Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Orwellian


I have been back in “Civilization” for three weeks. It is as if I have arrived in George Orwell’s 1984. Last week, I listened with disbelief to the Democratic National Convention – Doublethink everywhere. There was John Kerry, who called American Marines risking their lives to liberate Iraq from a mass murder, baby killers, talking about respecting our military. Joe Biden claiming the GM is alive even as they announce they are selling cars at $49,000 loss, when they will never repay the “lone” they have stolen from the taxpayers, and have paid no taxes at all. There was Bill Clinton, a liar from the beginning, claiming that things are better in an America where unemployment has reached levels not approached since the mess created by the Carter administration and were the average pay of our citizens has shrunk $4,000 a year.

Obama’s speech is not worth mentioning.

Orwell’s protagonist, Winston Smith, finds himself in a filthy slop house trying to eat tasteless pinkish – gray stew. He tries to remember the world that once was, the world before the Party and Big Brother made it “better”. He listens as the telescreen proclaims how much improved things are than they were and Winston knows it is a lie.

“As though in confirmation of this, a trumpet call floated from the telescreen just above their heads. However, it was not the proclamation of a military victory [Osama is Dead] this time, but merely an announcement from the ministry of Plenty.”

“’Comrades!’ cried an eager youthful voice. [Bill Clinton, no doubt] ‘Attention, comrades! We have glorious news for you. We have won the battle for production! Returns now completed of the output of all classes of consumption goods show that the standard of living has risen by no less than twenty per cent over the past year. All over Occania [The convention hall and MSNBC] this morning there were irrepressible spontaneous demonstrations when workers marched out of factories and offices and paraded through the streets with banners voicing their gratitude to Big Brother [Barack Obama] for the new, happy life which his wise leadership has bestowed upon us.”

As he sits there contemplating the lies he himself has stuffed into the media relating to consumption goods the voice broadcasts his own fabrications. “It appeared that there had even been demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to twenty grams a week. And only yesterday, he reflected, it had been announced that the ration was to be reduced to twenty grams a week. Was it possible that they could swallow that, after only twenty – four hours? Yes, they swallowed it. Parsons swallowed it easily, with the stupidity of an animal.

The eyeless creature at the other table swallowed it fanatically, passionately, with the furious desire to track down, denounce, and vaporize anyone who should suggest that last week the ration had been thirty grams. Syme, too – in some more complex way, involving doublethink – Syme swallowed it. Was he, then, alone in the possession of a memory?”

Back from Camp, back in the Obama Nation; I am forced to ask, am I the only one with a memory. Am I the only one who has ever read Orwell? Am I the only one who knows it is all a lie?









14 comments:

Geoffory said...

I share your dismay of those in our society who seem blind to the world around them and even the world they live in. For some time I also struggled to understand how so many people in this country seem to have the "memory" problem you discuss. Then I remembered that a remarkably influential leader of the 20th century described more fundamental human behaviors which explain a great deal. He said - "What good fortune for governments that the people do not think" and "Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way round, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise."

It seems that Adolph had it right.

Geoffory said...

It also looks like I don't know how to spell Aldolf correctly.

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MindMechanic said...

Sleep. Sleep.

I wonder if people ever stop to ponder the path we are on and where it leads us?

The government promotes a dependence on government. After all...who else can take care of the needs of the many? Certainly not the 'individual'...we have long since committed to the notion that self reliance is arrogance and worse...unachievable.

Greece is burning. Temporary fixes which amount to an ever widening debt sinkhole isnt fixing the problem but rather at best delaying it. 'People' may individually be smart enough to realize that the government cant sustain socialist policies but they refuse to acknowledge that reality. They refuse to give up the cake crumbs. How sad. Spain now follows. Can England, France, and ultimately, the US be far behind?

All is well. Well...except for a 16 trillion dollar debt, 1.4-1.8 increases in annual deficit spending, 'real' unemployment that hovers around 16%, stagnant GDP, a congress so dysfunctional it cant even pass a basic operating budget, 1 trillion in outstanding student loan debt, continued illegal immigration concerns, pending health care costs with and without the Affordable Care Act (cant WAIT to see the blind mindless supporters reaction when they get the bill for now mandated health care), a middle east that is more unstable than ever, a teetering European economy...

But all is well. Sleep. Sleeeeeeeep.

Ian said...

The people who create propaganda don't care if the information they are spreading is true or not, as long as the individual receiving it acts as if it were true. Isn't that a scary thought?

Dan said...

I wonder how many people believe that MM's penultimate paragraph of problems is truly just to be laid at the current administration's feet and that of his party. Unfortunately, I think a good number do, and therein lies the fruit of my least favorite propaganda. That of partisan politics.

MindMechanic said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MindMechanic said...

