Clarity-providing principle, similar to how Occam’s razor is a problem-solving principle, used to illuminate the pervasiveness of a given trait or characteristic in a given population.
The
name is in reference to George Carlin who 1st applied the principle to stupidity, in his stand-up
comedy. “Think of how stupid the average person is; and then realize, half of them are
stupider than that.”
Michael couldn’t believe Laimbeer could be that petty, until he applied Carlin's Cleaver and remembered how it’s not necessarily that out of the ordinary.
Christopher was
stressed over the number of inconsistency’s in religious
dogma until Carlin's Cleaver put his mind at ease and he
never expected uniformity, again.