Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel, Not an Instruction Manual
Eric Blair, an author who published under the pen name, George Orwell authored one of the most famous, classic novels of the twentieth century, ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four.’ Around the world, this novel has been required reading in almost every ‘western’ educational program. The story takes place within a themed collectivist oligarchical society that lived in perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance, and incessant public mind control.
Since its publication in 1949, most of the terms and concepts have become everyday vernacular, such as Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime, Newspeak, and Memory hole. This novel is what is referred to when the adjective ‘Orwellian,’ is used and encompasses surveillance, censorship, fear, sexual repression, and mind control to serve a despotic, totalitarian agenda.
The parallels between the themes of Nineteen Eighty-four and life in Amerika (and Great Britain) are so unquestionably similar, that I dare now call Eric Blair a prophet. In this post, I will explore those similarities and explain why I now struggle to spell Amerika with a ‘c.’
[shameless plug] Throughout this post, you will find links to Amazon to purchase Nineteen Eighty-four in paperback, hardback collectors edition, as well as the movie. If you have not read it, or have and just don't have a copy any more, or haven't seen the movie yet, I recommend getting a copy. And yes, you will also be supporting this blog and my efforts by as well. :) [/shameless plug]
[shameless plug] Throughout this post, you will find links to Amazon to purchase Nineteen Eighty-four in paperback, hardback collectors edition, as well as the movie. If you have not read it, or have and just don't have a copy any more, or haven't seen the movie yet, I recommend getting a copy. And yes, you will also be supporting this blog and my efforts by as well. :) [/shameless plug]
Surveillance
Orwell, unfortunately was not a scientific or technological futurist like H.G. Wells or Orson Welles, so his novel portrayed the government’s, Big Brother, method of spying using only cameras and microphones placed both in all public areas and private residences to maintain the sense of constant paranoia; an effective tool for controlling the masses, which is only rivaled by omnipresent based religions. Written correspondence was also routinely opened and read before delivery. Children were ruthlessly encouraged to report suspicious persons and even turn-in their own parents. This added to the extremely effective control.
Today, we have the information and communication two-way superhighway and advanced media of all types that serve as a conduit for government spying. Everything you watch on television becomes part of your ‘profile.’
Every web page you visit, online video you watch, phone number you dial, call you receive, text message you send or receive, every bit of information you post on social media sites, every term you enter in to a search engine, every picture or video you upload online, and every link you click is collected and can all be obtained by the government without a warrant.
 |
| DARPA's Information Awareness Office |
Every web page you visit, online video you watch, phone number you dial, call you receive, text message you send or receive, every bit of information you post on social media sites, every term you enter in to a search engine, every picture or video you upload online, and every link you click is collected and can all be obtained by the government without a warrant.
Virtually every square mile of every big city is surveilled by government cameras and microphones. And indeed, with GPS enabled cell phones and millions of license plate aware cameras deployed throughout the country, every time you leave your house Ingsoc the government can know where you are and predict where you’re going. Have a credit card? Your purchases are tracked. Receive cash from an ATM or directly from a bank withdraw? Your purchases can be tracked.
Another well known, well published, and well understood tool of totalitarianism is to recruit children to spy on their parents. Thanks to bill 2068, children in California are now required to answer such personal question as whether their parents spank them, keep guns in the house, or watch violent television programs.
This is not just a California measure, but part of a national agenda to turn children in to family rats.
In 2009, originally introduced as a ‘Green’ measure, a massive program with its tentacles embedded into almost every corner of education and popular culture is underway to brainwash children and turn them against their own parents, as the state moves towards the creation of a Stasi-style informant society using methods that have been repeated in every totalitarian state throughout history. “Eco-kids,’ a term coined in a New York Times article entitled, Pint-Sized Eco-Police, Making Parents Proud and Sometimes Crazy’ where a “growing army of “eco-kids” — steeped in environmentalism at school, in houses of worship, through scouting and even via popular culture…. Try to hold their parents accountable at home.”
Energy giant Npower is investing huge sums in advertising expenses to drive its “Climate Cops” campaign, where children are encouraged to sign up as “climate cops” and keep “climate crime case files” on their families, friends and neighbors. "Report back to your family to make sure they don’t commit those crimes again (or else)!” one section states before reminding recruits to keep a watchful eye on parents. The campaign attempts to extend the rat web further by stating, “What about the homes of aunts and uncles, or friends from school?”
