In 1949 George Orwell wrote 1984, a political prophecy that portrayed a Progressive Party’s ultimate achievement of its totalitarian goals in a Utopian State of complete oligarchy. This chilling account of a Utopian Dream that evolved into a Dystopia was titled, 1984. So frightening was the premise of the novel that the number 1984 became a part of our language, along with the nebulous figure of “Big Brother.”
Many who read the book breathed a sigh of relief when the year 1984 came and passed without the realization of the dreaded situations described in the book. Perhaps Orwell’s only flaw with 1984 was to predict the Progressive political ascendancy a few decades prematurely. The Chinese and Russian oligarchies were in full bloom by the late 1940s; it was within reason to assume the Totalitarian Progressive control of the United States and England in 35 years.
To accomplish this type of Oligarchy, it is necessary to have control over a certain segment of society, a segment that swears allegiance to a common cause and is willing to die for that cause, presumably for the benefit of the society as a whole. This has actually been happening for thousands of years; for the ancient Hebrew, it was only necessary to know that all other nations worshiped false Gods. This was reason enough to put other nations to the sword and to obliterate any trace of their existence.
Mao and Stalin became charismatic leaders of Totalitarian Oligarchies and obtained a celebrity status that approximated that of the Hebrew Jahweh and promptly killed over a hundred million of their own people in order to achieve a Progressive Utopia or a perfect Socialist Society.
In the novel 1984 there were many tactics revealed that were necessary to achieve the perfect Socialist State in the Western World during the second half of the twentieth century. Although Castro succeeded in Cuba, there was never a serious threat to the United States despite the federal government being riddled with Soviet spies. The presence of Soviet spies during the 1940s was proven by the release of the Verona Cables, the declassification of KGB files and the confession of former spy, Whittaker Chambers.
In the novel, 1984, Big Brother was known only to exist on posters and by the presence of his melodic and soothing voice. No one saw Big Brother, but doubting his omnipotence was reason enough for arrest by the Thought Police. It was essential to be enthusiastic about every broadcast by Big Brother and the ongoing war against either Eurasia or Eastasia, or risk being picked up by the dreaded Thought Police.
In Orwell’s world of 1984 there were two catalysts within Oceania, an area that theoretically combined England and the United States. These catalysts were Big Brother with his troubling reports of overproduction in a land of shortages, and the unending wars of attrition waged in far off lands. All conscious thought, away from work, was to be directed toward these situations. The eyes of Big Brother were always observing your behavior, as were all children, for they were all members of the Young Spies.
The wars of 1984 kept the lower party members and the non-party members, the Proles of Oceania focused toward a universal direction, in much the same way as the fanaticism of Global Warming keeps a huge segment of contemporary society focused in a collective tunnel vision. Within the Democratic Party and on the university campus there is no deviance allowed; grants are withdrawn and promotions withheld. Dubious computer models and questionable scientific data are considered sacrosanct. Conflicting data is considered contemptible and unworthy of consideration. To quote Al Gore, “The debate is over.”
Oceanic Society was designed in a pyramid structure; Big Brother was at the apex, he was credited with being all-powerful and infallible. Success, achievement, victory, scientific discovery, knowledge, wisdom, and virtue are all attributed to the leadership and inspiration of Big Brother.
Today’s Democratic Party has managed to elect their version of a Big Brother persona. Implementation of an Oligarchy has been an ongoing situation for the past seven months. Whether Barack Obama is actually in charge is a point of contention. He is flanked by several who could actually be pulling the strings. Just as Big Brother was a persona, our president may be controlled by George Soros, Bill Ayers, or David Axelrod, or a combination of the three.
Big Brother relied on the telescreen, a two-way communication screen to communicate with each citizen individually. No one was sure who was really speaking, but it was against the law to wonder. Obama uses the teleprompter to simulate actual speech delivery, and no knows who writes the message. In effect, the new president is a message deliverer, not unlike the poster image of Big Brother delivering his daily messages.
