Orwell
Now — In the past, puritans have been most successful at repressing
actions and behavior. Today, that is changing. Much as George
Orwell described the Inner Party in his chilling novel 1984, puritans
today are attempting to prohibit words and even thoughts (cf. Newspeak
and Doublethink-Orwell). The "political correctness" movement has
prohibited many words, and people who use them are punished (cf. Thought
Police-Orwell). The writing of Mark Twain was recently banned (cf.
Ministry of Truth, Records Department-Orwell) in some schools not because
of what he wrote, but because he used the word
nigger when he wrote
it. The latest and most notorious example of word prohibition is
the effort to restrict the publication, particularly on the internet, of
words with any unapproved sexual meanings (cf. Junior Anti-Sex League-Orwell).
A current example of attempted thought control is the diversity and sensitivity
training (cf. Two Minutes Hate-Orwell) imposed upon employees who fail
to have certain arbitrary sexual attitudes (cf. Thoughtcrime-Orwell).
Orwell's writing seems more frightening with every passing year.
Newspeak, Thoughtcrime, rewriting history for political correctness, sexual
prohibitions, and more are developing as Orwell depicted them in his novel.
As Orwell foresaw, war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength.
Sadly, America is being transformed into Orwell's Oceania.
— Sam
Don't you see that the whole
aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we
shall make thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no
words in which to express it.
— from 1984,
Chapter One, Section V, By George Orwell
He could not help feeling
a twinge of panic .... Whether he wrote DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, or
whether he refrained from writing it, made no difference. Whether
he went on with the diary, or whether he did not go on with it, made no
difference. The Thought Police would get him just the same.
He had committed — would still have committed, even if he had never set
pen to paper — the essential crime that contained all others in itself.
Thoughtcrime, they called it.
— from 1984,
Chapter One, Section I, by George Orwell
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Live and
Let Live
by Sam Aurelius Milam III
We're
being submerged in a pervasive ocean of puritan repression. Its focus
is largely the repression of sexual behavior and relationships, but the
attitudes and methods are not limited to sexual matters. Evangelistic
puritans of every stripe are intent upon aggressive programs of repression.
Some want to prevent us from "desecrating" the flag. Some won't let
us smoke. Some are taking our fireworks away from us. Some
are medicating us without our consent through our drinking water.
Some won't let us drive without seat belts, crash helmets, or car-seats
for
our children. The list seems endless. The common thread is
involuntary compliance with somebody else's beliefs.
The
repression of human sexuality is probably the most persistent program of
such forced compliance ever attempted by puritans. They have long
been determined to impose their narrow beliefs upon others, and they have
long been brutal in their response to noncompliance. Whether or not
an "unapproved" activity is inherently harmful, puritans insure by their
powers of disapproval that harm will result. In general, the harm
isn't caused by the activity, but by the puritans when they demonize and
punish the participants.
Today,
to even voice an unauthorized attitude is dangerous. I challenge
you, for example, to get on the internet and profess a sexual interest
in children. Yet, what difference does it make if such views are
"lewd"? If the freedom of speech extends only to approved ideas,
then it isn't freedom. We must be able to advocate unpopular or even
disgusting beliefs. Otherwise, freedom doesn't exist. It's
easy for puritans to tolerate the advocacy and practice of their own doctrine,
but the more they dislike our beliefs and the more they dislike us for
those beliefs, then the more important it is that we insist upon our freedom.
They don't have to share our beliefs or practice them, but they must not
prevent us from practicing them ourselves.
There
isn't necessarily anything wrong with a sexual relationship between people
of different races. Prohibition of miscegenation is a puritan accomplishment.
There isn't necessarily anything wrong with paying money for sex.
Prohibition of prostitution is a puritan accomplishment. There isn't
necessarily anything wrong with a sexual relationship involving a girl
who's old enough to perform sexually, to be interested in sex, and to attract
men, regardless of her age. Prohibition of sexual relationships with
minors is a puritan accomplishment. There isn't necessarily anything
wrong with a sexual relationship between consenting siblings. Prohibition
of incest is a puritan accomplishment. Most people regard each of
these practices as a bad idea, and that's O.K. Whether I'm right
or wrong is irrelevant. It's even irrelevant that the practices may
involve a risk. Many people have been killed while on vacation, but
that doesn't mean vacations ought to be banned. The point is that
so long as the participants are not forcing others to participate, no one
has any cause to enforce a prohibition. We each have a right to hold
and advocate our beliefs, to practice them in concert with other like-minded
people, and to do so without interference.
Society
can be based upon concern for liberty or it can be based upon concern for
sin. The results are vastly different. If people respect one
another's diverse beliefs, no matter how unpopular some of those beliefs
may be, it tends to promote a peaceful world. On the other hand,
if people try to punish others for practicing their beliefs, it promotes
hostility. The results of such repressive behavior are there for
all to see: Hutu vs Tutsi; Catholic vs Protestant; Christian
vs Moslem; Serb vs Croatian; Jew vs Arab; etc.
Throughout history, repression in the name of some belief system has been
the greatest source of hatred the world has ever known.![10x5 Page Background GIF Image](../../Images/10x5_Page_Background.gif)
Religious freedom in a cultural
complex is inversely proportional to the strength of the strongest religion.
— from Glory
Road [1963], by Robert A. Heinlein
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