In the UK, we find that, “Children are being offered money by councils to spy on neighbors and report petty offences such as ‘bin crimes’ and dog-fouling.” 5,000 children labeled “Junior Streetwatchers” have been bribed with payments of up to £500 to provide names, license plate numbers and photographs of their neighbors engaged in “environmental crimes”.
Right here in my home state of Texas, today, we find a story about how video cameras are being installed in schools in, "poor, minority campuses," to record and track the eating habits of students. The program, of course, is funded by the federal government and more specifically, DARPA -- home of the total Information Awareness Office.
Fear and Endless War
Goldstein was a complete fabrication and led the non-existent organization, “The Brotherhood,” which was the constant terror threat to Oceania. The Brotherhood’s threat justified the “Homeland Security” measures that violated all known Rights and kept Oceania safe.
For the past fifteen years our government has cast the roll of Goldstein with the likes of Sheik Mohammed, Mohammad Atta, and of course the real leading man up until May 1st, ‘Osama bin Laden,’ who motivate Amerika’s mortal terrorist threat, Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda, by name is fictitious, but refers to the Afghan Mujahideen, which was created by the CIA to fight a proxy war against the Russians after they invaded Afghanistan.
Though the current accepted spelling has changed by a vowel, “Al-Qaida,” literally translated, “the database,” was originally the CIA’s computer file containing the names of the thousands of mujahideen who were recruited and trained to defeat the Russians. Al Qaida, or Al Qaeda (aka Al-CIAda) is currently being fought at great expense by the U.S. in Afghanistan and Pakistan as part of the war on terror. Ironically, the U.S. is also currently supporting Al Qaida, both militarily and financially, as part of the rebel uprising in Libya. Go figure.
Though the current accepted spelling has changed by a vowel, “Al-Qaida,” literally translated, “the database,” was originally the CIA’s computer file containing the names of the thousands of mujahideen who were recruited and trained to defeat the Russians. Al Qaida, or Al Qaeda (aka Al-CIAda) is currently being fought at great expense by the U.S. in Afghanistan and Pakistan as part of the war on terror. Ironically, the U.S. is also currently supporting Al Qaida, both militarily and financially, as part of the rebel uprising in Libya. Go figure.
This modern-day version of ‘The Brotherhood,’ whose threat justifies Amerika’s objective-less, endless wars, recently suffered a great blow delivered by Amerika’s fearless leader when they killed Emmanuel Goldstein Osama bin Laden. This can only mean one thing; Oceania Amerika needs to create a new boogyman and give a fresh dose of fear to the Amerikan people in order to feed the ongoing despotic, totalitarian agenda of its leaders. What will that be? More false flag attacks against the U.S. or U.K. that will again kill thousands of citizens in order to galvanize the citizenry through a patriotic frenzy to support the megalomaniacal agendas? Will the government start propaganda campaigns to enlist support for war with Pakistan, Syria, or Iran? Will the U.S. continue to wage economic warfare against China and continue provoking them?
The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was busy with that task over this past week as she recently, publicly insulted Eastasia China, Oceania’s Amerika’s largest creditor in front of high-ranking Chinese officials and denounced them for the absence of democracy and, quite hypocritically, human rights violations. Other Ingsoc government officials have been busy rattling their sabers and pointing fingers at southern Eurasia Pakistan, Syria, and Iran in an ongoing effort to completely destabilize the region.
Meanwhile, back in Amerika, Homeland Security, no, wait, that’s correct, Homeland Security brought out the big guns and deployed crowd suppression and control measures using sound cannons, tear gas, and mass arrests against a peaceful assembly of college student who were doing nothing more than having a good time during their annual Western Illinois University ‘wheeler block party.’ It was a peaceful event where there was no rioting, no destruction of property, fights, weapons, vandalism, or violence of any kind until the RIOT squads moved in, for no apparent reason.
The ongoing and ever-present threat of our militarized police is just another example of Ingsoc the government flexing its assumed authority over us. Countless times the under-cover cops have been caught red handed at intentionally inciting riots. Their M.O.D. is to dress up like anarchists in all black with ski-masks or bandanas covering their face, and combat boots then try to blend in to the crowd. They then wait until the RIOT Squads show up with their tear gas grenades, sound cannons, tasers, batons, rubber bullet rifles and bean-bag shotguns. Once the crowd is properly surrounded, the provocateurs swing in to action and begin breaking windows, throwing rocks at the police, and any other tactic they can think of to provoke the Riot Police to attack the crowd.
