DOUBLETHINK

Big Brother is watching me - I doublethink?

Three of my all-time favorite classic novels are, "Stranger in a Strange Land," by Robert Heinlein, "Brave New World," by Aldous Huxley, and "1984"  by George Orwell.

The reason I enjoy re-reading these Classics so much, is they make me stop and think, think not only of our society as we ourselves perceive it to be, but about the true reality of our modern American system of government.

1984, by British author Orwell - written way back in 1949 - is perhaps my favorite mind massager.  The book is about a negative utopia, set in the year 1984, in which eternal warfare is the price of bleak prosperity, in which the government "Party" keeps itself in power by complete and absolute control over all society's actions and thoughts.

Orwell describes a place called, Oceania, a dictatorial society of human robots who have lost every trace of individuality, of love, of critical thought, but they are totally unaware of it due to a concept called "doublethink."

The instantly recognizable term from this novel that most of us can identify with today, is the phrase, "Big Brother is watching you."  This was a subliminal message impressed on the people of Oceania by the Party.

With the advent of our own computer age, the idea of Big Brother, (i.e., Big Government), has become increasingly more disturbing, as well as is the concept of doublethink.

In the novel 1984, whatever the "Party" held to be the truth, is Truth.  It reminds me of the movie titled, "Wag the Dog," which is a far-fetched idea that the Hollywood industry, combined with powerful government figures can make the American public believe absolutely anything they want them to believe.

The scary part is, just how far-fetched is it?

The people of Oceania did not know nor care that their government was lying to them, they simply accepted the word according to the Party.

The concept of, doublethink, allowed them to have two contradictory beliefs in their mind simultaneously, and to accept them both.

What is most disturbing is the rapidly increasing ability of our own government to access, control, and even manipulate (yes, manipulate) our personal lives.

As I mentioned, with the advent of the information and computer age, and especially the Department of Homeland Security,  all government agencies have complete access to our bank accounts, credit records, vital statistics, military records, hospital records, tax records, vehicle registration records, school records, pet records, and any other record which we have generated, or which someone else generated for or on us in our life time.

A very recent Associated Press article substantiated the fact that the United States Secret Service helped to finance a national data base aimed at eventually establishing a nationwide driver's license photograph system.  This system is ostensibly to combat check fraud and misuse of personal identification, but - is that all?

We already have gazillions of government agencies tied into our lives, from the FBI to the IRS, including the NSA, CIA, EPA, DIA, VA, ATF, ASA, SSA, and a ten page book of others, some of whom the government has had considerable difficulty keeping in check. Of course, this is all in the interest of, "National and/or Social Security."

Have you ever wondered how, when you want something it can't be found or done, but when the government wants something, they find it, lose it, or do it immediately?

Have you lately noticed how often you appear to be guilty until proven innocent, and that you're always wrong, until proven right?

Have you noticed the thousands of news reports of government waste and abuses, spying, which almost never seem to get corrected?

Personally, I find it terrifying to know that "extremely powerful" segments of "my" government can find out everything about me at the touch of a button, especially if some of that information is incorrect, misleading, and highly questionable, even some of which perhaps - I did not even know existed.

I guess, as soon as this article goes in my port, agents of the SPCA will be knocking on my door for hittin' on those poor "Party" animals.

Perhaps "they" will erase my computer life and I will disappear.  Because we all know - if you're not on record - "you-do-not-exist."

Or, they could just as easily add questionable data to my "computer life" which will make me a criminal, or even worse, a radical threat to society.

Now you see why we have Editors and Lawyers.  Good editors publish the truth, good lawyers seek justice, and they both keep a sharp pervasive eye on Big Government.

Which returns me to the original thought, is Big Brother watching you?

Do you care?

You decide!

There is an old French saying which goes: (Le plus sages ne le sont pas toujours-The wisest are not so always.)