by Bobbie Anne Flower

I loathed that novel when I read it as a teen, because I hated the entire idea of an authoritarian government controlling its people so deftly. The dystopian world it described was just so depressing, so wrong, from the first page to the last. And yet, here we are, almost 75 years after Orwell first penned the book, and we see how that hellish science fiction novel is now playing out before us.

Even the left-leaning Wikipedia describes the book as a "cautionary tale" whose theme centers on "the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance and repressive regimentation of people and behaviours within society." Modeled on the authoritarian states of Stalin's Soviet Union and of Nazi Germany, the book takes a deep dive into the role of truth within a society, and the ways in which truth and facts can be manipulated by government to control the population.

What you saw and heard with your own eyes and your own ears, the government denied and demanded you cast it aside and not believe it.

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” 

― George Orwell, 1984

Through the Ministry of Truth, the government (referred to in the book as “Big Brother” or “the Party”) engages in endless propaganda, intense surveillance, and the open and obvious negating of historical fact. Individual thought, and questioning of authority led to immediate persecution. Why deny facts and rewrite history? Well, as Orwell says in the book, 

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” 

― George Orwell, 1984

Now let’s fast-forward to the present day. I will begin with this profound statement that keeps churning over in my head:

They must really think we are stupid!

The “they” is our government (federal and state). The “we” is you and me, and the other 300+ million Americans across our country.

Alas, here we are, entering the final quarter of 2023, and we have the United States government, and many state governments (including New York’s former Governor Andrew Cuomo, current left-wing Governor Kathy Hochul, and the super-majority Dem legislature) proclaiming for all to hear that they did not force anyone to do anything detrimental these past 3.5 years. UNBELIEVABLE! Did you hear this? They are actually saying with straight faces that they didn’t force you to wear a mask, or lock down and shutter your businesses, or choose between taking an experimental drug or losing your job… Nope! They did none of that. And you – well, you are flat out crazy if you think they did. You are lying. You are exaggerating and totally overreacting.