The police used to be public servants tasked with the mandate to Protect and Serve. Now, they are ‘authority figures,’ complete with jackboots, guns, potentially lethal tazers, pepper spray, nightsticks, shotguns, assault rifles, and snipers.
Illegal, unconstitutional check points have become common-place and are dubbed by the media as, ‘No Refusal’ weekends as they are deployed enforce during national holidays and will forcibly draw blood from your arm, right there on the side of the road, using unconstitutional 'rubber-stamped' warrants, with or without your consent. Probable cause has become nothing more than the act of driving your car.
The police used to be public servants tasked with the mandate to Protect and Serve. Now, they are ‘authority figures,’ complete with jackboots, guns, potentially lethal tazers, pepper spray, nightsticks, shotguns, assault rifles, and snipers.
Illegal, unconstitutional check points have become common-place and are dubbed by the media as, ‘No Refusal’ weekends as they are deployed enforce during national holidays and will forcibly draw blood from your arm, right there on the side of the road, using unconstitutional 'rubber-stamped' warrants, with or without your consent. Probable cause has become nothing more than the act of driving your car.
Censorship
Censorship in Nineteen Eight-Four is rampant much like it is in today’s everyday life. The Ministry of Truth, in the novel, engages in propaganda by both staging and releasing doctored photos. On the ‘telescreens,’ news productions are grossly exaggerated or simply invented to paint the picture of an ever-growing economy, when in reality there is utter stagnation or severe recession. Ingsoc, who can do no wrong, loves you and wants to keep you safe. Does that sound familiar?
Daily, the talking-heads on the "news" read their talking points from The ministry of Truth the White House, denying recessions, declaring upward momentum of the economy, and singing the praises of the federal government and Federal Reserve for saving us from utter disaster all while trillions of dollars are being transferred from Amerikan citizens over to foreign and international banking institutions. The very people who control the economy are the same ones censoring and scripting the news.
The value of the dollar, under the control of the privately owned and foreign Federal Reserve bank has decreased by 97%. Meaning, if a person with a $100 bill in 1911 were to magically be transported to 2011, their $100 bill would have $3 of purchasing power today. In most places, that couldn’t buy a cheeseburger and fries.
Today, we are stifled with censorship on every level imaginable. Censorship has become so sophisticated, a person has to consciously focus and pay close attention or they won’t realize they’re receiving highly controlled, censored information at every turn. And even then, a vast amount of critical information would still never reach their ears or eyes. This is a key element in a despotic, totalitarian agenda.
The “news” we receive about the war is incredibly CENSORED! Now that the main-stream media are compliant servants of the state, The Ministry of Truth the government is desperately trying to gain control over what is published and who is able to publish on the internet. Sites like Youtube and Google video, powerhouses and in many ways the last bastion of free speech, are removing controversial videos against the will of the publisher when those messages don’t align with government narratives. They also commonly falsify the number of views a video has by dramatically reducing the number, to keep controversial videos being listed on their top ten most viewed videos listings.
Websites that present nothing more than opinions have been blacklisted from major search engines. Political censorship over every medium is rampant and the last vestige of free speech, the internet, is quickly falling under the iron rule of total government control.
Another type of censorship I will cover under the next section, Mind Control. Arguably the worst, most devious type of mind control is self-censorship, which infests today's society. It is the act of censoring or classifying one’s own thoughts, words, or other means of expression out of various types of fear without any direct or overt pressure from any specific authority.
Mind Control
The largest weapon used to control the masses in use today is self censorship. In Nineteen Eighty-four, this was demonstrated through Newspeak, which is a vastly reduced vocabulary approved by The Party. ‘The Principles of Newspeak,’ an appended essay to the novel, outlines the principles of the language. Quite basic in the tenants of sociology and psychology, Newspeak ideologically aligned thought and action with predefined principles and made alternative thinking, 'thoughtcrimes' and 'crimespeak.'
In 1947, the German book, The Third Reich: LTI: Lingua Tertii Imperii, authored by Jewish professor of French Literature (1881-1960) published in 1947 detailed how the Nazis controlled society by controlling the language.
Today, Newspeak is known as Political Correctness. The term was coined by the Bolshevik revolutionary and Marxist, Leon Trotsky to refer favorably to those whose views remained in sync with the ever-shifting Bolshevik Party line. This was important, as "not PC" people risked prison or death. Today we only risk social consequences, which is just as influential to our behavior as fear of authority and punishment, because it is effective where one would otherwise 'feel safe' from government ears.
