“Keep It Tribal” George Orwell : ANIMALISM
“Nationalism is not to be confused with Patriotism. By ‘Patriotism’ I mean devotion to a particular place and 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 of its nature defensive, both military and culturally.
Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power.”
George Orwell
Animalism : (extract from wiki)
The pigs Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer adapt Old Major’s ideas into an actual philosophy, which they formally name Animalism. Soon after, Napoleon and Squealer indulge in the vices of humans (drinking alcohol, sleeping in beds, trading). Squealer is employed to alter the Seven Commandments to account for this humanisation, an allusion to the Soviet government’s revising of history in order to exercise control of the people’s beliefs about themselves and their society.
The original commandments are:
- Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
- Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
- No animal shall wear clothes.
- No animal shall sleep in a bed.
- No animal shall drink alcohol.
- No animal shall kill any other animal.
- All animals are equal.
Later, Napoleon and his pigs secretly revise some commandments to clear them of accusations of law-breaking (such as “No animal shall drink alcohol” having “to excess” appended to it and “No animal shall sleep in a bed” with “with sheets” added to it). The changed commandments are as follows, with the changes bolded:
- 4 No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.
- 5 No animal shall drink alcohol to excess.
- 6 No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.
Eventually these are replaced with the maxims, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others“, and “Four legs good, two legs better!” as the pigs become more human. This is an ironic twist to the original purpose of the Seven Commandments, which were supposed to keep order within Animal Farm by uniting the animals together against the humans, and prevent animals from following the humans’ evil habits. Through the revision of the commandments, Orwell demonstrates how simply political dogma can be turned into malleable propaganda.
George Orwell – A Final Warning
DON’T LET IT HAPPEN… IT DEPEND ON YOU…
Comments
Just an observation – Orwell died before Television became commercially available. From Wikipedia:
Orwell’s health had continued to decline since the diagnosis of tuberculosis in December 1947. In the summer of 1949, he courted Sonia Brownell, and they announced their marriage in September, shortly before he was removed to University College Hospital in London. Sonia took charge of Orwell’s affairs and attended diligently in the hospital, causing concern to some old friends such as Muggeridge. In September 1949 Orwell invited his accountant Harrison to visit him in hospital, and Harrison claimed that Orwell then asked him to become director of GOP Ltd and to manage the company but there was no independent witness.[82] Orwell’s wedding took place in the hospital room on 13 October 1949, with David Astor as best man.[84] Orwell was in decline and visited by an assortment of visitors including Muggeridge, Connolly, Lucian Freud, Stephen Spender, Evelyn Waugh, Paul Potts, Anthony Powell and his Eton tutor Anthony Gow.[10] Plans to go to the Swiss Alps were mooted. Further meetings were held with his accountant at which Harrison and Mr and Mrs Blair were confirmed as directors of the company and at which Harrison claimed that the “service agreement” was executed, giving copyright to the company.[82] Orwell’s health was in decline again by Christmas. On the evening of 20 January 1950, Potts visited Orwell and slipped away on finding him asleep. However a later visit was made by Jack Harrison who claimed that Orwell gave him 25% of the company.[82] Early on the morning of 21 January, an artery burst in his lungs, killing him at age 46.[85]
My latest blog:
http://partneringwitheagles.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/give-the-u-n-its-pink-slip-we-dont-need-their-consensus/
Ineed to correct my earlier comment – TV was commercially available in the twenties, but as far as that goes, not many people had one in their homes. From wikip[edia - WRGB claims to be the world's oldest television station, tracing its roots to an experimental station founded on January 13, 1928, broadcasting from the General Electric factory in Schenectady, NY, under the call letters W2XB.[19] It was popularly known as “WGY Television” after its sister radio station. Later in 1928, General Electric started a second facility, this one in New York City, which had the call letters W2XBS, and which today is known as WNBC. The two stations were experimental in nature and had no regular programming, as receivers were operated by engineers within the company. The image of a Felix the Cat doll, rotating on a turntable, was broadcast for 2 hours every day for several years, as new technology was being tested by the engineers. Due to WWII, true regular commercial television network programming did not begin in the U.S. until 1948.