlights the injustices man has perpetuated upon other members of society in the name of progress. Social conflict construction is an omnipresent institution that at its very root is generated from the quest for wealth, power, and greed. Marx viewed the exploitive economic arrangements of capitalism as the means from which all persecution evolves. Carlin exposes modern American society to his brutally scathing depiction of the appalling dehumanization of the individual. In reality, individuals do not unilaterally decide to revolt against society. They try to find a more conceivable method of change. Individuals can and do undertake personal battles every day. They choose to purchase environmentally friendly products, they consider alternate choices when deciding on community leadership, and they unite over issues that are detrimental to the continuation of their individual needs. Even though Carlin uses humor as his mode of enlightenment, he does not demean our intelligence by treating us as if we were ignorant. He bases his comedy on the fact that we have the knowledge to make changes to our society, but we are just too lazy and comfortable in our arrogance to care one way or the other. He highlights our realities, while offering scathing rhetorical commentary of society’s complacency. George Carlin was a master at incorporating the basic class struggles which were the premise of Marx’s conflict theory. By recognizing that societal conditions continue to oppress the proletariat class of people, he communicates a cynical and sometimes brutal reality surrounding the social situations and institutions in modern America. The wealth of the top 10% of the people has risen to an astonishing 50% of all of the wealth in the United States, while the lowest 10% of the population of the United States receives only 3.7% of the wealth. (Schillers, 2008) America’s growing disparity of wealth affords Carlin a wide variety of material to integrate into his comedy routines. Our country continues to bemoan its fate, while not wanting to inconvenience ourselves in order to demand a change. The bourgeoisie in America have made us complacent about ourselves, our neighbors, our institutions, our politics, and our earth. Even though Carlin’s views were based in anarchy, he had the courage and understanding to stand up and be an advocate for those that are too lazy, too uneducated, or to oppressed to rebel against the system themselves. It is becoming gradually more apparent that that the period for rebellion is not over. Anarchism will become the foundation of the revolution for the 21st century, because anarchist ideas and principles are spawning drastic thoughts, revelations, and ideals for an entire generation of people. Americans are becoming more aware of the anarchist principles regarding decentralization, voluntary association, mutual aid, and the denunciation of ends justifying the means. They embrace the reproduction of society within the framework of the old, which since its inception has been less about capturing power concentrating more about revealing, unjustifiable and disassembling systems of authority by engaging in autonomy of the masses. There are some obvious reasons for the appeal of anarchist ideas at the beginning of the 21st century: most obviously, the failures and catastrophes resulting from so many efforts to overcome capitalism by seizing control of the apparatus of government in the 20th. Increasing numbers of revolutionaries have begun to recognize that any new revolution is not going to come as some great apocalyptic moment, but a very long process that has been going on for most of human history full of strategies of flight and evasion as much as dramatic confrontations, and which will never-indeed, most anarchists feel, should never-come to a definitive conclusion. Carlin was not overly optimistic of the human condition stating, “I love anarchy. Anarchy and comedy are a team. But along with anarchy’s hostility toward authority, I have a deep suspicion man is not on the right path. Man went wrong a long, long time ago.…I no longer identify with my species. I haven’t for a long time. … I don’t feel comfortable or safe on this planet. …I now identify with no one. I have no passion anymore for any of them, victims or perpetrators, Right or Left, women or men. I’m still human. I haven’t abandoned my humanity, but I have put it in a place that allows my art to function free of entanglements. My job is to watch the ludicrous dance down here for the humor and entertainment it provides and drop in every now and then to show my former species how F---d up they are.” (Carlin, 2009) Carlin’s type of comedy was based in entertainment through education of our modern societal, political, and economical tribulations. He was a master in the art of critical thinking. Carlin eluded to America’s societal dilemmas continually affording audiences participating in a concert, book, or recording experience a lingering thought provoking realization that our society might really be in a critical condition. Bibliography Carlin, G. (2009). Last Words (First ed. pp. 231-233). New York: Free Press. Ibid. (pp. 286 – 288). Carlin, George, Karen Armstrong, and David Attenborough. "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher." By George Carlin. Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. ABC. n.p., 23 June 2005. DRCNet Interview: Noam Chomsky Issue #223, 2/8/02 "Jammin in New York." By George Carlin. The Planet is Fine. HBO. n.p., 24 Apr. 1992. Jones, J. M. (2008, September 26). Bush’s Approval Rating Drops to New Low of 27% [Electronic version]. USA Today, p. C7. Lefebrve, H. (1968). The Sociology of Marx (First ed. , pp. 14-24). New York: Random House Inc. Schiller, B. R. (2008). The Macro Economy Today (Eleventh ed. , pp. 27-39). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Vidal, G. (1977). Matters of Fact and Fiction: Essays 1973 - 1976 (First ed. ). New York: Random House Inc. "What Am I Doing in New Jersey." By George Carlin. What Am I Doing in New Jersey. NBC. n.p., 9 June 1988. Wilde, Oscar. The Soul Of Man Under Socialism. Grand Rapids: Kessinger, 2004. Print.