|
|
THE 1984 INDEX |
"I do
not believe that the kind of society I describe WILL arrive,
but I
believe that something resembling it COULD arrive..."
--
George Orwell
For present-day America, 1984 provides a useful benchmark for assessing our own status as a democratic society. Various elements in the novel can be compared to specific developments from today's headlines. Look around, and ask yourself: "Are we moving closer to the world of 1984, or farther away?"
THE 1984 INDEX represents my own answer to that question. It is a composite of the twenty factors listed below. Submit your own opinions by contacting me... or, even better, by taking this survey. Your ratings, comments and suggestions are taken into account in deriving THE 1984 INDEX.
At present, THE 1984 INDEX stands at
with an
IMPROVING 
trend
There
are dangerous trends afoot, and the potential
for things to get
worse is high, but there
are also reasons for optimism.
|
|
Factor |
Status |
Trend |
Brief Description |
|
1. |
BIG BROTHER |
|
Cult of personality |
|
|
2. |
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU |
|
Government surveillance |
|
|
3. |
INGSOC/INNER PARTY |
|
|
Absolute political hegemony by one ideologically-driven group |
|
4. |
MINISTRY OF
PEACE |
|
Maintenance of a permanent war footing |
|
|
5. |
MINISTRY OF PLENTY |
|
Manipulation/falsification of economic data, or of the economic system itself, for political ends |
|
|
6. |
MINISTRY OF TRUTH |
|
Use of propaganda, falsification/reinterpretation of the past, and manipulation of language |
|
|
7. |
MINISTRY OF LOVE |
|
Use of extreme psychological techniques, including physical torture, against dissidents |
|
|
8. |
THOUGHTCRIME |
|
Repression of dissent; citizens being punished/persecuted solely for their beliefs |
|
|
9. |
THOUGHT POLICE |
|
Mechanisms and infrastructure in place to monitor and punish thoughtcrime |
|
|
10. |
UNPERSONS |
|
|
Indefinite or "preventive" detention; revocation of habeas corpus, right to representation, etc. |
|
11. |
PROLESEC |
|
Use of popular entertainment and other distractions to keep the working classes occupied and politically disengaged |
|
|
12. |
"FREEDOM IS SLAVERY" |
|
Citizens willingly surrendering rights in the name of security |
|
|
13. |
NEWSPEAK |
|
Manipulation of language to make dissent difficult if not impossible |
|
|
14. |
DOUBLETHINK |
|
Citizens are expected to hold contradictory and paradoxical beliefs |
|
|
15. |
"IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH" |
|
Anti-intellectualism; the misuse of the educational system to produce citizens without critical thinking skills |
|
|
16. |
EMMANUEL GOLDSTEIN |
|
Demonization of one individual or group as the focus for hatred and war hysteria |
|
|
17. |
TWO MINUTES HATE |
|
Maintenance of a constant attitude of hatred towards the specified enemy |
|
|
18. |
ANTI-SEX LEAGUE |
|
Repression (or, alternatively, trivialization) of sexuality being used as a tool for social control |
|
|
19. |
“THE BROTHERHOOD” |
|
Strength of the resistance, organized or small-cell, to totalitarian ideology |
|
|
20. |
“THE BOOK” |
|
Availability of information regarding the true nature of the system |
Notes:
#1: George Bush is out of power, but there is even more of a "cult of
personality" around Barack Obama.
#2:
#7: Torture repudiated by Obama
#10: Guantanamo to be closed (sometime); rendition question still up
in the air (so to speak)
#16: Polarization between Western and Muslim
worlds continues to increase, as do attempts to paint the conflict as
a "conflict of civilizations"; but efforts at cross-cultural dialogues
are increasing
#17: "Three hours a day, every day, that's all we ask" - Sean Hannity
(but the influence of provocative talk-radio programs seems to be
decreasing)
#19: Defeat of McCain/Palin; increased activism and
awareness
#20: Websites and books detailing the situation are
proliferating
