Posted on 08/13/2009 6:09:33 PM PDT by Kaslin
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.
We see Barack Obama's smile broadcast 24/7, in a fashion we have not seen previously of earlier presidents. A Newsweek editor referred to Obama as a "god." MSNBC's Chris Matthews claimed physical ecstasy when Obama speaks. A Washington Post reporter swooned over Obama's "chiseled pectorals."
Former President George W. Bush — our new Emmanuel Goldstein — remains a daily target of criticism. Diplomats continue to discuss the need to hit a "reset" button that will erase the past. Last week, the president said those in the past administration caused our present problems — and so should keep quiet and get out of his way.
Bush is somehow culpable for the newly projected $2 trillion annual deficits. Bush caused the new unemployment levels to soar to nearly 10%. Bush's war on terrorism failed. Bush is responsible for the most recent trouble abroad with Iran, the Middle East, North Korea and Russia.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
nuke-the-system.
Okay. I no longer read snoozepapers (I already know what kind of false garbage and lies the locals find right to print; yes, the WSJ still comes in but not for long) and I turned off teeheeheeveee news almost 3 decades ago (1981, to be exact) as being absolutely and totally worthless except as silly entertainment to those scarecrows who no longer have a brain.
Hasn't anyone else on FR figured this out yet?
Very good editorial.
Man, that is spot-on.
I keep telling my wife that she needs to read “1984”. I read it in high school, and I started seeing parallels even during the campaign.
The best example I can cite was the use of Obama’s middle name. First, it was an asset to Obama because, we were told, Muslims would be less suspicious of someone with an Arabic name. Then, it became racist to use his middle name because it would evoke the animus “many” felt towards Muslims. Then, in yet another twist, many of his supporters (including a liberal friend of mine) started using it as their middle names, as a sign of “solidarity” and “empowerment”.
I remember telling my wife at the time: “We have always been at war with Eastasia.”
All tyrants need a scapegoat
This has been scaring me spitless for some time and I thank the ever brilliant Victor Davis Hanson for shining a spotlight on the similarities...
And here’s another one:
Congressmen pigs are exempt from the public health care rationing and death panels that they legislate for the other barnyard citizens..... “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
VDH nails it as always.
Yes, thanks.
Thanks for posting Victor Davis Hanson’s excellent editorial. Whew! About six weeks ago I re-read Orwell’s “1984” and his imaginary Oceania chillingly seems like a prophecy being fulfilled before our very disbelieving eyes. God help us! And I mean that literally.
Yes but the tea ration has been increased from 10 to 6 grams! Long Live Big Brother!
You are a double-plus ungood duckspeaker, sionnsar, and obviously an enemy of the state.
Don't you know you are not allowed to turn off your television and are not to try to elude 24 hour surveillance?
You will report to two minutes of hate, tomorrow at 8AM.
Also amazing is that many of us even have a big television up on the wall, just like in the book.
For those mentioning having read 1984, I’d strongly recommend Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia, which documents his time with the Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War. It’s a quick read, and it provides very interesting insights into the politics of the time, which reverberate today. Orwell’s real life experiences then, which included almost getting killed by his Communist “allies” in a purge, were an important part of what led to 1984 and Animal Farm.
I recently reread 1984 and Animal Farm. It was like reading today’s newspapers. Chilling.
Victor Davis Hanson has stated the case brilliantly. Everyone should read this column.
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