Political Correctness has softened our language through euphemisms and terms and phrases have been castrated to obscure the truth in an ongoing experiment in group think and social conditioning.
There are thousands of examples, but my favorite example is the term being used for the tragic disorder inflicted on many who suffered through extended and/or highly intense combat and on the verge or actively experiencing a complete and extended nervous breakdown. It used to be called, Shell Shock. Then the condition progressed to ‘Battle Fatigue.’ They’re not traumatized, they’re just tired. Shortly thereafter, the same condition was referred to as ‘Operational Exhaustion,’ again, they’re just really tired. Now, it’s Post Traumatic Stress-Disorder.
There is little where else to go on this topic than to simply quote George Carlin’s rant on Euphemistic Language, which I paraphrased in the Shell Shock part above.
 |
| R.I.P. The great George Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) |
Toilet paper became bathroom tissue. Sneakers became running shoes. False teeth became dental appliances. Medicine turned in to medication. Information became directory assistance. The dump became the landfill. Motels turned in to motor lodges. House trailers in to motor homes. Used cars turned in to previously owned vehicles. Room service became guest room dining. Riots became civil disobedience. A strike became a job action. A zoo turned in to a wild life park. The jungle became a rainforest. The swamp became a wetlands. Glasses became prescription eye ware. A garage became parking structures. Drug addiction became substance abuse. Soap Operas turned in to daytime dramas. A gambling joint became a gaming resort. A prostitute became a sex worker. Theaters became performance centers. Wife beating became domestic violence, and constipation became occasionally irregularity.
When I was a little boy, when I was sick I went to a doctor who sent me to a hospital to be treated by other doctors. Now, I go to a family practitioner who belong to a health maintenance organization which sends me to a wellness center to be treated by healthcare delivery professionals.
Poor people used to live in slums, now the economically disadvantaged who occupy substandard housing in inner-cities. And, a lot of them are broke. They don’t have negative cash flow; they’re broke because many of them were fired. In other words, management wanted to curtail redundancies in the human resources area. And, so, many workers are no longer viable members of the work force.
Smug, greedy, well fed white people have invented a language to conceal their sins. It’s as simple as that. The CIA doesn’t kill anybody, the neutralize people or they depopulate an area. The government doesn’t lie, it engages in disinformation. The pentagon actually measures nuclear radiation in something called, ‘Sunshine Units.’
Israeli murderers are called commandos. Arab commandos are called terrorists. The contra killers were known as freedom fighters. Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire-fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight?
And, some of this softened language is just silly and embarrassing. On airlines they say that they’re going to pre-board passengers in need of special assistance. 'Cripples!' Simple, honest, direct language. There’s no shame attached to the word, ‘cripple.’ No shame! It’s a word used in bible translations, ‘Jesus healed the crippled.’ It doesn’t take six words to describe that condition. But we don’t have cripples anymore. Instead, we have the physically challenged. Is that a grotesque enough evasion for you? How about, differently abled? I’ve actually heard cripples referred to as, differently abled. You can’t even call them handicapped anymore. They’ll say, ‘we’re not handicapped, we’re handi-capable. These poor suckers have been bullshitted by the system in to believing that if you change the name of the condition, somehow, you’ll change the condition. Well, it doesn’t work that way.
I’m sure you’ve noticed we have no deaf people in this country… hearing impaired. And no one is blind; they’re partially sighted or visually impaired. And thank God we no longer have stupid children. Today’s kids all have learning disabilities. Or, they’re minimally exceptional. How’d you like be told that about your child? Actually, it sounds faintly positive; “Your son is minimally exceptional.” Oh, thank God for that... I guess.
Best of all psychologists now call ugly people, ‘those with severe appearance deficits.’ Things are so bad that any day I expect to hear a rape referred to as an ‘unwilling sperm recipient.’
I think that point is made, but you can listen to the remainder of his brilliant rant, here.
Doublethink
 |
| The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them....To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies — all this is indispensably necessary. |
All forms of main-stream media march in lockstep with government propaganda by using language exactly as Orwell brilliantly predicted. Words and phrases are used to conceal and confuse, not clarify, and are twisted to suggest the opposite of their true meaning.
