Unending Propaganda and Surveillance

The majority of authoritarian administrations gravely abuse the authority bestowed upon them by the people, ultimately manipulating and subjugating those same people. George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1984, offers insights into such an authoritarian state, whose main tactic was to repress its people through manipulation and control. The fictitious government depicted by Orwell employs a variety of methods, including ongoing propaganda and constant surveillance. Many academics and experts are getting more and more concerned that the fiction is coming true. For instance, countries such as the former Soviet Union, the Communist China (Mao’s era), the Nazi Germany, and currently North Korea under Kim Jong certainly fit the description of a fascist state as given by Orwell. Even though individuals hold the feeling that an authoritarian government cannot thrive in the modern-day United States, certain events in the country tend to prove otherwise. The 9/11 terrorist attack has led to stringent measures by the US government which include the passing of the Military Commissions Act (2006), the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005, the Patriot Act, proof of illegal wiretapping, government sanctioned torture in CIA black sites, and also “extraordinary rendition.” A significant proposition by President Trump to bring back waterboarding (torture) as a method of interrogation is a sign that his administration is leaning towards an authoritarian rule. President Trump claimed that he wants to “fight fire with fire” to stop terrorism by stating that he “absolutely” believes torture works (Merica). The actions of the Bush, Obama, and the Trump Administration are significant in the making of fascist states, and they are certainly not proper actions or events of a democratic government.

Constant Surveillance

In Orwell's novel, constant monitoring has been extensively applied by the fictional government to control its citizens. The concept of surveillance is evident in the poster where Winston made his way to the stair of a building. The poster read "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU," indicating that there were surveillance cameras all over the flat which was seven apartments up. As stated by Winston, there was a voice from an oblong metal plaque that was a dull mirror-like. When Winston turned a switch, the voice emanating from the instrument, which was called a telescreen, sank but the words could still be distinguished. The telescreen invaded Winston’s privacy since it could only be dimmed but not shut off completely. Surveillance by use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) has become a widespread feature of the American public life, and it is due to the accelerated fears of terrorism. For instance, phone surveillance by the NSA is a controversial issue in the present-day America, with some individuals resenting to it with the claim that it obstructs individual liberty (Surveillance: A Threat to Democracy).

The fictional government as hypothesized by Orwell is synonymous to policies implemented by the various administrations since the 9/11 terrorist attack. The strategy of surveillance is controversial in the modern-day America where some people support it while others reject it. The supporters of government surveillance claim that the move is appropriate in combating terrorism in the country. A majority of Americans remain untroubled by the news that the National Security Agency has a dragnet for collecting phone records of millions of individuals in the country. Besides, the government monitors the activities of the Americans while they travel, in supermarkets, and also in other public areas. The controversy sets in as the NSA does so to all citizens even though there is no suspicion, and regardless of whether the measure has any connection to counterterrorism (Surveillance: A Threat to Democracy).

In Orwell's novel, any sound made by Winston, and which was significantly above the level of a quiet whisper was picked up by the telescreen. Besides, Winston's actions could be seen and also his voice could be heard as long as he remained within the field of vision that the instrument commanded (Orwell). In this case, all his moves, as well as sounds, were closely monitored by the government; thus proof of citizen oppression by the party. In addition, there were police patrols who snooped into people’s windows. The patrols were in a helicopter that was in the far distance, and that skimmed down between the roofs (Orwell). Nonetheless, Winston states that the patrols did not pose a great threat as compared to the Thought Police. President Obama’s administration was highly criticized for improperly imposing surveillance on Americans. The current example of hacking and or spying during the recent U.S. elections is a prove of government manipulation of its citizens through surveillance (even though there are different perspectives related to the hacking, with President Trump claiming it was facilitated by Obama). Besides, the hacking of Hillary Clinton’s emails is evidence of the modern forms of surveillance for purposes of manipulation.

In the novel, the Thought Police presented a significant challenge to citizens as it is hard to fathom when one was being watched, regardless of the moment. In the fictional government, it was conceivable that the Thought Police put Winston and other individuals under constant surveillance all the time. Such a move took place after President Bush signed an executive order into law putting all Americans under constant surveillance with the NSA collecting and analyzing phone metadata of citizens; hence infringing their privacy. The same issue of surveillance was more pronounced during Obama’s administration (Surveillance: A Threat to Democracy), and there were claims that the state did not entirely use surveillance to prevent threats to the country but did so to fight their political opponents domestically. Just as in Winston’s case where any movement or sound could be picked by the government, Obama’s administration ensured the actiities of the citizens were tapped, with the claim of upholding national security.

Unending Propaganda

Propaganda can be described as ideas, information, or rumors that are spread deliberately in efforts to help or harm an individual, group, movement, organization, or even a country. In Orwell's book 1984, propaganda is highly applied ensure the public is kept in control. For instance, there is the use of Big Brother as the fundamental propaganda which is directed to turning citizens against Goldstein. Propaganda against Goldstein was spread to harm him by making him the greatest enemy of the people. The party was sure that making people turn against this one man, they will be distracted from following the Party actions closely; hence easier to manipulate. The issue is related to modern-day use of propaganda to manipulate citizens. For instance, since President Trump took office, he has stressed that the Obama administration had significant attempts to manipulate the elections, particularly on the issue of hacking during elections. The claim is evidently a form of propaganda meant to manipulate the public as Andrew Higgins of the New York Times reported that President Putin admitted to a possibility of ‘patriotically minded’ Russian hackers been involved in the activity. President Trump had used the propaganda in order to turn Americans against Obama’s administration, just the same way the state of Oceania attempted to turn its citizens against Goldstein.

The next aspect of unending propaganda is a recalibration of the way citizens think. The party used slogans with such phrases as “War is Peace,” “Ignorance is Power,” and “Freedom is Slavery.” As explained by Orwell, the party in Oceania would announce that two and two made five, and since it was a repeated lie, the citizens eventually believed it (p. 82). The repeated idioms or slogans reeducated the citizens of Oceania into believing whatever the rulers wanted them to believe. In addition, there were ubiquitous Television screens that spread propaganda.

The same case applies in the United States over the past two, as well as the current Trump’s administration. As explained by the correspondents of the Global Research, all governments, including that of the US, lie whenever it suits their purposes, with the understanding that the key is to lie. Reporters are paid by the government to spread disinformation that suits the position of the government. Such a propaganda spread by the government during President Bush's administration is manipulation of intelligence to rally public support for the invasion of Iraq (Kosar). In so doing, the government gained power and manipulated the US citizens into believing that majority supported Iraq war. Trump’s administration has also turned to use propaganda to sway people from the truth, for instance, the President has spearheaded the controversy over climate change, and citizens are made to believe that the issue is a hoax and a term created by and for the Chinese. When people believe such propaganda, they fail to objectively seek the truth and end up following the government blindly. Trump’s administration is using such slogans as those used by the party in Oceania, and as people listen to such repeated slogans of propaganda, they tend to believe them.



Works Cited

Higgins, Andrew. "Maybe Private Russian Hackers Meddled in Election, Putin Says." New York Times. 2017. Web. 2 June 2017.

Kosar, Kevin R. "All the President’s Propaganda." The New York Times. 2016. Web. 27 May 2017.

Merica, Dan. "Trump on waterboarding: 'We have to fight fire with fire.'" CNN Politics. 2017. Web. 27 May 2017.

Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984). Toronto, Canada: McClelland & Stewart, 2015. Print.

New York Times. "Surveillance: A Threat to Democracy." 2013. Web. 27 May 2017.

Global Research. "U.S. Government Has Long Used Propaganda against the American People." 2016. Web. 27 May 2017.