I have been rereading “1984,” by George Orwell, recently. I imagine many of you read it in high school as I did.
Let me tell you – George Orwell was wrong about the year. The rest of the book, however, I’m beginning to wonder. In the book, Big Brother controls his citizens by use of the “thought police” and a vast cadre of government workers who can change history by rewriting any documentation about what really happened. So maybe Orwell should have called his book “2024”?
Here in New Hampshire, a place where I always thought and believed that we respected the U.S. Constitution, and our own state constitution, we now have legislators and a governor who see no need to honor their oath of office. We have a legislature and a governor actively working to censor how our history can be taught. This is exactly what the protagonist in “1984” does for a living; he rewrites and changes history and destroys previous documentation of what actually happened.
Now, in New Hampshire, we actually have a website set up so that self-appointed “thought police” can send in complaints about how teachers teach and be rewarded with a bounty if the teacher is found guilty. Then, if that is not enough, we have a “teacher loyalty” test being proposed, followed by a bill suggesting that we secede from the United States. In the book, the party tells the people what to believe, whether it has any connection to reality or not. Just believe what you are told to believe. Does that sound familiar? And here I thought that we believed in patriotism and the American flag. I guess the oath of loyalty to the U.S. Constitution is not so important after all? Bring on Big Brother.
John Richards
Peterborough