The Government Took Orwell as a Guide, Not a Warning
[dropcap size=big]W[/dropcap]hen George Orwell wrote 1984, he told of totalitarian regimes, poor living conditions, and disregard for human rights. Unfortunately, some members of our government have interpreted Orwell’s books as more of a step-by-step instruction manual instead of a warning. At this point, people are catching onto the government’s incompetence and inability. 75% of them believe our government is corrupt, and are likely worried that it no longer represents their needs. Some of them would agree with the notion that 1984 is the direction we’re headed in, and there is evidence to support this claim.
Unfortunately, the world we live in is becoming more and more Orwellian…
1. Electronic Surveillance
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In 1984, it was well known to the citizenry that the government was spying on their every move. The walls literally had eyes.”Telescreens” were mounted in the homes of all citizens who were not of the upper party. The telescreens could monitor everything that happened in the room via webcam.
Likewise, in 2013, it was found the National Security Administration was spying on the American public. Edward Snowden, who used to work for the NSA, blew the whistle on the agency’s spying. He is currently living in Russia, and occasionally posts his thoughts on Twitter. You can follow Edward Snowden here:
The Party in 1984 had strict rules regarding sexandmarriage. Marriage was carried out for the sole purpose of producing the best possible offspring to work for the party. Feelings of affection weren’t at all valued in that society.
Similarly, affirmative consent laws being examined today do not account for feelings of affection. They require a sexual contract similar to those in 1984. Under affirmative consent, or “Yes Means Yes” laws, the party (usually the male) who is accused of rape must prove that the accusing party consented to secure their innocence. Like in 1984, sex without a contract is punishable.
Affirmative consent laws have been passed in only California for college campuses under bill SB-967. The bill assumes all men are guilty until proven innocent and does not respect due process whatsoever.
3. Prohibition
The members of the outer party and the proles in 1984 lacked very basic human rights, including the right to put whatever substances they choose in their own bodies. These restrictions went to the extremes of regulating chocolate and alcohol for anyone but the upper party members. Only poor quality “Victory” cigarettes and gin were available to those outside of the Inner Party.
Today, similar restrictions exist due to the war on drugs banning scores of substances and copious regulations by the FDA preventing people from choosing their own medicine. Harmless drugs like Marijuana are prohibited to even posses.
However, Americans are also losing their rights to enjoy substances the previously did. Drugs like tobacco and it’s e-liquid substitutes face harsh new regulations that could make them too expensive to purchase regularly. Hawaii was the first state to prohibit tobacco for anyone under the age of 21, and a similar law is being considered in several other states. This mirror’s the same totalitarian rules The Party imposed in 1984 that prevented people the basic freedoms of autonomy and self ownership.
4. Thought Crime
The citizenry in 1984 were so enslaved they lacked the freedom to even question the party’s edicts. Questioning was considered treasonous and punished harshly. Such authoritarian principles could not be imposed too quickly on America today, but the first amendment could be eroded to an extent that it no longer protects citizens against speech infractions.
Today, many colleges have implemented speech codes to protect those easily offended. After all, most authoritarian policies are imposed under the guise of protecting the public from harm. In fact, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has found that nearly 2/3rds of college campuses have seriously restricted free speech on campus. However, speech codes would protect against nothing that is harmful whatsoever, and serve only to create more criminals.
Even more ominous than the concept of speech codes is the fact that a majority of the Democratic Party support them. The Democratic Party has recently become a primary enemy of individual liberty, and adores censoring in the name of political correctness. It would be of no surprise that those who founded the thought crime departments in 1984 would be modern day Democrats or other similar leftists.
5. Militarized Police Forces
The Party needed an unarmed population and a powerful police force to keep the populace in check in Orwell’s novel. Police used a variety of mechanisms aside from the aforementioned “Telescreen” to monitor their citizens. There were also secret police, helicopters, and even posters with cameras hidden in them.
Today, police are actually taking the manned helicopters seen in 1984 in a way Orwell never predicted. Police are starting to use personal drones mounted with cameras for surveillance. Such techniques would certainly make the party envious.
Many of these predictions are only occurring in their infancy, however, some are advancing at an alarming rate. If awareness is not raised and their implementation is not protested, the freedom-crushing laws will no doubt wreak on liberty unchallenged until the constitution is nothing more than an antiquated concept of a forgotten age.