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CHANGING WORDS - UPDATING HISTORY
1984 IS FINALLY HERE

By: Jim Moore

"As soon as all the corrections had been assembled and collated, that number would be reprinted, the original copy destroyed, and the corrected copy placed in the files.

This continuous alteration was applied not only to newspapers, but to books, periodicals, pamphlets, posters, leaflets, films, sound tracks, cartoons, photographs---every kind of literature and documentation which might hold any political or ideological significance.

Day by day, the past was brought up to date. In this way, every prediction made by the Party could be shown by documentary evidence to have been correct; nor was any news, or expression of opinion which conflicted with the needs of the moment, ever allowed to remain on record.

All history was scraped clean, as often as necessary. In no case, would it have been possible, once the deed was done, to prove that any falsification had taken place.

And so it was with every recorded fact, great or small. Everything faded away into a shadow-world in which, finally, even the date of the year had become uncertain."   --Excerpted from the book, 1984, by George Orwell

On April 30, Author Anita Vogel, writing for Fox News, reported that a textbook review process in California has changed or eliminated all references to our Founding Fathers-and other taboos-leaving many citizens to charge the state with distorting history in the name of political correctness.

Furthermore, no books will contain any phrases judged to be sexist or insensitive. Henceforth, our Founders will be called, "The Framers." Snowman will become "snowperson." Grandparents are called "older persons." The word jungle is now "rain forest." The world "devil" has disappeared entirely.

A direct assault on historical accuracy will forbid showing American Indians with long braids, in rural settings, or on reservations.

Worst of all, this twisting of the lexicon and dumbing down of American history and lore is putting textbook publishers in a bind. They say that if they don't adopt the changes to textbooks made in California and Texas they could suffer severe economic consequences.

The logical reality of that, to this writer, means a cut-off of bribery money from the government. Author Diane Ravitch calls it, "Outright censorship." On the other hand, Sue Stickel, of the Board of Education says, "Our textbooks should be free of any stereotyping." (Even if, I presume, that means the obliteration and rewriting of all American history.)

* * * * *

Do you see the similarity in what these two writers are telling us? You should.

Dictatorial mind control begins slowly and unnoticeably. A change here, an alteration there, a substitution somewhere else, and suddenly you wake up with your mouth clamped shut.

Worse, your mind is compressed into a ball of flaccid matter that can neither think for or beyond itself, initiate any ideas, or react independently.

And the one place, of course, to begin indoctrinating the population with this kind of tyrannical "groupthink" is, where else? in the schools, where young, fertile minds are open and pliable and can therefore be easily molded so that, as adults, they will have conformed without a struggle to the Party (State) line.

George Orwell was right. In 1984, he predicted the terror of Big Brother's mind manipulation and control. It was slow in coming, but it's no longer coming. It's here.


"Published originally at EtherZone.com : republication allowed with this notice and hyperlink intact."
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Jim Moore is a free-lance political writer and is a regular columnist for Ether Zone.

Jim Moore can be reached at Jmoore1819@aol.com

Published in the May 16, 2003 issue of  Ether Zone.
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