A progressive report:
• December 2019: The coronavirus (COVID-19) is a hoax, said by our accidental president, fostered by the Democratic Party to sabotage his re-election bid.
• January 2020: The coronavirus will pass quickly, said our accidental president, and everyone can maintain a normal routine.
• February 2020: The coronavirus is under control, said our accidental president, and there will be only a few hundred deaths.
• March 2020: The coronavirus will kill no more than 100,000 Americans, said our accidental president, because he’s doing a good job of containing it.
• April 2020: The coronavirus has peaked, said our accidental president, and he’s going to re-open the economy May 1.
Raise your hand, dear reader, if you feel relieved by all of these announcements.
Now, with your hand still raised, gather together with your friends and neighbors and sing a rousing rendition of “Kumbaya.”
I am reminded of George Orwell’s seminal work, 1984, wherein facts are created by altering the historical record. For instance, on one day, it is reported by the Ministry of Truth, the government’s propaganda arm, that Oceania always has been at war with Eurasia and allied with Eastasia; the next day, it is reported that Oceania always has been at war with Eastasia and allied with Eurasia. The citizenry had been conditioned to believe anything the government said and accepted everything printed or broadcast.
The three slogans of the government were “War Is Peace,” “Freedom Is Slavery,” and “Ignorance Is Strength.” Ignorance was the conduit for maintaining control over the citizenry.
Today, in America, we have our own Ministry of Truth. It was once called the White House. Our very own Big Brother lives there, and he tells us what we should believe.
Big Brother delivers his words of wisdom through the medium known as tweets. He twitters daily when the spirit moves him. Some days, he twitters only once or twice; other days, he issues dozens of tweets, known colloquially as a twitterstorm. But every word is the absolute truth, and the citizenry must believe.
Big Brother has created a daily “Hate Hour” which occurs at 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.. During the time period, an image of a targeted individual is displayed on every television set in the nation. The individual may be a reporter, a legislator, a judge, a business leader, an academic, or anyone else whom Big Brother has deemed to be an “Enemy of the People.” The citizenry are encouraged to vent their outrage, both in word and gesture, at this individual. A new image is broadcast every day, because there are many Enemies of the People lurking about and they all must be exposed.
The majority of these targeted individuals are thought criminals, although some have committed other crimes against the state. That is to say, they speak untruth concerning the government and especially concerning Big Brother. They do not believe that he is the fount of all wisdom, and they spend their waking hours creating fake news designed to undermine belief in him.
The thought police, who operate in the Ministry of Love (formerly the Department of Homeland Security), must be ever diligent in their task to root out these purveyors of disbelief, and the citizenry are encouraged to report anyone they suspect to be a thought criminal. Those citizens are rewarded by being designated as “Heroes of the People.”
In addition to the daily “Hate Hour,” the government has created a “Love Hour.” It occurs at the end of the work day (5 p.m. to 6 p.m.), and gives the citizenry the opportunity to show their love for Big Brother. His image is broadcast on every television set in the nation; when it appears, the citizenry may express their love, both in word and gesture. Sometimes, an image of a Hero of the People appears, and the citizenry may show their appreciation of his/her heroic deeds, e.g. reporting thought criminals, persons suspected of being spies/fifth columnists in the pay of a foreign nation, or those who do not show sufficient love for Big Brother.
Big Brother is doubleplusgood, don’t you know?
Just a thought.