Our Road to Oceania

National Review ^ | 8/13/2009 | Victor Davis Hanson

[Servant of the Cross]

In George Orwell’s allegorical novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the picture of “Big Brother” appears constantly in the adoring media.

Perceived enemies are everywhere — supposedly plotting to undo the benevolent egalitarianism of Big Brother. Citizens assemble each morning to scream hatred for two minutes at pictures of the supposed public traitor Emmanuel Goldstein. The “Ministry of Truth” swears that the former official Goldstein is responsible for everything that goes wrong in Oceania.

In Orwell’s Oceania, there is a compliant media that offers “Newspeak” — recycled government bulletins from the Ministry of Truth. “Doublethink” means you can believe at the same time in two opposite beliefs.

America is not Oceania, but some of this is beginning to sound a little too familiar. (snip)

[Servant of the Cross]

Newspeak and Doublethink. Big Brother and Emmanuel Goldstein.

Orwell was on to something.

[pnh102]

If the GOP is analogous to Emmanuel Goldstein, then it is also important to mention that in the book 1984, "The Brotherhood" was no better than the government that was running Oceania.

Sadly, that can be said of the GOP as it compares to the Democrat party over the past 8 years.

[A Mississippian]

I JUST got through reading 1984 last night. So dark and depressing... yet very prescient.

[Don Corleone]

Spot ON!

[ozark hilljilly]

Doubleplus ungood!

[DieHard the Hunter]

> I JUST got through reading 1984 last night. So dark and depressing... yet very prescient.

I first read it in 1984, and have since watched it unfold. “Prescient” would be an excellent way to describe it, as you have.

[depressed in 06]

Here in Amerizuela we have George Bush to blame every thing on.

[Kartographer]

[headsonpikes]

"Orwell was on to something."

I hereby nominate this as the Understatement of the Day!

[Servant of the Cross]

VDH ping.

[Tolik]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index:

When America Will Become Europe. Thoughts of Our European Future to Come

Bullying Israel-only country with which the U.S. has worse relations since Obama took office

Prairie-Fire Anger. Why Are People in Revolt?

Obama's Great Race to Change America

The Great American Debt (We are committing national suicide by debt addiction to foreigners)

Mediterranean Reflections on What Went Wrong

What Happened to Our Postracial President? Lose, Lose When You Talk About Race

Obama’s Path Not Taken. What Might Have Happened

On Shearing Sheep (relentless hostility to small business)

The War Against the Producers

A Thug’s Primer - How to win liberal friends and oppress your people

What Do these First Six Months Mean? Where Are We Going?

The New Orwellianism

Reflections on the Iranian Enigma. The World Turned Upside Down

Still a Boor and a Coward [Victor Davis Hanson on Letterman, Wright + Thoughts on a Creepy Culture]

A Boor and a Coward [Victor Davis Hanson tears apart the creep, a.k.a David Letterman]

Our Historically Challenged President. A list of distortions

I No Longer Quite Believe ... [Victor Davis Hanson on Orwellian media & science, race relations]

The Reckoning. Obama Versus the Way of the Universe

President Palin’s First 100 Days. Imagine if Sarah Palin had Obama’s record

Confessions of a Contrarian [deconstructing Obama, the Left and more]

President Obama’s First 70 Days. It really does all make sense

Thoughts About Depressed Americans

Bush Did It. What a difference an election makes [Brilliant Parody]

Our Battered American [gets angrier - Must Read Rant]

Just a partial list. Much more at the link:  http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index

[Tolik]

 

  Ping !

Let me know if you want in or out.

Links:   

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His website:	http://victorhanson.com/

[Tolik]

[astyanax]

Thanks for the post.
It’s been (quite) awhile since I read Orwell.
I may have to dig out (and dust off) 1984 and Animal Farm.

[astyanax]

Could you add me to the VDH ping list please?
Thanks!

[FreedomPoster]

Follow that up with Homage to Catalonia. You’ll learn a ton about the Spanish Civil War, besides learning much about Orwell’s real life experiences that were crucial for 1984 and Animal Farm.

[FreedomPoster]

Sorry, my previous post was supposed to be directed to A Mississippian.

[Tolik]

Done. Added to the VDH ping list. Thanks.

[maica]

I just finished reading an essay Huxley's Period Piece by John Derbyshire in a 2007 National Review which reviewed Aldous Huxley's and George Orwell's signature works on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Brave New World. His conclusion is that they were victims of their time, and were very frightened by the loss of liberty that they had experienced in their own life times following World War I, as they looked forward to an age without liberty. He concluded, "[t]heir fears were misplaced. Somehow we have held on to our old freedoms. If we keep our wits about us, we may carry them forward intact into the future --."

I wonder if Derbyshire envisioned an Obama/Chicago Administration when he wrote those words?

I wonder what he is thinking today.

[Billthedrill]

What would the Left do without class enemies? Make them up. Goldstein's actual existence was never really established in 1984 but then it didn't have to be. If you really want a flavor of the Two Minutes' Hate, log into DU or Kos and search for FR. It isn't only the detested Bush caricature who is the topic of that hatred. We're Emmanual Goldstein, folks. Believe it.