Thoughtcrime

1984 is today

George Orwell’s 1984 wasn’t a prediction of the future, but a fictional story built around things he was already seeing around him. The basis of The Party and Oceania were built on his observations of the totalitarian states of Nazi Germany and Stalin’s Communist Party. Those things he saw have now disappeared, and a new power has risen that actually follows a lot more of Orwell’s fears and observations than anything before. As we live, we are moving closer and closer to the end of our path: 1984. The current direction of the US, and even the world as a whole, seems to hit the bullseye on many of the fears Orwell had and put in his novel 1984. The world we all take as fiction, the fears that Orwell had for the future, all are beginning to come true. However, as inevitable as this entire scenario seems, it doesn’t have to be, and that is why the only way to freedom from the path of self destruction is one thing and one thing only: knowledge. With the knowledge gained, the awareness risen, the truth spoken a new branched path can be formed and the last left behind. George Orwell’s 1984 is a dimly lit future for the current path the US and the world is taking.

Power has been a guiding source of purpose in life for many throughout the thousands years of human existence. Keeping that power has become such a necessity for those who have that power that they will do anything and everything to keep that power in their hands. As is clearly seen in 1984 The Party controls their people through fear; they control the information to control the thoughts of the people, and threaten anyone who questions said information (Orwell 149). Though it is clear in 1984, many have not seen the full potential of just how much those in power actually control the information being used as news and given to the people. In Noam Chomsky’s “The Carter Administration: Myth and Reality” it is stated several times how an “excess of democracy” could cause problems within the government when the people unite. Noam’s article brings to light The Trilateral Commission, which was a bipartisan task force created to make a reality “a truly common management” for some of the superpowers of the world. In which ways do they exert such  management? Primarily, via the media. “But by the mid-1960s this was no longer possible since ‘the sources of power in society had diversified tremendously,’ the ‘most notable new source of power’ being the media. In reality, the national media have been properly subservient to the state propaganda system, a fact on which I have already commented.”  For example, they had discovered that dead American soldiers could turn the public against war.  Bush and following administrations prohibited the showing of  caskets coming home from our wars.  As a result of tricks like these, and the fact the army had been largely “professionalized”, there was no anti-war movement like the late 60’s had brought.  It can be clearly seen that the control of the media, the flow of information, is one of the main ways the powers of the world stay in power, just as the party does in 1984.

George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair in Motihari, India in 1903 and died in 1950. As a Marxist, he fought in the Spanish Civil War on the loyalist side (POUM faction in Catalonia). His dystopian novel 1984 came out in 1949. 

With the previous statement of “excess of democracy” and comments on propaganda it can clearly be seen that there is something awry with the situation. The “excess of democracy” is simply the fear that the people in power have of the people they rule, and they fear what? Knowledge. When the awareness of the truth began pouring out of media outlets those in power then altered the state of those outlets to write what they want them to write, whatever it takes to get the views and draw attention away from reality. Look at how the majority of news has changed since first established. It was once a place where crimes were reported, controversy was discussed, and corruption was brought to light and (often) ended. Now we busy ourselves with the latest scoop on Angelina Jolie’s love life with Brad. Reality T.V. is in fact “non-reality” T.V., but the more important note to be taken is that the reality that is fed to us is often altered intentionally to distract us from the truth. Whether it be fake news, clickbait, false reporting, or even the claimed “real reports” of Russian hacking the US elections (for which there is no real evidence to this day), all are used to control us.

The concern about the “excess of democracy” was —in general— the excess (sic) of the ability of the masses to rise up upon realization that the powers in play were slowly but steadily undermining all aspects of the promised democracy.  The powers in play were actively engaged (and still are) in removing our ability to rise and become more likely to gain knowledge and education, a basic fundamental human right, and essential to a real, vibrant democracy. In 1984 they forced education on their people, but only the things the powers in 1984 wanted their people to know. Inevitably, by removing our ability to gain knowledge, the powers will slowly gain more and more control over what we learn just as the powers did in 1984. By removing funding, privatizing, and most of all increasing the cost of public education ,the path to 1984 looks more and more real as the gap in education grows.

