George Carlin, Consumer Critic
Comedian George Carlin, who died Sunday, may be best known for his monologue "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television," but he also had some memorable lines about consumerism:
Consumption—it's the new national pastime... The only true lasting American value that's left—buying things... People spending money they don't have on things they don't need...so they can max out their credit cards and spend the rest of their lives paying 18 percent interest on something that cost $12.50. And they didn't like it when they got home anyway.
You can watch the whole profanity-laden performance here. After riffing against capitalism and Wall Street, he ends with a classic one-liner: "It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it."
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Reader Comments
Great Quote
Hey Kim, nice post about Carlin. I had never heard his thoughts on consumerism before. I love it, he nailed it for me. So many Americans are sound asleep!
consumerism
american business,knows americans love to re-invent themselves. Being wise,they have programmed the "american brain" to change and newness as better..Result, the gully able consumers don't change.
Carlin and Consumerism
George Carlin's rip on American consumerism foreshadowed the viral video now making the rounds on the Internet, "The Story of Stuff." He could have written it. It is so painfully spot on, and absurdly funny at the same time.
Enjoy eternity, George, with Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor...
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