In Orwell’s 1984 there existed three political groups: The Aristocracy, the Middle Group, and the Proles. Beneath Big Brother is the Inner Circle of the party, the Aristocracy, made up of bureaucrats, scientists, technicians, trade union organizers, publicity experts, sociologists, teachers, journalists, and professional politicians. These people, who were members of the salaried middle class and upper levels of the working class, were chosen and molded into an elite political class. Picked for being less tempted by luxury and driven more for the acquisition of power, they became the nucleus of a monopoly industry and a centralized government. Control of education, media, and health is paramount for the complete installation of an oligarchy; an aware citizenry is difficult to delude and manage. The education system must be degraded to the point that the citizens are barely literate and only vaguely aware of history and current events. The media machine programs the news so that it relates in a positive manner to the party line. The leader is always portrayed in a glorious light and there is never negative news from within the country, only from without. This inner core of loyal and fawning sycophants provide the means to accomplish these goals.
Obama is aggressively building this same elitist group (aristocracy) of loyalists, a “Big Brother” court of obedient followers who are more than ready to toe the party line and kow-tow to the leader for their share of power. The appointment of czars, or dictators as they were designated by FDR (positions not designated in the Constitution), is a tightening and consolidation of power by Obama.
The second group in Orwell’s political hierarchy is the Middle Group. These people are members of the party and perform various menial functions that are necessary in any society. Within our own society, these people include government workers, teachers, bureaucrats, police, Community Organizers and Acorn. These party members are on the periphery of power and have limited access to the perks of inner party membership. However, steadfast dedication to the party line and unwavering fanaticism in the role of a Useful Idiot can guarantee a position at the front of the line for party benefits and even entry into the Inner Party in the future. Thus, party loyalty is woven into the fabric of the Orwellian society.
Orwell’s third political group represents the non-party members, the Proles as Orwell designated them. Insignificant, inconsequential, and oppressed, the Proles are largely ignored by the party. They live, work, eat, breed, and die in squalor and poverty without the scrutiny or privilege of the party member. Their homes are the targets of the occasional but dubious “Bottle Rockets” supposedly launched by Oceana’s eternal enemies from thousands of miles away. If the Obama agenda is allowed to run its projected course, the Proles are now, us, the common man.
We know that Obama is a real person, although the definition of “real” in reference to a cult-like celebrity, like Obama, may be argued with authority. Consider the cult-like celebrity status of the un-convicted, but alleged criminal, Michael Jackson. The adoration and affection shown to this celebrity might have been enough to insure the election of Michael Jackson to the Office of President.
Reader, your first reaction to this scenario is to say, impossible, yet if we analyze the meteoric rise of a freshman senator from Illinois, a senator with the bare minimum of qualifications and a close association with the infamous Chicago Political Machine, a lifetime spent with radicals and domestic terrorists, it becomes clear that if enough of the educated and ill-educated, uncouth, and politically faithful become smitten with a celebrity, a stage persona can indeed be elected to the presidency of the United States. If that personality is surrounded by politically savvy power brokers hungering for control over the masses, it is conceivable that an Orwell 1984 scenario can, and will be played out in our near future.
We see the California power monopoly promoting its “Green” efforts towards combating Global Warming and thereby allegedly reducing the incidence of crop failures, water shortages, severe weather conditions, hurricanes, famine and disease. While Big Brother stands in the shadows, it’s hard not to admire a company that strives to alleviate these natural disasters. Is Big Brother in our immediate future? That’s the question I leave you with today.
Epilogue: This article was written soon after Obama was elected. I lost the article and never published it until now. It is useful to show how some of us recognized the potential for tyranny.
A professional horseman for over 50 years, Skook continues to work with horses. Skook has finished an historical novel, Fifty Thousand Years, that traces a mitochondrial line of DNA from 50,000 years ago to the present. The story follows a line of courageous women, from the Ice Ages to the present, as they meet the challenges of survival with grit and creativity. These are not women who whimper of being victims, they meet the challenges of survival as women who use their abilities without excuses or remorse, these women are winners, they are our ancestors.
Fifty Thousand Years is available in paperback and e-book, it is getting great reviews. You can purchase a copy here; Visit me on Facebook.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dylantheauthor
Scary stuff, but great piece, Skooks.
