LONG BEFORE CARLIN THERE WAS H. L. MENCKEN, and HE DIDN’T HAVE to USE FOUR-LETTER WORDS to GET HIS POINTS ACROSS. HE DIDN'T WEAR A GREASY GRAY PONYTAIL EITHER.
The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.
On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.
The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.
It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.
The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.
A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers.
GREAT STUFF, ISN’T IT? BUT THEN HE GOES and SPOILS it ALL by SAYING:
In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.
Hi, Ed. I did a post on Will Rogers a year or two ago, and I agree there's a certain similarity between the two men, but Mencken had more class –– almost British in the way he wrote. Rogers was far more "Country Boy" in his approach. I'm not crazy about Carlin. He's too grubby, grimy and gritty for my tastes, not that he doesn't make sense, but basically he's a lout.
Ed, And Samuel Clemens too. Lot of smart people back in the day. It occurs to me when life is hard you die quickly if you're stupid. Life too easy here, especially for the tribal people.
FT, I also enjoyed the clean humor back in the day, you could be funny like Jonathon Winters and keep it really clean. But I don't mind some salt. I use it myself on occasion.
DaBlade, Yep. Obviously worked hard on his routines. I like the one on saving the planet titled endangered species. I've been watching it at least once a year since the climate freaks showed up.
A political orator wittily compared our party promises to western roads, which opened stately enough, with planted trees on either side, to tempt the traveller, but soon became narrow and narrower, and ended in a squirrel-track, and ran up a tree. . . . Unspeakably sad and barren does life look to those, who a few months ago were dazzled with the splendor of the promise of the times.
ReplyDeleteLONG BEFORE CARLIN THERE WAS H. L. MENCKEN, and HE DIDN’T HAVE to USE FOUR-LETTER WORDS to GET HIS POINTS ACROSS. HE DIDN'T WEAR A GREASY GRAY PONYTAIL EITHER.
The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable.
On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.
The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.
It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.
The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.
A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers.
GREAT STUFF, ISN’T IT? BUT THEN HE GOES and SPOILS it ALL by SAYING:
In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.
GO FIGGER!
Yep.
DeleteNot to forget Will Rogers, either.
"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. "
Hi, Ed. I did a post on Will Rogers a year or two ago, and I agree there's a certain similarity between the two men, but Mencken had more class –– almost British in the way he wrote. Rogers was far more "Country Boy" in his approach. I'm not crazy about Carlin. He's too grubby, grimy and gritty for my tastes, not that he doesn't make sense, but basically he's a lout.
DeleteEd, And Samuel Clemens too. Lot of smart people back in the day. It occurs to me when life is hard you die quickly if you're stupid. Life too easy here, especially for the tribal people.
DeleteFT, I also enjoyed the clean humor back in the day, you could be funny like Jonathon Winters and keep it really clean. But I don't mind some salt. I use it myself on occasion.
DeleteSometimes I'm fine but not fully dandy. But in my own words I'm flarny floon. I didn't like his politics, but he was a funny man.
ReplyDeleteDaBlade, Yep. Obviously worked hard on his routines. I like the one on saving the planet titled endangered species. I've been watching it at least once a year since the climate freaks showed up.
DeleteA political orator wittily compared our party promises to western roads, which opened stately enough, with planted trees on either side, to tempt the traveller, but soon became narrow and narrower, and ended in a squirrel-track, and ran up a tree. . . . Unspeakably sad and barren does life look to those, who a few months ago were dazzled with the splendor of the promise of the times.
ReplyDelete— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Carlin the "lout" died about five years ago FT.
ReplyDelete