Welcome to Gaia! ::

Mr. Carlin wasn't just funny. He was insightful enough to be angry, yet gentle enough to want us to laugh at our stupidity instead of become morose about it. He gave us the ability to notice the things we did and that others did to us, and the permission to cry "Shenanigans!" when something was not right.

Mr. Carlin gave us the Seven Dirty Words -- and then showed us WHY they were dirty -- and then wanted to know why we couldn't talk about our digestive processes or our sexual enjoyment on television and radio, yet could show death, torture, and sexual cruelty during prime-time. He changed what "dirty" meant, from sincere enjoyment of the bodies God gave us (okay, he didn't believe in God, but so what?) to what was actually dirty: war, cruelty, meanness, bigotry, willful stupidity, hatred, arrogance, petty tyrannies that people inflict on one another all the time.

Mr. Carlin made us laugh, yes, but he also gave us things to think about that rightfully upset us. Yet he didn't do it to simply create aimless anger, fear, or sorrow. He did it in such a way as to make some of us look around and say, "You're right, that's bloody unfair," and then go out and try to rectify some of the injustices we were guilty of perpetuating. He forced us, through smiles, to look at ourselves and want to change, to become better. Through his cynicism, he made us want to laugh with real joy instead of with bitterness, and he helped give us some small but important ways to create the changes he wanted to see in the world.

Oh, Mr. Carlin. Thank you, and good night.