The clever and highly-coordinated – and terrifying – war on “disinformation”
Please read this article on the development of the anti-“disinformation” campaign of the left. An excerpt:
In his last days in office, President Barack Obama made the decision to set the country on a new course. On Dec. 23, 2016, he signed into law the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act, which used the language of defending the homeland to launch an open-ended, offensive information war.
Something in the looming specter of Donald Trump and the populist movements of 2016 reawakened sleeping monsters in the West. Disinformation, a half-forgotten relic of the Cold War, was newly spoken of as an urgent, existential threat.
That “something” was the wake-up call that, in a fair election, the left might not always win. So anything that could empower the right had to be stopped by a war that was fought on many fronts. One of those front was information censorship, something in which the left often engages when in power. That’s something Orwell knew very well, and it’s why he emphasized that aspect of the leftist regime he depicted in Nineteen Eighty-Four.
More:
Since 2016, the federal government has spent billions of dollars on turning the counter-disinformation complex into one of the most powerful forces in the modern world: a sprawling leviathan with tentacles reaching into both the public and private sector, which the government uses to direct a “whole of society” effort that aims to seize total control over the internet and achieve nothing less than the eradication of human error.
They want to eradicate what they label as error, not actual error. Although sometimes error is involved, it can just as easily be truth that is labeled “disinformation” by the left. In act, it’s probably even more important for them to suppress truth than falsehoods.
To continue:
Step one in the national mobilization to defeat disinfo fused the U.S. national security infrastructure with the social media platforms, where the war was being fought…
The strategy of national mobilization called for “not only the whole-of-government, but also whole-of-society” approach, according to a document released by the GEC in 2018. “To counter propaganda and disinformation,” the agency stated, “will require leveraging expertise from across government, tech and marketing sectors, academia, and NGOs.”
The American press, once the guardian of democracy, was hollowed out to the point that it could be worn like a hand puppet by the U.S. security agencies and party operatives…
By conflating the anti-establishment politics of domestic populists with acts of war by foreign enemies, it justified turning weapons of war against Americans citizens. It turned the public arenas where social and political life take place into surveillance traps and targets for mass psychological operations. The crime is the routine violation of Americans’ rights by unelected officials who secretly control what individuals can think and say.
This has become more and more obvious over time, but only the right seems to be paying attention or caring. That is probably for two reasons. The first is that the MSM isn’t really reporting much on this and is actually part of it, and the second is that a lot of people on the left feel that the ends justify the means.
More:
…[T]he next stage, already underway, is being carried out through both scalable processes of artificial intelligence and algorithmic pre-censorship that are invisibly encoded into the infrastructure of the internet, where they can alter the perceptions of billions of people.
It’s not only already underway, but it’s been underway for a long time. I noticed it years ago – I don’t recall how many – when suddenly Google was no longer a fairly neutral search engine. It became very difficult to find articles that ran counter to the leftist party line, and very easy to find information that conformed with it.
The article is very long, and I haven’t read it all yet. But it seems well worth reading in its entirety. Another excerpt:
What do the members of the ruling class believe? They believe, I argue, “in informational and management solutions to existential problems” and in their “own providential destiny and that of people like them to rule, regardless of their failures.” As a class, their highest principle is that they alone can wield power. If any other group were to rule, all progress and hope would be lost, and the dark forces of fascism and barbarism would at once sweep back over the earth.
That’s the very same group that the brilliant Thomas Sowell has been writing about for nearly three decades. He has called them “the anointed” and emphasized that being in error over and over again did not seem to make a dent in their arrogant assumption that they must rule.
Defending “democracy” is their cry, although they don’t define it (sometimes it’s “our democracy”). That justifies almost anything, including ending liberty. Without liberty, what is “democracy”? What remains is not just “tyranny of the majority” (although there’s certainly that, too); it’s tyranny of the elite minority.
The left believes liberty is dispensable at this point. It’s just too threatening:
Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich responded to the news that Elon Musk was purchasing Twitter by declaring that preserving free speech online was “Musk’s dream. And Trump’s. And Putin’s. And the dream of every dictator, strongman, demagogue, and modern-day robber baron on Earth. For the rest of us, it would be a brave new nightmare.” According to Reich, censorship is “necessary to protect American democracy.”
That’s a perfect example of the total inversion of the idea of liberty. It’s where our leftist “elites” have arrived, and technology – particularly AI, which the article discusses at length – gives them tools of control they never had before, far superior to the telescreen of Orwell’s imagination.
This has an additional effect of dividing the people even further. Those who insist on believing the obviously false cannot be part of a conversation about best way(s) forward.
And since their beliefs come from and are reinforced by Authority’s needs, actual facts are not useful.
When you are only 4 feet tall, like Reich, you need help to control those big people.
They should be called the possessed
I notice that the Vietnam War-era phrase about having to destroy the village in order to save it is getting a lot of play in the blogosphere lately in reference to the Democrats and “Our Democracy.”
