George Carlin, RIP

Michael Balter 6/23/2008 01:48:00 AM Culture


Back in the 1970s, when Pacifica radio (where I got my start in journalism in 1978) aired Carlin's "Seven Filthy Words" routine, a lot of people thought it was just about talking dirty. But it really was about freedom of speech, and resulted in a close, 5-4 Supreme Court decision in FCC v Pacifica. The Court upheld the right of the FCC to brand the routine "indecent" even if it wasn't "obscene," but that hasn't stopped it from becoming a comedy classic.

You can read Carlin's New York Times obituary here, a Los Angeles Times piece here, and of course there will be many other retrospectives to come (here are lengthy and informative ones from blogger pals Marc Cooper and Andrew Hunt.)

My favorite Carlin routine is the one about the difference between baseball and football, true brilliance:

Michael Balter

Posted by Michael Balter

I have been a working journalist for more than 40 years, beginning in Los Angeles as an investigative reporter and then in Paris as a travel, food, and science writer. For more than 20 years I have covered anthropology and archaeology writer for Science, Audubon, Scientific American, SAPIENS, and other publications. I have also covered sexual misconduct for The Verge, Scientific American, and others; I write about mental health, especially schizophrenia; and I engage in occasional media criticism. I returned to the USA in October 2017 after 30 years in Paris, and now live in the New York City area, where I currently teach journalism at City College of New York (I previously taught journalism at Boston University and New York University.) For more about me and what I do, copies of my articles, information about my book, and other goodies, please visit MY WEB SITE

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