¤ jetless heights

+ Wed, November  3

American Homework

With the events of the past few days, we find ourselves in a worthwhile break.  Here we stand, at the end of one presidential term and the beginning of the second half.  Grab your popcorn, babe, this is the only break you’re going to get.

I often wondered throughout the election a number of things that the Democratic party either did or did not do.  In many cases I attributed the lack of the obvious jab to fear of being labeled that stigmatic word Unpatriotic.  In a time when so many feel that their centuries-old liberties have been stolen away by the gripping hands of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, I’ve often wondered why the Democratic party didn’t take a stronger official stance.

The answer is that they want to be elected and speaking against such aptly-named laws like The Patriot Act don’t get you elected.

I have the special privilege of not being up for election.  With this privilege, I will say what I please.

The years behind us have been so marked by the words of Orwell’s brilliant 1984 I want to cry.  What does it mean to fight a war against a concept?  When will we find the body of terrorism and say, “Look Mother, here is our enemy, I have killed him.  Now we are free”?  In 1984, there was a war with an invisible country that barely existed, forever waged to weaken the people with fear.  In 2004 there is a war with an invisible concept that exists only in our minds, forever waged to weaken the American people with fear.  Ask Dick Cheney.

With products named “Victory gin” and “Victory cigarettes”, the people in 1984 were subtly reminded that their government was honorable and just.  With laws named The Patriot Act, the American people are reminded that our government is honorable and just.  In 1984, the Ministry of Truth spun stories of deceit to misguide the people into a near-religious fervor, hateful to their enemies, endlessly loyal to their government.  In 2004, we have the CIA telling us of catastrophic weapons, misguiding the American people into a near-religious fervor, hateful enough to our enemies to kill 100,000 of their innocent, loyal enough to our government to reelect a too-proud man, blind with zealotry.

I give you homework this night.  If you have not read Orwell’s 56 year old classic, I ask you to do so.  Stunningly relevant, numbingly terrifying, this book has only become more pertinent to the lives of free-thinking individuals with every day since it’s publication.

1984 will open your eyes to things that many only sense today.  The next four years will be a very strange ride, but I have hope for 2008 and onward.

6 people have chimed in.
→ Add your 2¢ by reading through and commenting at the end.

1 → nickd  –  (Nov  3 2004, 10:29 PM)

if you are a cheap bastard, here is a fulltext version of 1984.

thank you for writing this. it was one of the most pointed and intriguing perspectives i have read all day.

2 → brian  –  (Nov  7 2004,  4:17 PM)

hey phil.
nice piece.  i agree very much.  and it’s somewhat akin to what i’ve been saying to pro-bush people that i know… alas… too little too late… because here we are… with him for another 4 years.  and he has more power than before.. and with no need to worry about reelection… he’s nearly omnipotent in his insane desire to make he and his friends a little richer at the expense of thousands of lives.

3 → Cam  –  (Nov  9 2004,  7:06 PM)

1984 may be the best book I’ve ever read, and it is definitely my favorite piece of literature.  The messages in this book are prevalent today, and those who believe it is a work only bashing communism need to read more closely at its message.  Sorry to ramble, but their does seem to be one main difference between the Party and Bush.  The Party does what it wants only as an exercise in pure power, while Bush does what he wants only as an exercise in pure greed.

4 → Rigel  –  (Nov 10 2004,  5:09 AM)

<I mysteriously appear out of thin air>

Okay.  I get it.  President Bush is evil.  You all would have preferred that John Kerry had won the election.  Sure, me too. 

But I think it’s important to remember that Bush will serve another four years in the White House because the majority of our country wants him to.  This was not a “stolen” election like we saw four years ago.  Even though the President and his pernicious administration were proved to have lied about the motives for their illegal war, even though Bush’s economic policies have resulted in unemployment and impoverishment (especially in Ohio), even though he has been the “worst environmental president in history” (says Robert Kennedy Jr.), and even… okay let’s just say even with all the ridiculous shit our 43rd President has done the past four  years, he won the popular election by 3,510,358 votes. 

You don’t like it?  Tough shit.  Newsflash: the way democracy works is even if you vote for the other guy, you go along with the majority’s rule.  It doesn’t matter that Bush is a monster - MOST OF OUR COUNTRY WANTS HIM TO BE PRESIDENT AGAIN.  (Tocqueville doesn’t call it “the tyranny of the majority” for nothin’).
I don’t understand why you’re all still levelling all this criticism at Bush after the reelection.  You can’t really get mad at Bush when he does stupid/evil Bush stuff, because everybody knew what he did, everyone knew exactly how terrible the next term will be, but he was reelected anyway.  The responsibility for everything that happens the next four years lies squarely upon the shoulders of every single American that voted for him.   

What does his reelection say about the people of this country, our culture, our morals? 

How fucking disturbing is this?

<I equally mysteriously vanish back into the ether, outside of all knowing>

5 → Debashis  –  (Nov 10 2004, 11:27 AM)

I miss you Rigel… who else would interject the harsh truth of reason

6 → Dust  –  (Nov 11 2004,  3:48 AM)

Yep. I was rather surprised how conservative the rest of Michigan is. I guess I forgot that Michigan extends beyond Ann Arbor and Detroit.

Anyway, it’s good to see that stereoboy.org is back. With beads.






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