Introduction
Since the dawn of humanity, there has been countless seers, men and women of insight with the capacity to address not only the present circumstances with a creative analysis, but who can actually observe the road into the future! Consequently, those observations can be repeatedly consulted, long after the seers have left the scene.
George Orwell's 1984 is one such work. Published in 1944, against the backdrop of the rise of communism and towards the end of the second world war, the British writer (whose actual name was Eric Arthur Blain) has imagined a civilization which has, in many ways, has come into being.
The general plot can be summarized as follows: A world of conformity to the image of Big Brother, the "common man" represented by Winston Smith, navigates his life in the fictional nation of Oceania, which, although at war with two other nations, focuses on the preservation of its power over its own citizens through what amounts to brainwashing, manipulation, xenophobia, and a host of other activities. The title of this review - IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH - is taken from one of the slogans expressed within the story.
Eventually he begins to question the society's attitudes (albeit in secret, with little verbalization), and runs afoul of the authorities, is interrogated and tortured by "Mr. O'brien", who shares with him (Smith) a handful of insights that are designed to destroy any hopes of authentic change of the status quo.
Reading this work afresh has led this writer to find frightening parallels in today's world, some of the more interesting examples are noted below
Ministry of Truth
The ninety-second page of the 2003 edition (ft.1) shows that Oceania has a government body that has "concerned itself with news, entertainment, education and the fine arts" known as the Ministry of Truth. While it is universally expected that governments have entities which present their narrative, it is our observation that the current trend has gone beyond that. The current trend is to influence all of humanity to think and act in one fashion, and that message is conveyed through all available means.
"Ministries of truth" exist throughout the world today, albeit with different names. They exist outside of government bodies as well. They exist on college campuses, high schools, social media platforms, and increasingly infiltrate religious communities.
Generations that grow up in today's world are exposed to "values" and ideas that are quite contrary to those of the previous generation, and thus are expected to conform or be "cancelled". Careers are ruined, family relationships torn apart, religious values (and sometimes even texts) are altered in the name of being "woke"!
I have seen within mainstream media, from media organizations as well as politicians, lately, present historical untruths, and likewise the fear of even presenting a sound view on certain subjects, seemingly out of fears of political or financial consequences.
Ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness
In a Western context, the rise of white nationalism, so called "Random" shootings that almost always target minorities (blacks, Asians, etc.), such occurrences no longer shock Americans. Orwell has spoken of xenophobia inspired by the government of Oceania (applicable in today's world) with the following words " A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill. torture, to smash faces with a sledgehammer, seemed to flow through the whole group of people like an electric current, turning one even against one's will into a grimacing, screaming lunatic."
Thoughtcrime
One of the many terms created in 1984, it imagines a world in which one's very thoughts are punishable by the authorities. Those thoughts can be simple normal grievances with local government, or even of a personal nature, yet they are harshly punished.
In the academic world this is perhaps more noticeable. A writer is careful in sharing conclusions, for fear of damage to one's career. In some nations, it is an actual crime to question the details of a specific historical event!
Increasingly, conformity to trends within society is demanded, upon threat of income loss. One's own values are made to take a back seat, regardless of how irrational or unreasonable the trend is. Some are "Doxed" by their foes.
Freedom of thought, speech and faith are increasingly becoming things of the past, even within the nations that pride themselves on being bastions of liberty!
Cleansing language
The Ministry of Truth has-in 1984, produced dictionaries, which has removed terms which could be used to express dissent. One example in the book is the removal of the word "bad", replacing it with "ungood".
We see similar actions with what can be termed "politically correct" language within all aspects of public speech, literature, and even religious discourse. Recently I saw a public statement which, quoting Quranic scriptures, replaced "Him" with "Her".! The texts are in reference to God. (ft.2)
No access to knowledge
In the Oceania of 1984, the ministry of truth worked had the ability to remove perceived foe's information (names, accomplishments etc.) from records, making it as if they never existed. Executed prisoner were "dissolved", and the main protagonist (Smith) himself is a torture victim, made to think that a certain book and certain people in fact were simply creations of his own mind!
While our world has seemingly access to plethora of knowledge like never before, it is our observation that actually the opposite has happened. Professionals are ignored and belittled, in the face of social media savvy amateurs!
People can read much on their mobile phones yet find it almost impossible to retain that information! A fad of video- viewing (and short videos at that) has replaced studying from a book and taking notes.
While it is true that the learning process varies from one to another, our fear is that the electronic revolution will make it impossible for people to be able to develop critical thinking skills, let alone the information needed for other areas of life.
Conclusion
This article is by no means exhaustive, it is simply a handful of observations. 1984 is a work that deserves to be read, in particular by teachers, politicians, community leaders, parents and activists. It will generate thought on the dystopian world that will emerge in a complete fashion if we are not careful.
Footnotes
(1) The edition consulted (which also has Animal Farm by the same author) is the 2003 edition, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (Boston, Ma).
(2) The Quranic name for God is "Allah", and while the Qur'an certainly uses masculine pronouns, none have understood it to mean that God is actually male! Moreover, Arabic, like other languages, can use masculine or feminine pronouns and not imply natural gender at all. The Quranic texts I am referencing use "He" (Huwa in Arabic), and the author of the public statement changed it to "she" or "Her", deliberately, without any respect for the original language. The change was made in order to conform to a movement that seeks to address patriarchy by emphasis on feminism. My point is that in the Quranic and Arabic context, such a debate is totally unnecessary and utterly illogical.
