We live in an amazing Orwellian Age. Orwell is just as relevant today as he was in the 30's and 40's as he wrote about the Spanish Civil War, Stalinism, Nazism, and World War War II. Nationalism was one of his topics.
"By Nationalism I mean first of all the habit of assuming that human beings can be classified like insects and that whole blocks of millions of people can be confidently labeled 'good' or 'bad.' But secondly---and this is much more important---I mean the habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or other unit, placing it beyond good and evil and recognizing no other duty than that of advancing its interests. Nationalism is not be confused with patriotism. Both words are normal used in so vague a way that any definition is likely to be challenged, but one must draw a distinction between them, since two different or even opposing ideas are involved.
By 'patriotism' I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force it on other people. Patriotism is by its nature defensive, both militarily and culturally.
Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power. The abiding purpose of every nationalist is to secure more power and prestige for himself and his nation or other until into which he has sunk his individuality."
r: "Nazi theory indeed specifically denies that such a thing as "the truth" exists. ... The implied objective of this line of thought is a nightmare world in which the Leader, or some ruling clique, controls not only the future but the past. If the Leader says of such and such an event, "It never happened" – well, it never happened. If he says that two and two are five – well, two and two are five. This prospect frightens me much more than bombs."
The general uncertainty as to what is really happening makes it easier to cling to lunatic beliefs.
"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. One ought to recognize that the present political chaos is connected with the decay of language, and that one can probably bring about some improvement by starting from the verbal end. Political language---and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists---is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."
"You are a slow learner, Winston," said O'Brien gently.
"How can I help it?" he blubbered. "How can I help seeing what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four."
"Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane."
". . . Only the disciplined mind can see reality, Winston. You believe that reality is something objective, external, existing in its own right. You also believe that the nature of reality is self-evident. When you delude yourself into thinking that you see something, you assume that everyone else sees the same thing as you. But I tell you, Winston, that reality is not external. Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. Not in the individual mind, which can make mistakes, and in any case perishes; only in the mind of the Party which is collective and eternal. Whatever the Party holds to be truth, IS truth. It is impossible to see reality except by looking through the eyes of the Party. This is the fact that you have to re-learn, Winston. It needs an act of self-destruction, an effort of the will. You must humble yourself before you can become sane."
"Everything melted into mist. Sometimes indeed you could put your finger on a definite lie. It was not true, for example, as was claimed in the Party history books, that the party invented aeroplanes. He remembered aeroplanes since his childhood days. But you could prove nothing."
We are moving forward in a new and horrifying Orwellian Agel
r: "Nazi theory indeed specifically denies that such a thing as "the truth" exists. ... The implied objective of this line of thought is a nightmare world in which the Leader, or some ruling clique, controls not only the future but the past. If the Leader says of such and such an event, "It never happened" – well, it never happened. If he says that two and two are five – well, two and two are five. This prospect frightens me much more than bombs."
The general uncertainty as to what is really happening makes it easier to cling to lunatic beliefs.
"The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. One ought to recognize that the present political chaos is connected with the decay of language, and that one can probably bring about some improvement by starting from the verbal end. Political language---and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists---is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."
"You are a slow learner, Winston," said O'Brien gently.
"How can I help it?" he blubbered. "How can I help seeing what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four."
"Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane."
". . . Only the disciplined mind can see reality, Winston. You believe that reality is something objective, external, existing in its own right. You also believe that the nature of reality is self-evident. When you delude yourself into thinking that you see something, you assume that everyone else sees the same thing as you. But I tell you, Winston, that reality is not external. Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else. Not in the individual mind, which can make mistakes, and in any case perishes; only in the mind of the Party which is collective and eternal. Whatever the Party holds to be truth, IS truth. It is impossible to see reality except by looking through the eyes of the Party. This is the fact that you have to re-learn, Winston. It needs an act of self-destruction, an effort of the will. You must humble yourself before you can become sane."
"Everything melted into mist. Sometimes indeed you could put your finger on a definite lie. It was not true, for example, as was claimed in the Party history books, that the party invented aeroplanes. He remembered aeroplanes since his childhood days. But you could prove nothing."
We are moving forward in a new and horrifying Orwellian Agel
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