"Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity"

George Carlin’s acerbic wit often served as a vehicle for exposing the hypocrisy and contradictions embedded in conventional wisdom. In one of his most memorable lines, he draws a provocative parallel between two actions whose purported goals are fundamentally at odds with the means of achieving them. By juxtaposing "fighting for peace" with "screwing for virginity", Carlin forces us to confront the paradox inherent in using methods that destroy the very thing they seek to create.

The first part, "fighting for peace", addresses a common justification for war and violence: the claim that long-term harmony can be achieved through the short-term application of conflict. Governments and leaders have often framed military intervention as a necessary evil, arguing that only through decisive and forceful action can lasting order be imposed. Carlin’s analogy undermines this by revealing its logical absurdity. Just as engaging in sexual intercourse cannot restore a state of virginity, waging war cannot truly embody or guarantee peace. Peace is, by definition, a condition without violence; using violence as a vehicle to obtain it is self-contradictory.

The second half of the comparison is intentionally crude but effective in its clarity. Virginity, once lost through sexual activity, cannot be reclaimed by more of the same act. The more one participates, the further one moves away from the goal. Applying this logic to the first statement lays bare the futility of trying to resolve violence with more violence. In both scenarios, the chosen means sabotage the intended end.

Carlin’s quip is not just a clever play on words, it’s a caution against self-defeating strategies. It exposes the pitfalls of adopting policies or behaviors that are fundamentally at odds with their objectives. Ultimately, he challenges us to think critically about the rhetoric we accept and the logic underlying our most deeply held beliefs about conflict and resolution.