Following the 2012 assassination of Taliban leader Osama Bin Laden many people in the US flooded the streets in celebration of the death of such a prominent evil entity working against the US. The celebration of the deaths of our enemies. Looking back throughout history it can be seen that victory is almost always celebrated, especially when it comes to war. A lot of that comes from the prejudices and often distorted or incomplete picture that we paint of our enemies, or those who may look like our enemies. In 1984 the 2 Minutes Hate occurrence is a daily ceremony where the people of Oceania gather to watch updates on the war with their enemies Eurasia, and at times sending a reminder to hate our enemies, hence the name (Orwell 17). Early in the book footage of a mother trying to protect her child from helicopter fire is shown, and as is expected they are torn to shreds by the gunfire. The people of Oceania cheer as their enemies fall, cheer as innocent lives are lost just because they are the people of their enemy. War creates fear, fear creates hate, and hate creates violent thoughts. Following the 2001 terror attack against the US by claimed Taliban members the country was in a rampage, especially against those who shared the same skin color of said enemies. Violent crimes against these innocent US citizens happened time and time again following the attack, just because they were seen as our enemy. Celebration of death, the need for violence. It draws a fine line between fiction and reality when the US shows signs of the kind of horrid hate and love for violence shown in Oceania in 1984.

Manufacturing consent is a prominent historical factor in the real world and in 1984’s Oceania. By propagandizing about the evil atrocities of our enemies we then have a justification to go to war with them. By controlling the flow of information, by brainwashing us into hating our enemies the powers in play are granted the ability to manufacture consent for the people of their country. Easily swaying our opinions with controlled propaganda and information leaks leads to their manufactured consent. This consent was used in Vietnam, when we then pointed out how their communist ways of life [supposedly] threatened ours. The people who already feared communism from The Red Scare and other periods immediately jumped on the case of “let’s go to war with Vietnam! Commies!”. It was just another way of manufacturing consent among the people for objectives of value only to the ruling elites. And so, yes, we did give consent, but with a skewed vision of reality and truth. As the old saying goes, ‘One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter,’ and a good salesman can make it go either way.

In 1984 speaking against The Party or committing actions or thoughts that do not follow the societal norms of The Party is a crime punishable by death – or deletion from existence—it is known as Thoughtcrime and is considered one of the worst things a member of The Party (Comrades) can do, since it speaks against the ubiquitous and almighty government. Information that has been changed, people who have been deleted from existence, anything that speaks against the party is punishable the inevitable death – and deletion from existence (Orwell 51). Though the US does not show —yet—clear signs of such extreme punishment for speaking against the government, and freedom of speech is still a major value in the society at large, it does in fact show signs of punishment for speaking against the powers in play. Edward Snowden leaked classified government files in June of 2013, claiming that the NSA (National Security Agency) was spying, recording, and watching every single form of digital communication we use. This was a truth that we deserved to know, and it was Edward Snowden who told us. Yet the government still punished him profusely for his crimes, or they tried to, before he got out of their control and fled to foreign countries. Just as those who speak the truth are punished in 1984, those who speak the truth in the real world can be punished in similar ways.

Really that far-fetched?

A prominent force for control in 1984 is the presence of spies, thoughtpolice, and telescreens scattered throughout Oceania and Party-controlled areas, primarily for the purpose of surveillance (Orwell 24). To keep them in check they constantly spy on their own people, watching, listening, waiting for any kind of sign of wrongdoing or wrongdoing to come. The people of Oceania, though maybe not by will, have sacrificed their freedom for their security. They have obviously forgotten Benjamin Franklin’s warning: “Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.” Currently, we have concrete information and proof that our government is spying on us, and yet we have done nothing to stop them. The official statements of the government and the NSA claim it is for our safety, so they may root out any terrorist threats they find while surveilling the US. We know, yet we still let it happen. They no longer need warrants or reasonable cause; they are surveilling every one of us. Benjamin Franklin’s words echo through the heads of those who want change, while the rest of the people continue to sacrifice their liberty for their supposed security.