Dan...surely not. It was Bush's fault (didnt he sign the repeal of Glass Steagal? Didnt he refuse to pass Kyoto?). It was all the GOP. The teleprompter froze. The sun was in his eyes. He ran out of gas. The dog ate his homework. The debate moderator from PBS was biased. The air in Denver was too thin. Blame for a commander in chief? Ownership of responsibility after 4 years at the helm of the country? Perish the thought!!!

Obama inherited a 9 trillion dollar debt. True story. 6 trillion of that Bush was responsible for as CIC (ignoring the fact that congress had to pass every spending bill AND the democrats controlled the house and senate for 2 of those years-Bush was still 'the man'). 3 trillion had been run up prior. No doubt...6 trillion in debt in 8 years is horrible and as I have said here before, lack of fiscal responsibility is the reason WHY I left the GOP in 2003. However it is UNDENIABLE that Obama added 7 trillion in THREE years.

We face annual deficits which both sides buy off on...but...responsibility, Dan...thats what you get when you apply for the job. If the Utes hired a new coach because the last coach didnt do a good job, and then suffered 4 years of even GREATER losses with a new coach, then what kind of idiot would stay with that losing coach? What kind of idiot would tolerate "yeah...but...see...its not my fault!" A mindless myopic partisan idiot.

Things arent getting better. They are getting worse. When you stand and proudly thump your chest at new job numbers, meanwhile knowing that 23 million people are so dispirited that they have either completely run out of qualification for unemployment benefits or just given up...why...thats just silly, isnt it? On the plus side...since people have already long ago began running out of their 99 WEEKS of benefits, if (and I believe 'when') we give the same guy another 4 years, by the end of that 4 years, unemployment should be down around zero...not because the economy is thriving but because NO ONE will qualify for unemployment benefits. No one qualifies, no one can claim...thats a winner winner chicken dinner deal right there!

SO...4 more years of 'solutions then. Why not. Lets add another 7-10 trillion in debt. Its not like THIS generation is going to have to pay for it after all. Heck...your children may be able to duck and dodge it long enough to pass it on to THEIR kids. And grandkids...heck...why care about them? Hah! Suckers! Its THEIR fault for being born 4 generations too late. Lets all stick THEM with the bill for our continued irresponsibility. After all...its not OUR fault!

4 more years of deficit spending to dump into union jobs that states are supposed to be funding and paying for. 4 more years of shovel ready jobs that never appeared. 4 more years of payoffs to campaign contributors for green energy jobs that never materialize. 4 more years of debt for a health care plan that no one has bothered to read.

Im sorry...did you say something about 'partisanship'?

Dan said...

It was a fine, well crafted rant MM. Unfortunately it didn't really speak to anything that I said.

I'm not an Obama supporter, nor do I plan to vote for him. However, last I checked, there are two parties running things back in D.C. The President should be held accountable for every possible thing that he has control over. In our country of people who don't (for the most part) bother to know how our system runs, the President receives vastly too much credit and vastly too much blame. But you are right that they do sign up for it, it shouldn't be a surprise.

There is a giant list of things that the left has done wrong over the last 4 years. However, to stand back and pretend that it is just the left is ridiculous. Republicans over the last few years have run on the promise of not working with people. Utah's own Sen. Lee is willing to vote against someone he publicly espouses would be great for the job, just to poke the president in the eye.

Ignore it all you want, and hate on the current administration all you want. The problem is systemic, and it runs through both sides of the aisle.

MindMechanic said...

Dan,

I expect 'my' candidate to poll at about 1.5%...tops. If he pulls another stunt like the 'Zombie' video I probably wont vote for Johnson myself. However this election is about who ultimately will be responsible for policy in the next 4 years. Sending the same crew back to keep using the same failed polices and the same failed tactics and advocating for more government spending and deeper and greater debt is national suicide. Not sure if you get much news from the other side of the pond, but there are some pretty clear examples going on right now of what happens when you become a nation of crippled and dependent pets reliant on the government to provide for you. Im not all that fond of that course. I dont want to dump a mountain of debt on my grandchildren because this generation is too cowardly to make difficult decisions. There is a telling scene from the not-historically accurate movie, The 300. Paraphrased, "Leonidas is cruel, he demands that you stand, while I demand only that you kneel." Such benevolence from a leader and government...

And of course...citing Senator Lee...one can only wonder what you must think of the head of the Senate and the job the Senate has done under his 'leadership' since 2007.

MindMechanic said...

BTW...hi Dan, and others...Ive missed the Agora!

Dan said...

What I think? I think both houses of Congress have been a joke for many years now. As to Sen Reid in particular? I think he is a disgrace.

MindMechanic said...

Common ground at last (or at least).

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