A timely article, considering that yesterday, Big O’ Brother robo-signed S.990 – the extension of the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. act until June 1, 2015. Among the sections that were extended were:
Isn’t it ironic that Big O’Brother did this on Memorial Day – a day to remember our soldiers who have died fighting for freedom?
Talking about patriots, you guys have a solemn and revered Memorial Day. There are too many war dead who fought against the antics of big brother.
As always Skook, you leave me at a loss for words. not only right on the money, but even more pertinent when one considers our so called leader now has himself a “Truth Czar”!
People should familiarize themselves with the on-line Newspeak Dictionary.
Some words never made it into our daily lives, but reflect an idea you will see in the media.
Other words, like “Memory Hole,” have come into our language.
We should be aware of where these words came from (George Orwell’s 1984) and be aware what it means that we have to use them.
Sorry you ”lost” this essay for so long, Skokum.
It’s a good one.
I noticed something odd last night. Greta Van Sustern did a segment on green cars. She interviewed a reporter from the far left rag, the Houston Chronicle. The reporter talked about electric cars, how Houston was in a race with California to install electric refueling stations all over the city. The piece concentrated on the cost of the car and how it could go 100 miles without being recharged. It was definately a pro-green car report. But there was something missing. The cost of installing a charging station at your home (the reporter said you could pay it off at $90/month, but didn’t say how long it took to pay it off) and the cost of increased electricity usage at your home, or the cost of recharging at private recharging stations.
The fact that these cars only have a 100 mile range, so are only really suitable for city dwellers, and that the cost of recharging was not mentioned got me to thinking about how hard our government is pushing these cars, and if they were the only thing you could buy, what the ramifications of that would be. It would mean that people who commute would have to move closer to their jobs and become city dwellers. It would mean that many people, who chose to live in outlying small towns for the benefit of raising children away from the influence of major cities, would have no choice but to move to the city.
Why would the government want to force migration to large cities? Could it be that large cities are mostly controlled by the Democrat Socialists who want to educate every child as if they are all of equal intelligence, who want to control what we eat (Bloomberg’s salt crusade), who want to tell us that we cannot smoke in our own back yards or vehicles, who want to reduce us to Orwell’s Animal Farm?
Global warming is rapidly being proven the hoax it is. So, if our elected officals are not willing to look at the truth, and only want to look at the crusade, what excuse could there be for such actions? One word; Power. \
The power over our lives. The power to tell us where to live, who will educate our children and how, the power to tell us what to eat, drive, etc, all in the name of absolute control. Once we become a nation of lemmings, totally dependent on government for our every actions, 1984 will be a reality, not a fiction novel.
Utopia indeed.
Retire: thanks for lifting the curtain. Why should the lemmings resist, they already live in the city. That was a damn frightening scenario.
Western Canada is still a pretty nice place to live out your life.
Great article, Skooks. Just as timely, submitting it today, as it would have been when you had written it. Maybe more so, in fact, considering that soon after Obama was elected, we had not seen much of the statist, progressive utopian views, edicts and directives yet. This kind of serves as a sort of vindication of what many of us conservatives were railing against, regarding Obama, prior to his election.
Believe it or not, of the literally thousands of books I have read, 1984 is not amongst them. I have wanted to read it for quite awhile, but never have. I suppose this means that I must do so at the earliest opportunity. There is no doubt, though, that the book elicits as much derision from the liberal left as Atlas Shrugged does. Any narrative that seeks to criticize the statist ideology always does so. Beck’s Overton Window is the most recent example.
JG, shame on you. Do not read it alone, during the night, in a trap cabin in the far North, you will put your rifle a little closer to your bunk and check outside a little more often. It is that kind of book.
@Skookum:
I know, I know. I should have read it years and years ago. And in all actuality, it won’t be a rifle. It’ll be my dog. And sure, they can take him from me. Assuming, of course, that they are able to pry his jaws off of their arms, or legs.
Skookum, while I have no doubt that western Canada is beautiful, I think I will stay where I am at. I don’t have to deal with the Canadian health care system, the Canadian Human Rights Council that likes to prosecute people due to the complaints of one Muslim (Mark Styne and McClean’s) or snow plows.
