Orwellian Nightmare
Here’s a sad/fun thing to do: read the book Nineteen Eighty-Four and see how close we’ve come to living this Orwellian nightmare. Brutal interrogation and torture, perpetual wars and arms production, extensive monitoring and surveillance, widespread fear and propaganda…it’s amazing how prescient the author was, way back in 1949.
The thing that got me interested in rereading the book was the overtly manipulative abuse of language and logic that we’ve been subjected to lately. When I hear names like the “Clear Skies Act” or “Healthy Forests Initiative” I’ve learned to expect the opposite (how about “Happy Corporations Giveaway”). It’s been like dealing with a sleazy salesperson or a desperate junkie who has an ulterior motive and will say anything to try and get it.
Here’s hoping we’ve reached a nadir, and our “leaders” begin to respect the language, our intelligence, and the truth a little more.