War is Peace: In Nineteen Eighty-Four, one might read in the morning paper about a military action against an enemy, with no mention that in yesterday's edition, the very same enemy was a faithful ally.
In much the same way we are fighting against "Al Qaeda" on several fronts all while financially and militarily backing the same group in Libya in an effort to overthrow the existing government, kill the current leader, Muammar Gaddafi and to impose sharia law.
Like the adage describes; if you kill one person, you're a murderer. If you kill a hundred, you're a serial killer. If you kill a million or more, you're a leader.
Freedom is Slavery: More and more our rights are being downgraded to mere privileges which can be revoked without reason, justification, or even notification. The Right to peaceably assemble and protest is a perfect example. Protesters are now required to request permission from local governments to assemble a peaceful protest. Additionally, the government tells them exactly where they can protest by cordoning off areas called "Free Speech Zones," which commonly are at such a huge distance from the intended audience as to render the message silent, benign, and/or completely ineffectual.
Air Travel: We must now agree to forfeit our most basic human rights in order to board a plane. Everyone is assumed guilty until they are xrayed by dangerous body scanners and/or subjected to illegal and humiliating breaches of privacy. Even the police aren't allowed to conduct the kind of enhanced pat-downs that the TSA claim the authority to practice. And it's all in the name of keeping us safe fromThe Brotherhood Al Qaeda, who, if you recall, was created by our intelligence agency and is currently both being fought and supported at the same time by our government. Just remember that the next time the deaths of American citizens is blamed on that group, or when they use the name 'Al Qaeda' to manipulate you through fear.
Air Travel: We must now agree to forfeit our most basic human rights in order to board a plane. Everyone is assumed guilty until they are xrayed by dangerous body scanners and/or subjected to illegal and humiliating breaches of privacy. Even the police aren't allowed to conduct the kind of enhanced pat-downs that the TSA claim the authority to practice. And it's all in the name of keeping us safe from
Free Speech: Aside from 'free speech zones,' and the requirement to request permission by obtaining a permit to peaceably assemble, the internet is also under constant threat of official censorship. Even blogging is now the target of taxation and licensing fees. The government wants complete and utter control over the information we receive. It is entirely possible one day in the near future, publishing this blog could get me detained as 'domestic terrorist.'
Farming: Senate bill S.510 tried to make having a backyard vegetable garden illegal in a relentless effort to govern Amerika's food. Even rainwater is now illegal to collect and use in many states. The government is spending billions to subsidize farms in order to keep tight control over the price of (supply and demand) food artificially high.
The Right to Bare Arms: Gun ownership is now a privilege, of course. Not only do you have to ask for government permission to legally purchase a firearm by applying for a license, but you are also subjected to a full back ground check and psychological screening. Provided you are permitted to purchase a firearm, your name, address, and psychological profile are put in a database; a perfect tool to have if/when they decide that it's in our best interest to confiscate all guns. Anyone can be put on a 'no buy' list without their knowledge, and without justification or court order.
Property Rights: Thanks to laws surrounding property taxes, a person no longer owns their property or anything on it (including their house). Even if you pay cash for a house in full, the IRS can seize and auction it off if you don't pay your property or income taxes. If the IRS (The collection agency for the Federal Reserve Bank) is able to legally take away and sell your house, then you obviously never owned it. You simply paid them through property taxes to manage their property for them.
In summary, it is universally accepted that the collectivist society within Nineteen Eight-Four suffered greatly and was controlled by a ruthless and cunning totalitarian form of governance. Yet, we here in the 'land of the free and home of the brave' live in willing ignorance and utter denial of the clear and vivid parallels to Orwell's nightmarish society, all while wrapping ourselves in nationalist pride and believing we still live in a free Republic governed by the people--for the people.
With the goal and ongoing effort to end my posts with a message of hope, I say that all is not lost. We can, indeed, peaceably take this country back. Though Thomas Jefferson wasn't wrong when he wrote, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure," I believe we can still reverse the current course toward complete despotic rule under the thinly veiled guise of freedom.
But, it will not be easy. It will require courage, bravery, independent thought, self-education, and the motivation to weed out the corruption in Washington D.C., and replace those criminals with honorable people.
We cannot continue to simply vote for whom we are presented by the media as 'real candidates.' Don't let the government's mouth pieces convince you that voting your conscience is throwing your vote away!
Remember,
'The Answer to 1984 is 1776!'
'The Answer to 1984 is 1776!'
No comments:
Post a Comment