I am surprise that the astute readers of FA have not commented on a little reported, but very important story, that surfaced this week in how this administration intends to erode our liberties as a free people. One of the things our Founders guaranteed us, in our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the construction of a coalition of states that could act as one against foreign invasion, was our right to the freedom of movement. That coalition of states that would act as one to protect all, was also to assure us that there would be no boundaries that we had to adhere to and we would be able to move, from state to state, unimpeded and without borders or check points so that we could live where it gave us the greatest opportunity to realize our potential. That is rapidly coming to a halt.
Last month, the Texas House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that would honor our 4th Amendment rights and find TSA agents guilty of a felony if they conducted unreasonable searches of people that involved the touching of “the anus, sexual organ, buttocks or breats of another person including through the clothing”. The Texas Congress determined that our 4th Amendment protections of being secure in our persons, should not be violated when exercising our right to freedom of movement (travel). The bill applied the same standards to TSA agents that is applied to all other law enforcement officers. The bill went to the Texas Senate for final passage last Wednesday.
Prior to being placed on the Senate calender for passage (the day before it was scheduled for a vote) the DoJ, via its U.S. Attorney, John E. Murphy (who replaced the sandalous Johnny Sutton and is an Obama appointee) the Texas Senate was sent a letter advising it that if the bill was, in fact, voted into law, that air traffic into, and out of, Texas would be halted. U.S. Attorney John. E. Murphy basically told the Texas Senate that if the bill passed, it was his intention to make Texas a “no-fly” zone.
But it gets worse and the intentions of this administration, for whose bidding Murphy does, under Eric Holder, advised Texas that:
“The proposed legislation would make it unlawful for a federal agent such as a TSO to perform certain specific searches for the purpose of granting access to a publicly accessible building OR form of transportation.”
Read that line carefully. access to a publicly accessible building. What is a publicly accessible building? It is every federal office, state house, state or municipal office, a Wal-Mart, K-Mart, movie theater, bank or any other building where the general public has access. Is this a percusor to having your private parts groped due to the reluctance of our federal government to actually profile those who pose a threat to American citizens whenever you enter a “publicly accessible building” just wanting to grocery shop?
Murphy’s letter goes on to say:
“If HR 1937 were enacted, the federal government would likely seek an emergency stay of the statute. Unless or until such stay were granted, TSA would likely be required to cancel any flight or series of flights for which it could not ensure the safety of passengers and crew.”
Got that? Unless you agree to be groped by some poorly trained TSO, to exercise your right of freedom of travel, you will not be allowed to travel.
The 4th Amendment protects you against unreasonable searches and guarantees you safety in your person. Everyday, the TSA, and more specifically the federal government, violates your 4th Amendment rights, and when a state decides that it is not in the best interest of its citizens to be sexually molested, the federal government threatens to shut down all air traffic to and from that state, basically killing it economically.
This story barely made the news, but it should have been plastered across every front page in America. Your rights, your Constitutional rights, as an American citizen are being eroded by this administration at a pace never before seen in our history.
I read it years ago, in junior high school actually. I remember the drearyness of it and the hopelessness that it instilled into me. Unfortunately I don’t remember too much more about it, or what we studied it for in school.
Shame on me, lol.
Retire05: Not to depress you further, but in Santa Fe, NM, the TSA and local authorities are patting down kids as they enter their HS Prom.
TSA to oversee searches at Santa Fe prom
John Cooper, I rest my case. Every dictator in history has quelched freedom of movment. A people, free to move about without being watched or searched, has the ability to overthrow a dictatorship. You see, first you restrict movement, then you disarm the populace. We know, and history has proven, what follows next.
But the nation seems to want to ignore what their government is now doing to them because we have become a nation of zero-liability taxpayers who are only interested in what the government gives them, not what the government takes away.
If the New Mexico school district wants to avoid “unreasonable” groping, I suggest it keep an close eye on the TSA agent, who will prove more dangerous that the gangbangers on campus.
Ever enjoy a BBQ in a public park?
Those days might be over ….. if the environmentalists have anything to say about it!
They are aiming first at 4th of July fireworks displays.
Gee?
Do they ”pollute?”
