This essay is the third in a series designed to dissect
the totalitarian mentality portrayed in George Orwell's
1984 and to draw parallels to trends in modern
academia and the sociopolitical arena of today. The
following is an index of previous portions of this
commentary:
1. Collectivism
2. Antiprogressivism
3.
Relativism
4.
Doublethink
5. Popular Culture - You are
here. Read on to continue your analysis of this topic.
With the
basics of its enforcement firmly established and its
internal solidarity secured by relativist doublethink,
the Party's subsequent aim concentrates upon the
indoctrination of the proletarians, who, as the elite
supposes, would not possess the capacity to stage a
reformation of the social order so long as they remain
subject to their present lowly conditions. "From the
point of view of our present rulers, therefore, the only
genuine dangers are the splitting-off of a new group of
able, underemployed, power-hungry people, and the growth
of skepticism in their own ranks. The problem, that is
to say, is educational. It is a problem of continuously
molding the consciousness both of the directing group
and of the larger executive group that lies immediately
below it. The consciousness of the masses needs only to
be influenced in a negative way." (p. 171) Education,
the breeding tool for skepticism and discontent, would,
according to this reasoning, be a forbidden fruit for
the plebs. Yet the basic nature of human beings, unable
to function in a pure vacuum of ideas, necessitates that
other matters fill the newly-imposed void. It is also
contrary to the interests of the Party to institute
utter apathy and ignorance within the working class
toward the government, for eventually an empty mind
beckons an idea as a carbon monoxide molecule attracts
an additional oxygen atom. In order to avoid the
actualization of their foremost fear, the
transformation, enabled by subversive ideas, of the
proletariat into the new middle class, the Party must
convey its own dogma in the place of genuine learning.
Of course, to the vast majority of persons, elaborately
crude philosophical axioms of relativism (in their
format as contradictory as in all else), are
inaccessible, and a direct indoctrination into the ways
of doublethink would result in the draining of working
hours from the plebeians and the collapse of the very
grunt work necessary to sustain the material resources
flowing to the Party behemoth for its massive efforts of
subjugation at home and abroad (Oceania maintains a
stalemate war against the two remaining other
superpowers in the world, Eurasia and Eastasia, each of
them possessing a similar collectivist oligarchy in
command. The purpose of this war is not territorial
conquest, but rather the deprivation of resources from
the populace which otherwise would have presented them
with more comfortable living conditions.). Therefore, a
lower level of exploitation is required with the masses
than is aimed at Party members. Instead of being
bludgeoned with logical fallacies, the crowds are
bombarded with those characteristics capable of being
grasped by the lowliest of animals, emotions.
"There was a whole chain of separate departments dealing
with proletarian literature, music, drama, and
entertainment generally. Here were produced rubbishy
newspapers, containing almost nothing except sport,
crime, and astrology, sensational five-cent novelettes,
films oozing with sex, and sentimental songs which were
composed entirely by mechanical means on a special kind
of kaleidoscope known as a versificator. There was even
a whole subsection-- Pornosec, it was called in
Newspeak-- engaged in producing the lowest kind of
pornography..." (p. 39) This occupation of the
proletarian's attention would act to divert him from a
transformation into a refined intellectual, for the
principal characteristic of the refined man is
discontent with the status quo as a result of visions
for improvement. Such chaotic entertainment, on the
other hand, is the status quo precisely for the reason
that the Party requires chaos, impulse, and base
sentiments in order to preserve its anti-orderly ideals.
While the typical conformist is presented the illusion
of rebellion due to his own bleating in support of
perverse behaviors of all sorts, attire on the fringes
of indecency, and a general deviation from his perceived
conception of the "socially dominant cultured snob", he
exhibits precisely that behavior which autocracy desires
of him. Submerged in his life-wrecking dependence on
random spurs of the moment and inexplicable animal
cravings, he becomes as intellectually paralyzed as is a
rank-and-file Party member.
Yet such is not the fullest expanse of the oligarchy's
lower-level indoctrination. As with the children, the
Party possesses an avenue to the exploitation of
negative sentiments, as those brought to fruition by
base entertainment, and their direction outward, against
dissent. During week-long celebrations of Hate (as their
name concedes), the masses are drawn into the whirlpool
of rituals, chants, and exclamations as rotten as the
material to which they have become accustomed. Mr.
Orwell describes one of these abominations, "It had a
savage, barking rhythm which could not exactly be called
music, but resembled the beating of a drum. Roared out
by hundreds of voices to the tramp of marching feet, it
was terrifying." (p. 123) This implies, of course, an
eternal farewell to Herr Mozart and Monsieur Chopin, who
have been plunged into oblivion, for their creations are
a key to the uplifting of the human spirit, which must
remain at the level of sewer if the Party is to
successfully inflict its intended suffering. Again,
something must fill the void. Tribal rantings are the
totalitarians' answer.
To add to these immoralities, another one falls to the
most putrid depths of vulgarity, the horrid physical
exploitation of impoverished women. "Tacitly the party
was even inclined to encourage prostitution, as an
outlet for instincts which could not be altogether
suppressed. Mere debauchery did not matter very much..."
(p. 57) Of course, aside from being an occupation of
one's invaluable time, the practice of prostitution
encourages a destructive, lascivious disposition which,
in a man of sufficient crudeness to engage in such
demeaning activity, will inevitably spill into other
affairs. The desires to ravage, destroy, and sever are
present within such base intercourse, which is
encouraged by the Party while the medieval ideals of
courtly love and a genuine respect for the character of
one's life partner are abolished under pain of death.
This chain of degradation possesses numerous links.
Films of gruesome physical detail lead to actual
exploitation, which results in the very decadent
emotions the Witch Doctors utilize as a foundation of
their power.
G. Stolyarov II
is a science fiction novelist, independent philosophical
essayist, poet, amateur mathematician, composer,
contributor to
Enter Stage Right,
Le Quebecois Libre,
Rebirth of Reason,
and the
Ludwig von Mises Institute,
Senior Writer for
The Liberal Institute,
and Editor-in-Chief of
The Rational Argumentator,
a magazine championing the principles of reason, rights,
and progress. His newest science fiction novel is
Eden against the Colossus.
His latest non-fiction treatise is
A Rational Cosmology.
Mr. Stolyarov can be contacted at
gennadystolyarovii@yahoo.com.
This TRA feature has been edited
in accordance with TRA’s
Statement of Policy.
Click here to return to TRA's Issue
XII Index.
Learn about Mr. Stolyarov's novel,
Eden against the Colossus, here.
Read
Mr. Stolyarov's new comprehensive treatise,
A Rational Cosmology,
explicating such terms as the universe, matter, space, time,
sound, light, life, consciousness, and volition, at
http://www.geocities.com/rational_argumentator/rc.html.
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