The state of invasive and permanent security is totally against the founding documents of our nation, and not only because it is completely and utterly a violation of privacy and outright immoral. Oceania controlled the information so much to the point that they altered history within the nation, thus making whatever the people in power wanted to be the truth, the only truth. One minute it’s Eurasia, the next minute it’s Eastasia, and it has always been Eastasia, not Eurasia. In a matter of a week the forces of Oceania altered their own history books, thus dooming future generations of any kind of reality or truth. In our own reality, one minute it’s ISIS, the next minute it is Russia; it was originally Korea, but suddenly it was Vietnam. Time and time again our enemies change drastically, and seem to be constantly multiplying, so much to the point the US holds a title as the most hated country in the world. Though our history books seem to stay true, the minds of the citizens exposed to these times of war and a constant barrage of new media offering them new information keeps us dumbed down to believe whatever we have seen or heard. Oceania has complete control over their information, so do our powers, most just don’t know yet.

Thus, just as the powers of 1984 clearly show signs of development in the real world, the overall ideals of those cultures and societies in 1984 seem to be seeping through to the real world. War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength. These are the official slogans of the Party in 1984, and are posted all over the walls and the world around those in Oceania. Time and time again the US finds itself at war with foreign countries, whether it be North Korea or Afghanistan, war seems to always occur. In 1984 the only way to “keep the peace” is to force peace and defeat on our enemies through war. Just as America does we find ourselves at war “keeping the peace” by forcing defeat on those who threaten the “safety” and “peace” of others and ourselves (America). The 2004 satirical film “Team America: World Police” mocks the idea of America sticking its nose in the business of foreign countries, claiming our place as “World Police.” Though the film as a whole is a joke, the humor behind the idea of America being “world police” seems to become more and more truthful as time goes on. We’ve been at war with foreign countries nearly non-stop since the the end of World War Two (not to mention scores of other prior interventions) proving there is substantial evidence for the notion that America acts—self-servingly—as the world police. In fact, America has been at war 93% of the time – 222 out of 239 years – since 1776. 

Since World War II there has not been a single war that America had to be in. We as “World Police” have stuck our noses in matters that were not at all our business to stick our noses into. Whether or not communism threatened our way of life we had no right to invade countries thousands of miles away because of fear of what might have happened. War for oil, war for money must end, for these wars we fight are for the powers that be only, not for the people. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan brought nothing but death to the majority, and wealth to the rich. The war in Vietnam and Korea did nothing but cause controversy and more death for the majority, especially in the target nations, and for the powers that be a more guaranteed position of power. The “wars” to be fought for the people do not lay outside our borders, but from within. They distract us with overseas enemies so that we do not bother to assume that we have someone working against us from the inside, or a great number of people working against us. 1984 shows that ignorance and hate of our enemies only leads to conformity, and hate. Until we open our eyes as Winston and other rebels in 1984 did we will never move forward and fight the fight for the people.

1984’s world shuns the idea of capitalism and the separation of wealth for “the men in top hats” to control everything (Orwell 76-78). Yet still there is a clear separation of wealth or social system in 1984, just as is in the real world. In the US alone the top 1% of wealth holders have 40% of the wealth, while the bottom 80% hold 73% of the country’s debt and less than 7% of the nation’s wealth, making the top 1% more wealthy than the entirety of the bottom 90%. Though the wealth system in 1984 isn’t as prominent as the wealth system in the real world, it can clearly be seen that the living conditions of The Party Members are much much worse than those within The Inner Party. Looking at where the Proles live they would be considered the lower class of the real world. Party Members would be considered the middle class, and finally The Inner Party members have similar living conditions to those of the upper class in the real world. Capitalism deepened the separation of concentrated wealth from the rest of society in the US, and it continues the divide between the classes in America. Though 1984’s The Party states their hatred for capitalists (in this Orwell was basing his inspiration in the fact that Hitler, spuriously, professed a hatred of the capitalist elites, and Stalin truly despised them) and hate their decadent way of life, they follow the same class separation that capitalism has caused in the real world.

