George Orwell was a literary genius. His political insight and cynicism fed generations of readers baby-sized doses of an underlying truth; that no man or woman is safe from the socio-political 'machine' that is government, and the organized propaganda that is required to keep it's power.
Orwell's driving motivation for his writing was fear. A fear that the world would one day resemble the fictional-world of his books. Well, Orwell's world created in the book '1984' (written in 1949) has become a near identical reality. Where Orwell was mistaken, was his belief that Communism would be the vehicle that brought about these dehumanizing changes in society. It seems that it isn't Communism or Capitalism that is driving this erasure of human consciousness, but a super-evolved form of individualism that the term 'Capitalism' doesn't even begin to define. Where Capitalism would serve to explain a system of economics and the increasing political role of major corporations, and their ability to imbue political rhetoric in product ads and public relations, It would not serve to describe the more pervasive detriment to American culture and world outlook, the politicization and 'dumbing down' of our society.
After the shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the country was forced to look at the role of major media outlets and politicians in creating an environment of intolerance. Where entire networks are now deemed as 'Red' or 'Blue', and the nightly news is skewed and catered to the viewers of those leanings. Overstated, but necessary to say that most Americans don't completely identify with either political party, and simply feel forced to vote for one or the other because of a lack of 'legitimate' options ('legitimate' options nowadays means a candidate that is funded by major corporations and has significant financial backing to pay for the OUTRAGEOUS costs for politicking.)
Even worse is the 'Party-Liner' that is compelled to believe erroneous or mis-stated facts simply because it is presented as a 'Party Norm'. Much like a ravenous football fan that stands by their team even when the times are tough. But politics aren't a sports game, and in Football there are dozens of teams to choose from, in politics in America, we REALLY only have 2 choices. In the NFL, if team members are found to violate the rules of the game, they are disciplined. However in politics, if one is found to have violated the rules, the consequences depend on the prevailing party power. Oftentimes the rules are 'rewritten' or simply ignored.
For the citizenry of this country, it becomes increasingly difficult to rationalize being left to struggle on a meager 'honest living', when we see the proverbial 'bad guys' getting away with fortunes that were made on the backs of taxpayers and slighted clientele with absolutely no consequences.
No consequences.
This attitude that has increasingly permeated our political establishment is not isolated to government. In fact, much of the American public seem to be fascinated by lawlessness and an abandonment of personal integrity and values for superficial gains. No I'm not talking about AIG, GM or any other recipient or the multi-billion dollar bailout, I'm talking about our favorite guilty pleasure, dubbed "Reality TV".
That's an Orwellian principle right there, that we call the exposure of some of the most undesirable people, doing some of the most ridiculous and self indulgent things, all in an attempt to get some quick celebrity, "Reality TV". Doublespeak
The reality of it is best illustrated in the following: if you open up a bag of chips and eat two Cheetos you won't get fat, if you eat a whole bag of Cheeto's in one sitting, you won't magically gain 50 lbs. either. But if you eat two big bags of Cheeto's everyday, never exercise, and continue this behavior over a long period of time, imagine the results after 6 months. A year... 5 YEARS??!? Chances are that the next friend you might consider making on Facebook should be Jenny Craig. It's easy to see the effects of an unhealthy diet. It shows up on your hips, neck, butt, and tummy. What's difficult to see is the effect of an unhealthy TV diet. Like the Cheeto's, it has a negative effect on the body, but not the hips thighs or glutes, it effects the mind.
Before Rod Serling walks in and begins to narrate the remainder of this blog, let me define what I mean by 'mind'. When I say mind, I'm more specifically referring to 'mindfulness'. Websters example of 'mindfulness' is used as follows: "a truly considerate person, always mindful of the needs of others." and defined specifically as being 'aware'. Don't these sound like great qualities? Something that we would look for in a leader or friend? Perhaps our standards have fallen. Perhaps these qualities are now antiquated, replaced by individualism and greed. The cultural norm is trending towards our fascination with the lowest common denominator, where we spend hours a day watching people on TV trying to solve the conundrum of "What heels to wear tonight" or "Whose boyfriend is she sleeping with". Not that all 'Reality TV' is as simplistic, but seems that the most popular "Reality TV' shows follow a similar model; Put a bunch of strangers in a house who are competing for a cash prize, perversely spy on them as they make irresponsible, immature, or downright mean spirited decisions. And as we watch contestants eliminated week by week, what do we learn? That the most ruthless, deceptive, backstabbing competitor usually wins. It seems that the most undesirable qualities of human beings are the ones that we are bombarded with the most, and are rewarded for doing so....
Is this the model of the world we live in? Is the world of my grandfather gone? Where integrity, honesty, courage and wear-with-all would bring you success? Sadly, yes...the 'good ole' days' are dead. Have you lost faith in politics? How about the concept of marriage? Is it ok to lie, cheat and steal, as long as you don't get caught? How have impulsive and selfish decisions you've made affected those that surround you, the people you love and that love you? You'd be surprised as to the number of times that I've heard "Reality TV ruined my marriage". This imagery of debauchery and people with no-integrity glamorized on the small-screen is the bag of Cheeto's, how much are you willing to eat before you realize that you've been couch-locked for 3 hours and have nothing to show for it but a decreased sensitivity to the TRUE needs of yourself and others and to reality?
Whether you are a religious, spiritual person or otherwise, I think we can all agree that we are born into this Earth a complete being, a perfect creature. Though our minds don't possess concrete knowledge of our environment at an infant stage, we possess everything else we need to survive. All of our organs and appendages serve as a vehicle for our survival, and as we develop our intellect gives us a distinct advantage over other predators once it's matured and developed. What do you think would happen to our society if we were completely removed from this process of intellectual maturation? What we'd become is actually becoming reality as you read this. We've are being taken advantage of as a populous by our elected leaders and we have become too apathetic to do anything about it. And it seems that the only groups that get any attention in the media when they 'do something about it' are either perceived as fringe radical groups, or actually ARE fringe radical groups. What about a popular movement 'By the People' to take control of our governing bodies like what we saw in the 60's? I guess that'll have to wait until after the finale of 'Jersey Shore' or 'Real Housewives'. And the idea that reactionary groups like the 'Tea Party' are going to usher in a 'new generation of political activism' seems far fetched. There are many great minds with legitimate ideas on change and reform that simply aren't recognized in the media at all. Why? Is it a fear that ratings might drop because intellectual conversations about politics are 'boring'? You be the judge...
Forget that George Orwell ominously predicted that we'd be watching life size screens of people doing, well, nothing in particular, and use that as a replacement for our own social and moral compass (this prediction made years before TV was available to the average consumer). It doesn't matter, because the importance of the worlds wisdom doesn't carry any 'pop culture' value with the American mainstream. Until we collectively start taking responsibility for our own social, spiritual, practical and intellectual lives, we will be wandering through a quagmire of our own undoing, wondering why our lives aren't as fruitful, happy, or productive as we wish they could be. And while Rome burns, will you be watching 'The Hills', eating on a second bag of Cheeto's and wondering 'who the hell is gonna fix this mess'? It's time to grab a bucket of water my friend.....
