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Orwell and Language

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It is well known that during the Soviet era, George Orwell’s novel 1984 was secretly passed from one member of the Kremlin to another and on down the line. God only knows what the penalty would be for getting caught, especially during the time of Stalin if the present situation with Putin is any guide, those unlucky enough to be found in possession would be liquidated, possibly after a long show trial. This is illustrated in 1984 where Winston encounters a colleague who is so ashamed of his failings in respect to Big Brother and the system he almost welcomes punishment. In the Soviet show trials of the 1930s, many of the old guard revolutionaries were imprisoned on trumped-up charges, tortured then had to endure the humiliation of false accusations and false confessions. Even Stalin’s old comrades or those he went to school with or entered the seminary not to mention fellow fighters in the Revolution of October 1917, were not spared. Begging letters and heartbreaking pleas for leniency only inspired Stalin to under their names for special treatment.


George knew firsthand the frailty and weakness of human nature. That poverty and hard living didn’t ennoble, it made people grasping and sometimes cruel and inhumane. He knew how history could be changed and written by the victors. That former heroes could be air-brushed from photos and history as if they had never existed. That language could be bent for political purposes through double-think and mendacious wordplay. We can see this today with social media. Facebook has 2 billion clients and the info about many can be used and distorted for a malevolent actor’s own ends. Look at Cambridge Analytica, where the CEO boasted of how the crooked Hillary campaign may have been instrumental in the outcome of the 2016 US Presidential election. The fact that President Trump constantly harps on fake news from the likes of CNN and the New York Times while floating all kinds of magical thinking nonsense, which dubious platforms like Fox News are happy to spew out 24/7.


In Russia, President Putin routinely denies actions taken by arms of the Russian government on his direction. Recently the idea was floated in a press conference that the nerve gas poisoning of a Russian double agent and his daughter could have been the work of the UK government.

Australian politics is not immune to this. Illegal immigrants can be incarcerated on remote islands under the banner of national security. In a city like London, which I know all too well having lived and worked there for years, there are millions of cameras that can track your movements from Stratford to Heathrow. And just where does all the data go on Facebook? Now we know that users are being profiled, and the Deep Structure of every sentence can be data mined to such a degree that governments can be overturned through subtle tweaking of opinion or extreme reputational damage and opportunity cost inflicted on political candidates like Hillary Clinton.


Orgs. like the NRA and Scientology know how to manipulate language. Those who call for gun control are accused of cowardice or wanting to tear up the Constitution. Their attack ads against any political candidate brave enough to take on this hot-button issue, play on the fears of the everyday public including the peculiarly American FOMO fear of not shooting before you are shot. ‘The only way to stop a bad man with a gun is a good man with a gun as the NRA constantly repeats is an artful lie. When US Vice President Pence told a group of gun massacre survivors, The only thing we can do is pray he knew that was a lie but he said it anyway.


So too, with Scientology. Anyone who criticizes the loopy leadership of this strange religion is denounced as a suppressive person. Often former leaders are themselves placed in cramped quarters and made to undergo humiliating psychological and physical torture. All this is denied of course, and Scientology doesn’t really talk to the media anymore what with their pesky questions and probing investigations. Not that it's been silenced, of course. Rather the Church of Scientology has created a cable channel of its own where the gospel, according to the wild-eyes founder and Sci-Fi writer L.Ron Hubbard and his successors, including our too-intense Tom Cruise, can preach to the converted or try to ensnare a younger cohort. We will probably never get the real story of these true believers.


Yes, so language as George Orwell showed in his masterpiece 1984 is a rubbery thing. It can be twisted and bent out of shape to bring about a desired outcome. Watch out for all that fake news that seems to be popping up, including that of the Commander in Jest living in the camp of the great Khan, namely the White House. Big Brother is watching you!

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David Byerlee

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