Eighty Four plus Sixteen
Eric Blair once wrote an essay called Politics and the English language. In this essay Mr. Blair laments the current state of the English language. He says that the decadence prevalent in the English language that causes us to use it carelessly encourages foolish and slovenly thoughts in us. Cause produces an effect. The effect becomes amplified and further boosts the cause. In this manner our foolish thoughts make our use of the language even more careless. We piece together words without really knowing their meaning. After a while we don’t care what our sentences mean at all.
It is a terrific essay and can be read here.
You are probably asking, “Who is Eric Blair? Is he a relation of the tamer of the fearsome duo? Why are his thoughts on the English language relevant? Does he support the war on Iraq?”
These are all very pertinent questions and all of them deserve to be answered. None, however as much as the first. Eric Blair is the original name of the man who was to write books under the pseudonym George Orwell. These include 1984 and one of the simplest and at the same time most profound books of all time, “Animal Farm.”
If he were alive today, it would be his hundredth birthday.
A lot has been written about George Orwell’s love of socialism. George Orwell developed a love for equality of all mankind (a love that was a driving force, not merely a love to be reminisced over a drink in the evening) during his stint with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. This was not due to the noble ways of the Imperial Police force (which Gandhi and millions of Indians could not have missed during the British rule), but more to do with the unnecessary killing of not only human beings, but also elephants.
A brief account of his stint in Burma can be read here (to read this document, you need Acrobat Reader).
While fighting the war against Franco in Spain, George Orwell came to question the oppression of socialists by other socialists. When Stalin ordered that all ice cream parlors were to serve only the vanilla flavour in addition to committing several other atrocities, George Orwell grew even more disillusioned and wrote Animal Farm.
A lot has been written about the man and his life. A person of limited knowledge such as myself cannot even begin to hope to cast any further light on this matter. However, there is one thing that I would like to say. In many Orwellian situations the past is made up. It is then moved into credible environments and in this manner is easily passed off as the truth.
This happens in media all over the world. Bigots use their literature to justify their existence. But there is a new danger that is arising today. So many of the media venues that have for long been trusted as credible sources have turned into “truth-makers” either to sensationalize, promote political agendas or increase the sense of prevailing fear by contributing to the large volume of negative news stories (save for a few stations like NPR, which actually recognize that a few good people actually do wake up every morning).
When I watch cable TV and view shows such as the O’Reilly Factor or CNN headline news (and even the extreme left political writing which at the best of times are the conspiracy theories woven by very suspicious minds), I am shocked to see the amount of prejudice that is being passed of as news nowadays. These news items are viewed by many as the truth today. They will undoubtedly be viewed as the absolute chronicles of our times by future generations that will view us through micro-films, archives and dead links.
It is time to put the words, “I think” before “this is” every time one of our great learned people come to show us the light on our TV screens.
At least I think it is.
Eric Blair once wrote an essay called Politics and the English language. In this essay Mr. Blair laments the current state of the English language. He says that the decadence prevalent in the English language that causes us to use it carelessly encourages foolish and slovenly thoughts in us. Cause produces an effect. The effect becomes amplified and further boosts the cause. In this manner our foolish thoughts make our use of the language even more careless. We piece together words without really knowing their meaning. After a while we don’t care what our sentences mean at all.
It is a terrific essay and can be read here.
You are probably asking, “Who is Eric Blair? Is he a relation of the tamer of the fearsome duo? Why are his thoughts on the English language relevant? Does he support the war on Iraq?”
These are all very pertinent questions and all of them deserve to be answered. None, however as much as the first. Eric Blair is the original name of the man who was to write books under the pseudonym George Orwell. These include 1984 and one of the simplest and at the same time most profound books of all time, “Animal Farm.”
If he were alive today, it would be his hundredth birthday.
A lot has been written about George Orwell’s love of socialism. George Orwell developed a love for equality of all mankind (a love that was a driving force, not merely a love to be reminisced over a drink in the evening) during his stint with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. This was not due to the noble ways of the Imperial Police force (which Gandhi and millions of Indians could not have missed during the British rule), but more to do with the unnecessary killing of not only human beings, but also elephants.
A brief account of his stint in Burma can be read here (to read this document, you need Acrobat Reader).