As previously mentioned 1984’s state of “security” is guaranteed by the constant surveillance of the citizens every single moment of every day. They control their people through fear of punishment or being convicted of thoughtcrime, and it’s worst for most of the people living in Oceania. Those that do not follow the societal norms of The Party are punished not only by death. The Thoughtpolice literally delete every record of Thoughtcriminals, thus deleting them from existence in the collective conscience of society. Those who dare speak of said disappeared individuals can also be convicted of Thoughtcrime. Fear leads those who may not agree with The Party to be forced to conform to the ideals of the party or you can be deleted from existence, and they keep the people in check that way. Now in the US this extreme case is merely a work of fiction that seems impossible, but is it really so farfetched? As was said earlier with the control of information in 1984 and in the US the government controls us using fear, not of our government but of the enemy so that we trust the government more. As stated in the war section, the media demonizes US enemies across the seas and makes us hate them for being who they are and where they live. As we citizens fear the impending doom of “terrorists” killing us and those we love every single day. They feed us information to make us fear their enemies, fear those who may speak the truth, try to demonize those who do not work for their cause. “If you see something, say something” is a slogan used in 1984 to root out Thoughtcriminals. The same exact slogan is used by Homeland Security, literally, the same exact thing is said by the US government as the government in 1984.

Final comment

Winston Smith, of the Outer Party, as portrayed by Edmond O’Brien in the 1956 version of the classic novel.

The fear, the ignorance forced upon us is keeping us down constantly. We as a people are oppressed every single day and we don’t even know it, they have us right where they want us. With control over the information, our privacy, our thoughts, our education, they continue to make that gap between us larger and larger thus filling their pockets ever more, and accumulating more and more power over us. We as people need to do something about this monumental problem before it is too late, before we become Oceania and The Party. Our future is dark, but with knowledge and unity we can rule this country as it was meant to be ruled, by the people, of the people, and for the people. Freedom is strength, war is destruction, ignorance is weakness. Together we can take back our true freedom, together we can once again advance as a human race rather than let those who loom over us move forward and climb the ladder, stepping on our heads on their way up. Together we can once again be free, and rule ourselves as we were meant to do. Close the gap, spread the word, search for the truth, fight the power.

REFS.

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“NSA Spying on Americans Is Illegal.” American Civil Liberties Union. American Civil Liberties Union, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2017. <https://www.aclu.org/other/nsa-spying-americans-illegal>.

“The NSA Files.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 24 June 2014. Web. 22 Jan. 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/the-nsa-files>.

Lutz, Ashley. “These 6 Corporations Control 90% Of The Media In America.” Business Insider. Business Insider, 14 June 2012. Web. 22 Jan. 2017. <http://www.businessinsider.com/these-6-corporations-control-90-of-the-media-in-america-2012-6>.

Platt, Spencer. “Celebrating the Death of Osama Bin Laden.” Time. Time Inc., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2017. <http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2068860_2271136,00.html>.

Chomsky, Noam. “The Carter Administration: Myth and Reality.” The Carter Administration: Myth and Reality, by Noam Chomsky (Excerpted from Radical Priorities). Noam Chomsky, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2017. <https://chomsky.info/priorities01/>.

“Anti-Muslim Incidents Since Sept. 11, 2001.” Southern Poverty Law Center. Southern Poverty Law Center, 29 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Jan. 2017. <https://www.splcenter.org/news/2011/03/29/anti-muslim-incidents-sept-11-2001>.