WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
The new America of Uniformity, Inequity & Exclusion.
“WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.”
This was the motto prominently displayed on the walls of the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell's novel 1984. It encapsulates the contradictory propaganda used by the totalitarian regime of “Big Brother” to control and manipulate the thoughts of the citizens in the dystopian society of “Oceania.”
Such oppressive doublespeak isn’t just fiction. It is the hard currency of authoritarian regimes. The insecure strongman bullies and blusters, the truth is crushed, and petty grievances become policy as professionals are replaced with collaborators.
Once the state controls thought, crimes become virtues, falsehoods become facts, and surrender becomes victory. Citizens are discouraged from logical inquiry and reflective judgment, which can themselves be considered crimes against the state.
There is ultimately only one opinion, that of the leader. Alternative perspectives are insubordinate and intolerable. Dissidents are detained, often snatched off the streets without due process and whisked away to detention facilities with no rights. Safety exists only within the bounds of capitulation and conformity.
Imposing a policy of Uniformity, Inequality, and Exclusion is essential to sustaining this lockstep of groupthink.
The roots of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives date back to the civil rights movements of the mid-20th century. DEI promotes fair treatment and full participation of all individuals, especially those from historically underrepresented groups. In both the private and public sectors, it is proven to enhance innovation, boost employee performance, and foster better decision-making. Overall, it helps create a more equitable society while fostering a sense of belonging among all citizens.
The Trump administration has demonized DEI as a threat to our nation and is now banning hundreds of books from military libraries and deleting the accomplishments of women and minorities on Pentagon websites. The government is also pressuring all agencies, private corporations, and universities to eliminate anything that smacks of DEI.
In the process, American citizens are being deleted and national heroes erased as our history is twisted and truncated. The complex mosaic of our cultural heritage is sacrificed to a monolith of right-wing, white-male supremacy in which everyone else is perceived to be of marginal, if any, value.
Thus, doublespeak prevails as diversity becomes uniformity, equity becomes inequity, and inclusion becomes exclusion.
Analyzing the Age of Trump
My friend, Dr. Allen Frances, is one of the world’s preeminent psychiatrists and Chair Emeritus of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University. He is also the author of Twilight of American Society, Analyzing the Age of Trump, in which he argues that the unravelling of our national psyche through collective brainwashing has brought us to the verge of dictatorship.
The next national day of protest is May 1, known as May Day, which is also an international distress signal used in life-threatening emergencies.
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Resources:
50 Protests. 50 States.1 Movement. ~50.50.1
Twilight of American Sanity: A Psychiatrist Analyzes the Age of Trump ~Dr. Allen Frances
And Then They Came for Me ~Perspectives
The Pandemic of Tyranny ~Perspectives
The Invisible Fire of Cultural Cleansing ~Perspectives
America’s Gulag is Born ~Perspectives
Because of Your Convictions ~Perspectives
Doublespeak "is the hard currency of authoritarian regimes." Great encapsulation of a giant thought!