By
Scott Wagland
“Down with Big Brother, Down with Big Brother” I was writing in my book when I got to thinking that Big Brother wasn’t always just an inane gameshow. Cameras in every house may frighten some, but it’s much too overt to be a real threat. Much more frightening to those with imagination was the control of language and rewriting of history in George Orwell’s 1984- and unfortunately, these are the parts that are coming true.
Newspeak has arrived (usually referred to as ‘political correctness’). Take away the words, and you can change how people think. It sounds quite innocent, we don’t want words like retard, spastic, midget, fag, towlhead or honkie (just kidding, you can’t discriminate against white people); we want gender neutral language. You may think it’s right to take away those words, and all their harmful connotations, it’s for the greater good; yet what you’re doing is taking away people’s ability to think critically, to criticise others, to form and express political opinions. Say the wrong word and your public life is over (or even an innocent word, such as US incidents concerning the word niggardly), and worse is the increasing number of legal sanctions and anti-vilification laws (such as the radio presenter found to have vilified a homosexual performer who’s entire career consists of perpetuating stereotypes). It’s hardly free when you only have ‘freedom’ to express ‘correct’ views.
Minitrue is probably the fastest growing institution there is. The age of the internet has made rewriting history exceptionally easy- no more hard copies to flush out, the memory hole is just a button away. We’re at war with global warming, we’ve always been at war with global warming. Settled in a new country? No, invaded. WMDs? A lie, no-one thought they had them (just don’t check the hardcopies of speeches given between 1992 and 2002). There was peace in the world before Bush- Clinton never bombed Iraq, there was peace in the Balkans, peace in the Congo; so much peace in Rwanda a million people are still resting in it. Bush has filled Goldstein’s role superbly, weak yet dangerous, stupid yet masterminding global conspiracies, a great focus for the two minutes of hate (not to mention he’s a ‘neocon’, a word straight out of the Newspeak B vocabulary). Are the bombs falling on London the work of Ingsoc or Eurasia? The CIA was behind 9/11.
Ignorance is strength. It turns out it’s not the work of dictators though, it’s a loose affiliation of media, bureaucrats and academics. The new aristocracy is here (sorry, ‘meritocracy’), rule by the best. Perfect for those who think democracy means protecting minorities against the majority’s tyranny. It’s for our own good, I see that now. I only imagined I saw that photo 11 years ago. O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! I’ve won the victory over myself. I love Big Brother.
Copyright © Scott Wagland 2007. Do not reproduce without permission. All rights reserved.