While fighting the war against Franco in Spain, George Orwell came to question the oppression of socialists by other socialists. When Stalin ordered that all ice cream parlors were to serve only the vanilla flavour in addition to committing several other atrocities, George Orwell grew even more disillusioned and wrote Animal Farm.
A lot has been written about the man and his life. A person of limited knowledge such as myself cannot even begin to hope to cast any further light on this matter. However, there is one thing that I would like to say. In many Orwellian situations the past is made up. It is then moved into credible environments and in this manner is easily passed off as the truth.
This happens in media all over the world. Bigots use their literature to justify their existence. But there is a new danger that is arising today. So many of the media venues that have for long been trusted as credible sources have turned into “truth-makers” either to sensationalize, promote political agendas or increase the sense of prevailing fear by contributing to the large volume of negative news stories (save for a few stations like NPR, which actually recognize that a few good people actually do wake up every morning).
When I watch cable TV and view shows such as the O’Reilly Factor or CNN headline news (and even the extreme left political writing which at the best of times are the conspiracy theories woven by very suspicious minds), I am shocked to see the amount of prejudice that is being passed of as news nowadays. These news items are viewed by many as the truth today. They will undoubtedly be viewed as the absolute chronicles of our times by future generations that will view us through micro-films, archives and dead links.
It is time to put the words, “I think” before “this is” every time one of our great learned people come to show us the light on our TV screens.
At least I think it is.
Commercial break
This blog has not been receiving updates. If it were a cactus plant in the desert and the words on its postings the much needed water all would be fine.
Somehow, that does not seem to be the case.
The geniuses we have been speaking of over the past week do not make homes in deserts.
Today, we take a minor break before reverting back to the schedule.
India recognized Tibet to be a part of China for the first time. This was part of an effort to resolve a long standing border dispute that India has had with China.
On the positive side, trade routes between Indian and China will open up and the first people to benefit will be the local population, some of which will be Tibetans. Another positive that emerges from this will be the fact that India will now be in a better position to play a mediating role between the Tibetan government (now in exile in the beautiful hill station of Dharamshala, India) and China.
On the other hand, China seems to be under no pressure to resolve the Tibetan issue in a hurry. There is a danger this declaration might very well go down in history as one of those Orwellian truths which China can show the world after fifty years in defense of its occupation and persecution of the Tibetan people.
The Beijing Olympics in 2008 represent as good an opportunity for the world to reflect as to why the Games were awarded to China. Hopefully, the games will present an opportunity for Tibet to step into the spotlight for just one second more than necessary to get people talking about their fate as a nation.
Below is a speech that the Dalai Lama gave on acceptance of the Noble Peace prize.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Nobel Prize acceptance speech
It is true. Let the Tibetans stay happily in the great land of Tibet, let the Chinese stay happily in the land of China and Americans prosper in the land of America.
This blog has not been receiving updates. If it were a cactus plant in the desert and the words on its postings the much needed water all would be fine.
Somehow, that does not seem to be the case.
The geniuses we have been speaking of over the past week do not make homes in deserts.
Today, we take a minor break before reverting back to the schedule.
India recognized Tibet to be a part of China for the first time. This was part of an effort to resolve a long standing border dispute that India has had with China.
On the positive side, trade routes between Indian and China will open up and the first people to benefit will be the local population, some of which will be Tibetans. Another positive that emerges from this will be the fact that India will now be in a better position to play a mediating role between the Tibetan government (now in exile in the beautiful hill station of Dharamshala, India) and China.
On the other hand, China seems to be under no pressure to resolve the Tibetan issue in a hurry. There is a danger this declaration might very well go down in history as one of those Orwellian truths which China can show the world after fifty years in defense of its occupation and persecution of the Tibetan people.
The Beijing Olympics in 2008 represent as good an opportunity for the world to reflect as to why the Games were awarded to China. Hopefully, the games will present an opportunity for Tibet to step into the spotlight for just one second more than necessary to get people talking about their fate as a nation.
Below is a speech that the Dalai Lama gave on acceptance of the Noble Peace prize.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Nobel Prize acceptance speech
It is true. Let the Tibetans stay happily in the great land of Tibet, let the Chinese stay happily in the land of China and Americans prosper in the land of America.
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