It is starting in nutty California.
According to the strictest interpretation of this, jumpy-jumps and everything else (BBQs) would be subject to environmental review if this ruling stands.
Superior Court Judge Linda Quinn said La Jolla’s annual Fourth of July fireworks show requires evaluation under the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA.
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith. “Existing law has never been interpreted to require a CEQA review for this. … This decision opens the door to absurd results. This is the reason appellate courts exist and we plan to ask for their help.”
Even before the judge’s ruling was finalized, Chula Vista officials on Thursday pulled the plug on their July Fourth show in the face of environmental challenges.
Environmental impact reports can take a year and cost tens of thousands of dollars.
(This means 4th of July fireworks could be on pause for at least two years as the first studies are completed.)
MORE HERE
@Nan G: First of all, I wanted you to know that I tried to click like on your comment, however the batteries in my wireless mouse seem to be running down and it clicked dislike instead. I am sorry for that.
Secondly this is astounding that something like this could even be contemplated!!
2012 and a GOOD, SOLID CONSERVATIVE cannot get here fast enough, I tell ya!
SKOOKUM, YOU MUST KNOW THAT IS THE FIRST THOUGHT THAT CAME TO MY MIND ,
WHEN I saw the telepronter, and it realy sink like a bad thing,
I have seen the movie and was impress by the possibility of it in other COUNTRYS unable to fight it,
because they start resisting too late, and the snake got bigger and engendered many other little snakes that entangle the whole people young and old and the patriots waited too long to move in,
Another good article Skooum! When I first heard OBi speak, I knew he would win. I immediately began making bets on him. Easy call. He reminded me of exactly what you described in your article, a saviour to many people. And the majority of the people wanted to hear “positive messages”, especially from someone new and refreshing!
I would agree with you that at least the beginnings of 1984 has already arrived, a little late but its here. I think it really had its start in the early 90’s from my own experience with Big Brotherism, and has only esculated with the arrival of Obamism. Just look at how we speak in public as compared to 20 years ago, our language has been neutered. Its non-emotive. Its not ment to arouse any anger, joy, frustration etc… in the user. Language always has to be made “anew” in any culture undergoing dramtic changes like ours has in the past 20 odd years. Liberals love non-emotive language in a debate. It takes the sting out so to speak. And it also does away with the dreaded sexism, and makes a level playing field, at least in the minds of liberals. A few examples: parent=custodian, father and mother=guardians, brothers/sisters=siblings, wife/husband=significant other, problems=issues, janitor=maintence engineer, mentally retardation=specially gifted, bad behavior=acting out, pain=discomfort, salesperson=counselor, religion/=spirituality(liberals have painted religion as bad, but spirituality as openedminded), etc… I had to write a Policy and Procedure Manual back in the mid 90’s for a government program, and had to have a section for the “newspeak” in it for new employees on how to correct evaluation forms of clients who used old speak. There is a host of other reasons why a society must have its old language made new in a dictatorship. But first and foremost you begin the process slowly from the top down. Government. So now we are all familar with political correctness, and many people use it everyday, especially the younger generations.
And unless we get a contender who know how to use psycholoy, and common sense in debating these liberals we will lose this next election. And of course you make your enemy look mean, which the liberals have done an excellent job at doing with those mean old republicans. Granted some republicans are now fighting back, and have wised up to the liberal tricks. Plus you have to have a boogey man in any society to direct the citizens hate towards as to why they have it so bad, and the liberals have out done themselves in painting a bulleyes on that evil white man as the main culprit to all their problems. You know that sleaz bag! He smokes, hes a racist, homophobic, a sexist, beats his children with a belt, and runs a successful business and has gotten rich while his employees wear rags, and are starving. If we could just get rid of that rich old white man, and woman. (now since the liberal have gotten their use out of white women and have turned on them as well).You got me going Skooum! But I really love this stuff, always have since I was kid. How about Animal Farm! Brave New World! Classics on Liberalism! Just to name a few. Thanks for the article!
@JohnAlt
You simply must read 1984, and I would suggest following it up with Animal Farm.
The Obama administration seems to be using 1984 as a primer for their governing.