Hi, I think there are interesting parallels between '1984' and the world since WWII and although it is definitely way off-topic to discuss it I wasn't really implying that you were misbehaving.
This so-called war on so-called terrorism is particularly Orwellian because it involves 2 Goldstein-like hate figures, large populations of people being encouraged to have regular 2-minute hate sessions, a great deal of doublethink, rewriting of history, doublespeak and so forth. Over here in the UK we're also seeing traditional rights and freedoms being eroded in the name of 'security', and it's difficuly to see how it can end. Without a proper meaning of 'terrorism' the word means whatever Bush, Blair and the rest want it to mean and it becomes impossible to argue against it. Any form of opposition or dissidence can be labelled as 'terrorism', and the word is used in the same way that the Soviets used words like 'counter-revolutionary' and 'saboteur'. Bush has already said 'anybody who is not with us is against us'. This means that anybody who disagrees with him is a terrorist and Bush assumes the right to wage war on that person's country. Forever, because it's a war without end. Orwell wrote 1984 as a message to the future, to show us ways to recognise tyranny, at least in the making. Here in the UK most of the apparatus of a police state is already in place, and the government is constantly seeking new powers which put more of the scaffolding in place. They're trying to introduce compulsory identity cards under some weasel disguise. They're eroding the right to trial by jury, they're removing the double-jeopardy rule, they're making it easier to intercept and monitor our telephones, email and mail, we can't go anywhere without being monitored by TV cameras, and there are hundreds of other relatively minor little tyrranies being added, bit by bit so we hardly notice what's happening. We're like frogs being slowly boiled. > Take a look at the hole in the ground on the end of Manhattan. We have some holes in the ground here too. It doesn't mean we have to throw away the rights and liberties that our ancestors fought, went to prison, and died for over the last 1,000 years. --- Bob Saturday, November 23, 2002, 1:19:42 AM, you wrote: > Bob Walkden wrote: >> > Hi Bob, >> >> you may not have read '1984', > I did. In fact it was required reading in some classes that I taught > many years ago. > in which case you perhaps don't know that >> the Party used perpetual war (which wasn't really taking place) > Sadly, this war is really taking place. Take a look at the hole in the > ground on the end of Manhattan. I hope it won't be perpetual, but I fear > it will be with us for quite a few years to come. But I understand the > connection and appreciate your post. I had resolved not to continue this > discussion and will try to behave. > Paul
