Welcome to Oceania, circa 1984

courtesy of my blog: http://cjferrara.blogspot.com/
People throw around the word Socialism like its a bad thing. I realize it has had a tarnished history, and Socialist countries have not always been the best of countries, but still....

When I think of Socialism, I think of George Orwell's novels 1984, and Animal Farm. Orwell wanted to drive home the point in these novels that the dangers of socialism are not limited to fascist regimes like those of Mussolini and Hitler, nor are they limited to places like Russia or China. This stuff could happen here in England, or even in America. He also showed that it really didn't have to do with socialism as a concept itself, but rather the political climate employed to bring it around.

In Animal Farm, the spiritual leader of the animals, Major, has a clear vision of where he wants the farm to go. He wants all animals to be equal, and to live in harmony. (This is reflective of Karl Marx, and his vision of Communism.) It's not until the evil pigs (Lenin, Stalin) gain power that they are corrupted and they start making oppressive changes that bring about the society we all fear.

So, what are these things? What is the real horror of these novels? I don't think anyone looks at 1984 and thinks, "How horrible, they have universal healthcare!" No, here's what they all fear:

Restricted Freedoms - In 1984, if you start thinking for yourself, you are arrested and thrown into room 101, where you are de-programmed. Winston and Julia, the main characters have to go into hiding in order to discuss their thoughts. This implies to me that Freedom of Speech and the Press are VITAL to preventing such a society from happening. Please notice, the "Party" doesn't disagree with what is being said, they rather take physical punitive action in order to prevent it from being said. That's not how a free speech society works. In a free speech society, the people at Fox News have a right to report in any way they like. I am also free to call them idiots and publicly state that they are inaccurate and misleading. I'm even free to encourage people not to watch. And they, in turn, are free to take my advice, or not. The scary day would be when Fox News' liscence to broadcast is revoked because of something they reported. Or when I am thrown in jail for saying Glenn Beck's a tool!

Manipulation of Information, otherwise known as re-writing history. The telescreens in 1984 are the people's primary source of information. Winston works for the ministry of truth, which is responsible for going back through the archives and "correcting" mistakes in history. In truth, they are changing the record to match the current political climate. In Animal Farm, Snowball is given a medal for his valor in a battle. He is applauded by the pigs as a hero to the farm. Until he publicly disagrees with them, then they start reporting how he was a coward and really didn't do much in the battle; and he's exiled. Kind of like what's going on with the history books in Texas right now, or how some reporters who shall remain nameless tell you the president said one thing, when those of us who watched the speech saw that he actually said something else.

De-education - Of course, logical, intelligent critical thinkers would never fall for this. So, the Inner Party's first order of business? Make everyone dumber. In 1984, they encourage everyone to speak a new language called Newspeak. It's a dumbed down language meant to discourage creative thought and poetic expression. They also might do something like downplay people who are intellectual or creative, in favor of what they might call "common sense."
Next, they create a climate where everyone is dependent on a single source for information. And whatever that source says, they discourage questioning it. Anyone who opposes them, suggest that they are somehow evil or someone not to be trusted.  This happens in a completely different novel, "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire. The Witch isn't really evil, rather she is an activist who opposes the Wizard. So, to discourage others from joining her, they use propaganda to label her as a wicked witch and a terrorist. Please note, the powers that be aren't indicating that the "Wicked" are wrong or questioning the motives of this counter information. Rather, it's a label placed on the person himself in order to discredit his entire point of view. 1984's Emmanuel Goldstien was simply a scholar who exposed the goings on in the government. He was reported to be the leader of the enemy country, kind of like an Osama bin Laden type. I think about this every time Fox or Limbaugh or Hannity mention once again that "This is the only place you'll hear this information. Those other media outlets won't report it!" Or when a fan of Fox news tells me they watch it exclusively because "they're the only accurate source of information."
For the record, I watch various sources of information. Nightly News, internet, MSNBC, CNN, Fox. I run them ALL through my intelligence filter, and delve from all of the above what's really going on. As long as people are encouraged to do that, politicians can get away with very little.

Perpetual State of War - Both Orwellian societies have the people willing to give up their own freedoms, or resources because they are led to believe that they are in constant danger. 1984 is basically World War II never ending. The enemy is altered and changed throughout the novel, (sometimes in mid-speech) but there's always someone threatening our way of life. A common enemy we need to fear. And in order to protect ourselves, we need to give up our freedoms a little, and make sacrifices for the common good. In Animal Farm, the pigs constantly silence opposition with, "Do you want the humans to come back?" And this ends their questioning of their policies. This also keeps them in a constant state of FEAR, and a feeling of needing to be informed; which keeps them turning to the telescreens for the latest news update, which keeps them dependent on that source for information, which lead to... see above.

I hope that as you read this, you suddenly were reminded of something that is going on RIGHT NOW. And it doesn't necessarily need to be someone in control, it could be the opposition, attempting to gain power. It's the tactics I question.

So, when the word "Socialist" is thrown around, remember that socialism in and of itself has nothing to do with why you should be afraid of it. In fact, when someone uses the word "socialist" they are trying to evoke an emotional response to memories of our percieved enemies, Hitler, Stalin, Russia, China, Cuba, Al Quaeda, etc; not the economic system whereby the government provides certain services to its citizens equally. Socialism has its flaws that have historically led to the system not working, or worse; but our fears of those societies come from POLITICAL practices, not economic ones.

So, who is it that is silencing opposition, manipulating information, de-educating the people, keeping us in a state of combatting a perceived enemy? Is it the so-called "socialists?"