George Carlin

Carline performing one of his last shows in 2008By Bonnie from Kendall Park, NJ, USA - Jesus is Coming.. Look Busy, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4027016A hero, is someone who goes ahead in spite of all odds, and overcomes. Not everyone has the courage or strength to become a hero, but some people do, and some people may not even know that they may be a hero to someone. There was a man, who was very much against religion and hated authority. His name was George Carlin, a legendary comedian, born and raised by a single mother in Manhattan during the times of The Great Depression. Ironically enough, he served in the military and was in the air force. But it wasn’t long until he’d found his true calling, making people laugh. He started as a disc jockey on a radio station, toured stages with a nightclub, and finally settled as a comedian. Some of the qualities a hero must possess are bravery and determination. Carlin had both, not every comedian has the guts to focus his acts on politics and religion, but Carlin did exactly that. He didn’t care what people thought of him, he was determined to make people laugh. George Carlin isn’t necessarily known as a hero, in fact he was hated by the Christian church for the things he’d said about it in his acts. He loved what he did, he loved making people happy, making them laugh, he gave it all. Him being brave enough to jest on some of the most controversial topics in front of thousands of people and being determined enough to keep making people laugh throughout his whole life time, makes him a hero.

Mature George Carlinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_CarlinBeing brave, is already something that not everybody can manage to be, but also something that they might not realize they are.  Roughly, about 1% of young Americans choose to enlist in the army. Joining the army, isn’t a regular thing to do, knowing the dangers of being on the battlefield, and the sacrifices you have to make. You have to be brave and courageous to want to join the army. “Carlin enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at age seventeen and qualified as a radar technician”, after being expelled from two Roman Catholic schools for his expulsive behavior about religion, he had made a simple decision, to join the U.S. Air Force. Even though most young adults would choose to find a new school and continue their path to earning a degree, Carlin did otherwise. Maybe for him it was a better choice, maybe it was a place where he could have more say without being prosecuted. Even though he had been given an early discharge due to him being an “unproductive airman” (David Marc), he had a chance to get a little head start on what he’d be doing for the rest of his life. He’d land an opportunity in becoming a radio disc jockey, which he gladly took, and that’s where his journey started. For some people it may be difficult to reveal their true selves to the public, they’ll be afraid of being judged or viewed negatively by others. It is often viewed as an act of bravery to come out to the public as who you truly are, it was the case for George too. “I have never felt like a participant. I've always felt like an observer. I don't really identify with America. And I don't feel like a member of the human race”, now, it is a very bold statement to make, for one to state that they don’t affiliate with the group they grew around, and the country itself. Is something that may spark up things such as hate, conspiracies, and even petitions. For Carlin, it didn’t seem like a big deal. He wasn’t careless or unaware, he was being honest. Carlin wanted people to know what he feels like, which might help explain for his topics and subjects in his acts. He came out as him true self and it takes a brave man to do that. As you can see, Carlin has done plenty of brave acts in his life, it might not be obvious, but when looked at the right way, it will be clear.

Determination, it will take you big places if you learn to possess it. To be successful, it is not enough to just want, you have to be determined to become who you truly want to be. Not everyone can do that, it takes strength to be determined, because there are many obstacles to face in the path to success. For everyone it’s different, but Carlin’s turned out easier, ” Clean shaven, in suit and tie, Carlin rapidly climbed the ladder of big-time show business, relying on stories about his Irish-American upbringing, including some fairly standard jokes about nuns with rulers”, he was lucky enough to succeed by just relying on stories from his life. When it clicked for him that he found his calling, from there on, he knew exactly what he wanted to do for the rest of his life, and he did it. He did it, he was determined to reach the place where he was. When it comes to Carlin and authority, they both dislike each other. Knowing that Carlin had trouble with them in the past where he would be escorted out of the places where he had performed and taken to the station. But the most widely known one is when he had an uncensored radio podcast, “A radio broadcast of an uncensored version of his profane routine "Seven Dirty Words You Can't Say on Television," from his album Class Clown, became the centerpiece of a debate on radio censorship that made it all the way to the Supreme Court in 1978”, which he unfortunately didn’t win, and the government was able to regulate how far it can extent to regulate speech. Facing the Supreme Court, not everyone gets to experience this, but the ones who do, and not for a bad reason, are determined people that want to get their point across. It’s not new for Carlin not to be shy, nor to be determined in things that he does. It is definitely one of them, taking something to the Supreme Court requires true determination to ones doing. Throughout his whole career he expresses determination in many significant ways that again, some people might not notice in him by the first look. Carlin never fails to surprise people, and he did by doing what he loved to do his whole life, until his last days.

When looked at in a deeper sense, George is an incredibly brave man with the determination of a one legged athlete. When looking at his whole lifetime, you will find that after all those “horrible” things he said about the church, he is actually a hero to some people. For some, it’s hard to believe that a religion hating man that also mocks it, can be a hero, but he did that. George, he inspires me to be who I am. He gives me strength to not be afraid of what people might think of me. He tells me that I can do what I want to do, that I can make my dreams come true. And I’m sure if you look at him the way I see him, he will inspire you to do great things too, because you can do it, and you know it. So why wait? If a boy that came from Manhattan, that never got a degree, can become what he wanted to be, I am sure you can too. This is why George Carlin is my hero and may his soul rest in peace, for he deserves it.