Another famous quote — “Freedom is always, and exclusively, freedom for the one who thinks differently” — is attributed to Rosa Luxemburg, but would she really have thought that way if her party had been able to take power? So much of the left-wing talk about freedom of expression and the right to dissent came from the left being a minority and relatively powerless. It doesn’t hold up well when leftists are in power.
For all the talk about pluralism, it feels like there’s less real diversity in American life now than in the past. Rather than having many independent clusters of opinion and influence, everyone is on one side or the other, and the side which has power has convinced itself that those on the other side are a threat that must be crushed.
If you remember the village in the prisoner that is their end goal
A very fine specimen of this “élite” is Justin Trudeau, one of the most dangerous, malevolent politician on earth
At PowerLine blog, newish contributor Elizabeth Stauffer quotes extensively from Rush Limbaugh on October 1, 2020, a few months before Rush died: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2023/04/rush-limbaugh-warned-us.php
Her opening paragraph:
In October 2020, just months prior to his death, Rush Limbaugh warned us that Democrats were done with elections. He said they no longer “believe they should have to persuade anybody to agree with them. … [T]here’s no question that they resent the electoral process.”
Recently I learned of the “Stanford Internet Observatory.” What would that be? Stanford explains itself:
____________________________________
The Stanford Internet Observatory is a cross-disciplinary program of research, teaching and policy engagement for the study of abuse in current information technologies, with a focus on social media. Under the program direction of computer security expert Alex Stamos, the Observatory was created to learn about the abuse of the internet in real time, to develop a novel curriculum on trust and safety that is a first in computer science, and to translate our research discoveries into training and policy innovations for the public good.
–https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/
____________________________________
Bland, vague and unnerving. Remembering the “Committee of Public Safety” from the French Revolution, I find “trust and safety” coupled with “public good” in this mission statement concerning.
Getting to brass tacks as to what the Observatory actually does:
____________________________________
Last December, Elon Musk, with the help of Matt Taibbi, Lee Fang and several other journalists, began releasing a series of internal documents from Twitter’s operations during the 2020 election and pandemic. The documents confirmed what many conservatives already knew deep down: that Twitter was actively suppressing free speech on behalf of the federal government.
Matt Taibbi’s two latest “Twitter Files” drops revealed that Stanford played a direct role in this gross violation of online free speech. Emails revealed that the Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO) actively collaborated with Twitter to suppress information they knew was factually true. Taibbi’s investigation revealed that Stanford’s Virality Project “recommends that multiple platforms take action even against ‘stories of true vaccine side effects’ and ‘true posts which could fuel hesitancy.’”
The project succeeded in getting big tech companies to take down about 35% of the content they flagged.
https://stanfordreview.org/stanfords-dark-hand-in-twitter-censorship/
____________________________________
Keep your eye on the Stanford Internet Observatory. We need to watch it as much as it watches us.
We read “1984” as a warning. The lefties read it as a how-to manual.
@Abraxas
We don’t really need to ask. Luxemburg apparently brutally mocked and beat up a homeless Jewish German veteran on the streets. Who turned out to be the one who sold her location out to the Freikorps. She also supported the attempted coup of the Spartakists and the violent crackdowns that accompanied that.
Which puts me in a bit of a pickle, since I tend not to like the assorted Freikorps to say the least (especially as resident WWI Hawk), and to view their involvement and dependence on them as a baleful, corrosive influence. But stuff like this makes it hard for me to object to the summary of execution of her, Liebknecht, and a lot of other scum.
The original article is being deceptively selective in its narrative by starting with Obama. How did Obama “sign… into law the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act” unless it was passed by both Houses of Congress?
Cowritten by Senator Rob Portman (R), specifically to target “Russian disinformation”. Cosponsored in the House by Adam Kinzinger (R), as NeverTrump as they come. Passed the Senate 92-7. The only Republican to oppose was Rand Paul.
The “Left” didn’t do this, the Uniparty did.
Since the original article assumes we all have amnesia and can’t search the Web, it’s worth recalling that in December 2016 the Senate still had a Republican majority, which co-wrote and voted for this travesty, and it was intentionally aimed directly at Donald Trump even then. Again, only one Republican Senator voted against it.
Most of those guys are still there, in the Senate. So whatever R’s are still there that were there then, if you think they’re one of the good guys, well they voted for this unless their name is Rand Paul (or Tom Cotton who was not present).
Frederick:
NeverTrumpers wanted to go after Trump and his supporters. But I think other Republicans didn’t foresee the exact uses to which it would be put. I’d have to go back and refresh my memory.
We could use more publicity about the DoJ case:
“ United States v. Douglass Mackey began this week and is a major part of the Left’s war on free speech in America.”
https://news.gab.com/2023/03/the-regimes-war-to-make-memes-illegal/
My first reading about Anarcho-tyranny.
“Anarchotyranny is when the state refuses to wield its power to protect its citizens (allowing societal anarchy) while readily using its power to crush both the innocent and those guilty of petty offenses (tyranny).”
