If you have not yet read George Orwell’s 1984 you really should. Western society today is surpassing the police state portrayed in the novel. In many ways, today’s technology and lawless government surveillance practices are even more outlandish.
But let’s put the issues of pervasive, warrantless surveillance aside for now because this condition can only exist if we the people allow it to become the norm in our society. And we’d only allow it establish a foothold if we first became accepting of it. So let’s discuss the root issue: the party system and the mass mind control mechanisms described in the novel.
The programming starts early
The manipulations used against the population detailed in 1984 are indeed employed by governments around the world today with great success, and Canada is unfortunately no exception. In the novel, the party relied on mass mind control techniques to sustain its iron clad power position over the citizens, described as follows:
“…an elaborate mental training, undergone in childhood and grouping itself round the Newspeak words crimestop, blackwhite and doublethink, makes him unwilling to and unable to think too deeply on any subject whatever.“
Try and engage someone in a deep conversation who is heavy into sports, watches a lot of television or doesn’t ever question government or the news media and you’ll find out quickly that this “elaborate mental training” is restricting the mental freedoms of friends, family and fellow countrymen all around us.
Let’s take a closer look at these Newspeak words: crimestop, blackwhite and doublethink.
Crimestop
“Crimestop means the faculty of stopping short, as though by instinct, at the threshold of any dangerous thought. It includes the power of not grasping analogies, of failing to perceive logical errors, of misunderstanding the simplest arguments if they are inimical to Ingsoc [the New World Order], and of being bored or repelled by any train of thought which is capable of leading in a heretical direction.“
Example: Someone not willing to discuss or look at the facts surrounding the collapse of WTC Building 7. Or someone that strives to extricate government involvement. Pick any controversial topic and the average person will not just avoid it, but will avoid you in the future. However, introduce the recent pro sports game and they’ll be animated to discuss.
Blackwhite
“…it means the habit of impudently claiming that black is white, in contradiction of the plain facts. Applied to a Party member, it means a loyal willingness to say that black is white when Party discipline demands this. But it means also the ability to believe that black is white, and more, to know that black is white, and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary.“
Example: There are WMDs in Iraq as pretext for invading. In reality, no WMDs were in Iraq. Despite a false pretext, 10 years later the war in Iraq continues and the official narrative evolves to assert that the WMDs were secretly moved into Syria before we got there (enter Syria on the agenda).
Doublethink
“Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them. The Party intellectual knows in which direction his memories must be altered; he therefore knows that he is playing tricks with reality; but by the exercise of doublethink he also satisfies himself that reality is not violated.“
Example: Terrorists hate our free and open society; when they strike, our government must take actions that take away our liberties. This is necessary so that government can be effective at protecting our freedom.
And consider that political correctness (a Soviet term) is the glue that maintains and propels doublethink.
Conclusion
We need to examine ourselves to detect and eradicate the “Party System” – if we awaken to the cognitive infiltration in our own mind, with some diligence, the dark cloud of mind control will dissipate. It takes time and dedication, but is extremely liberating and an all about healthy thing. Once free, we can begin to discern what is going on at a macro level; in our home, at work, in our cities, nation and also at a global level. And a jailbroken mind sees a police state for what it truly is: a fraud and a threat to humanity. Let’s be police state-aware citizens in Canada and band together against it so that our descendants can live in a free and open society.
