There’s a lot to be said for growing up with icons like George Carlin and Joe Cocker shaping your worldview. These were men who said what they meant and meant what they said, and their legacies taught us to cut through the nonsense, to be real. Carlin, with his sharp wit and unfiltered honesty, taught us to question everything and resist the urge to conform blindly. Joe Cocker, meanwhile, poured his soul into his music and reminded us of the raw, unvarnished beauty of authenticity. They didn’t need to water anything down to be accepted, and they sure didn’t sidestep hard truths just to keep everyone comfortable.
That’s the spirit I bring to this publication. In today’s world, there’s no shortage of voices urging us to adopt every new label, redefine the basics, and treat opinions as facts. But if you think I’m going to start calling a man a woman, or worse yet, call an adolescent a “kitten” (of all things!) just to placate some fractured sense of identity, you have another thing coming. Let me be clear: I believe in treating everyone with respect and acknowledging individual perspectives. But respect doesn’t mean surrendering to every fleeting whim or rewriting reality to suit emotional needs.
I am a man of principles. I am stern, but fair. I know how to listen, but I also know when enough is enough. Common sense has to be the bedrock of any society, and we’re starting to lose our grip on it. The idea that words can mean anything you want, or that biology is just a suggestion, is a dangerous detour from reality. Carlin would’ve torn this nonsense to shreds. He didn’t believe in spoon-feeding comfort to an audience; he was all about holding up a mirror, even if people didn’t like what they saw.
Being open-minded is essential, but that doesn’t mean being a pushover. I believe in the right to individuality, and I support people making choices that bring them happiness and peace. But there’s a difference between respecting someone’s freedom and abandoning reason. Everyone has a story, and everyone’s story matters—but truth matters too, and when we start erasing it to “be nice,” we’re doing more harm than good.
In a world that’s increasingly obsessed with placating sensitivities, I’m here to remind us all of the value of standing firm. The world has enough yes-men, and this publication won’t be adding to the chorus. We’ll champion real stories, raw truths, and the power of resilience over fragility. Carlin used to say, “I think I am, therefore I am. I think.” Those words resonate now more than ever. Thinking, questioning, and standing by your beliefs are acts of strength, not rebellion.
So, here’s to a world where we can be both compassionate and rational, where we honor individualism without abandoning the basics. Let’s keep it real, like Carlin would have. After all, if we lose our grip on reality, we’re just drifting—and I don’t know about you, but I’d rather stand on solid ground.