City hall Quote by George Carlin
““Forget the politicians. The politicians are put there to give you the idea you have freedom of choice. You don't. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land, they own and control the corporations that've long since bought and paid for, the senate, the congress, the state houses, the city halls, they got the judges in their back pocket, and they own all the big media companies so they control just about all of the news and the information you get to hear. They got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want. They want more for themselves and less for everybody else. But I'll tell you what they don't want. They don't want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don't want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They're not interested in that. That doesn't help them.””
About This Quote
Source Stand‑up routine: “The American Dream” 1992
Powerful elites manipulate political systems and media to suppress critical thinking and maintain control over resources.
In simple terms: Elites control politics and media, limiting freedom.
Question authority and seek independent information.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- voting decisions
- media literacy education
- community organizing
- critical thinking practice
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you verify information sources?
- What actions can you take to foster critical thinking?
The claim may overgeneralize; not all politicians act uniformly.