George Carlin Shell Shock

dubeye08 · 470.5K views · 2012-08-04 · 2:40

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Overview

A short George Carlin routine on how the term shell shock was softened into combat fatigue and then PTSD. He argues that euphemism hides the reality of suffering.

On Hacker News

It is cited in debates about euphemism and language policing, usually by commenters who think softer terms change nothing.

Discussed on HN; no positive recommendation is recorded in this export · HN mentions 2020–2024

Topics

Stand-up & sketch comedy Language & linguistics

What people said

Teever · 2024-11 · Joke / meme
I'm pretty sure that they're aware of the concept but not the term CSAM. CSAM is just the latest iteration of the term we use for the concept due to the euphemism treadmill. [VIDEO]
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graphe · 2024-02 · Reference
PTSD is also lumped in with shell shock, a jarring of the braincase after explosions (usually during a war) with physical damage. It's unthinkable to me they lump it in with mental problems. George Carlin skit. [VIDEO]
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racked · 2023-09 · Reference
It really is not about that. The problem is that some people feel the need to bend over backwards, making symbolic gestures that do not change the underlying issue. As if renaming 'whitelist' to 'allowlist' is going to turn any neo-nazis into angels. George Carlin had a word or two to say about this phenomenon: [VIDEO]
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Sources

Video by dubeye08, played through YouTube.

HN Library · Source license

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