Tina Tyler Blog
Farewell George Carlin & A Word About Max Hardcore
After spending the evening watching a funny movie with my firend Jeremy, I powered up the computer to check emails before bed and was thrown into a state of shock to see the headline on yahoo… Comedian George Carlin dead at 71. Mr. Carlin has long been my favorite comedian, from his classic football vs. baseball bit, to his much edgier 7 words you can’t say on television and his most recent HBO special It’s bad for ya, Carlin has never failed to put me into hysterics. One of things I most admired about him was his fearless nature and his contibution to the fight for Free Speech.
On that note, Free Speech took a hit that I have been putting off blogging about. Recently a Tampa jury convicted Paul Little (aka Max Hardcore) on obscenity charges. As a true believer in free speech, this was not good news. As a feminist, well, let’s just say if it was anyone else, I wouldn’t have had mixed feelings. The reality is that everyone involved in the movies he makes are consenting adults regardless of what may be portrayed.
My personal truth is that I have long admired people who aren’t afraid to speak their minds, no matter how they may be judged, and have long aspired to be that kind of person, and even if I don’t agree with the belief or opinion I admire those who can stand up and be honest about who they are, so it’s not my place to judge what others think, create or watch. So while I am certainly not his biggest fan (by any means), I realize that my opinion is just that, and use my power to choose not to view his work. Just because I don’t agree with what he chooses to portray doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a right to make his product. I certainly wouldn’t want some male advocacy group to get on my case for objectifying men in Handyman. So why would it be okay for a feminist group to try to undermine Mr. Little’s work? As you can see it’s not exactly easy for me to remain logical in such an emotional issue, but I’m trying.
So here we are in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
To Mr. Little I say keep fighting for your freedom.
To Mr. Carlin, thank you for your courage. R.I.P.