This is the Christian Nationalist supporting parallel economy Gab, weak alt-Twitter. I often like some 3/5 – 9/10s of a lot of their stuff.
But they’re more on my side than just about any other org – Neo & this great group of commenters, like A. Kling & other substack thinking writers, are not really an organization.
But orgs trying to do something are not as much fun as talking / commenting! or singing karaoke … (gotta practice)
I should read the article but I just can’t….don’t want to be tempted to self-defenestrate.
portman has been replaced by jd vance, the people I knew in the ahia tea party were very dissapointed in him, almost from the outset, so frau luxembourg, was like these other ‘woke’ idiots, you can’t choose your allies exactly, they are imperfect as they are people, and those likely to be motivated,
what was going to be a positive end in post world war europe germany, the catholic center party was out, because of the depression, the social democrats had their own problems but stalin wanted them out, because he saw the nazis as the last domino to communist domination,
a similar situation obtained in in italy, the arditti (demobilized servicement) armed themselves against the communists, the socialists from when mussolini arose, didn’t have a solution, the catholic center evolved into the christian democrats after the war and they held the line inconstantly against the communists, in tacit alliance with the Mafia, the 48 election being the demarcation point, after the soviet collapse, the christian democrats and the socialists came apart and the regional and idealogical Northern League and the fascist remnant the MSI were in coalition, against the Democrats who are the Communists reborn
the radicals in france bore the burden of clemenceau’s folly, the socialists would take power after the depression, but they didn’t have any answers really, they faced opposition from the deep state faction, in the military and among the industrialists, the latter financed the cagoule which became the corps of vichy
(william shirer doesn’t really suggest how things could have turned out better,
frederick:
The “Left” didn’t do this, the Uniparty did.
The Uniparty currently is a subsidiary of the Left.
Trump’s response to his indictment:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1641827495426113536
so this diktat ukaz et al, was a forerunner of the restrict act, it’s funny how it all rhymes,
The “Uniparty” is very usefull; as it can mean anything and do everything undesireable.
I really do ask what is a civil response, to this sort of action, musk helped open up the twitter files, thanks to taibbi schellenberger, and weiss, but the press still traffic in the same lies, tucker opened a crack in the cave wall with january 6th, but they are still ’rounding up the usual suspects’ another selfie taking grandma,
our real adversaries xi khamenei putin, the one who draws the short straw in islamic state leadership, are beside themselves, they don’t need to destroy this country it’s being done by the leadership class, in ways that show how pitifully weak how amoral, how wretched we are, maybe they will take pity, i’m not betting that way,
they ratified garlands destruction of the rule of the law the purge by austin of our military, the utter collapse of our border,
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/signature-verification-software-used-maricopa-county-says-10-high
look what we have here,
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/palm-beach-gardens-attorney-arrested-possession-child-pornography
Neo correctly observes, “a lot of people on the left feel that the ends justify the means”.
Just ends have no need for coersive and deceitful means.
Unjust means can never bring about rightful ends.
“The left believes liberty is dispensable at this point. It’s just too threatening:”
Eliminate the rule of law, make a mockery of Constitutional safeguards and the 74+ million who voted for Trump will be forced to reach an inescapable conclusion. Political and legal redress of their rightful grievances has become impossible.
In such circumstances, to accomplish the dispensing of our liberties will require nothing less than that millions on the left be willing to sacrifice their lives in service of that ’cause’.
Their actions have repeatedly demonstrated that, when reality requires it of them, leftists in the West simply lack the intestinal fortitude to make the ultimate personal sacrifice.
America is broken. That’s what election day, 2020 taught me. And now — following Arnold Toynbee’s dictum — the half in thrall to the Ruling Class fascists are bent on committing national suicide. Only they will not leave the rest of us alone. They are Hell-bent on dragging everyone else down with them.
That’s how I see it, and this is how I’m telling it to foreigners abroad. By all rights and common sense there ought to be the LOUD threat of civil war. That’s why we have a Second Amendment — to keep the Ruling Class cautious if not recurrently scared.
That there isn’t, coupled with plummeting patriotism, tells us all one needs to know about generational change and consequent decline.
Our Revolutionary Forefathers suffered under less pervasive and less intrusive tyranny — yet they risked it all. Their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to rebel and defeat the friendly tyranny installed within their midst, and repelled the world’s most powerful Empire.
Here are de minimus four background references. I call this collective outline “US descent into Oligarchy, fascism, one party State rule, and rapid fiscal bankruptcy.”
First, Angelo Codevilla on our new 2021 stays as a Classic Oligarchy — and the essential political history of how we got here in one century — but recently accelerated downward. https://amgreatness.com/2021/01/19/clarity-in-trumps-wake/
Second, how Russiagate became Spy-gate and Obamagate — How the Deep State built our digital fascism.
—[PLACEHOLDER] — I’ve not settled on a single background piece yet. Nominations, please?
— The Tabletmag.com 45 pager on the second half, introduced above by our host, neo.
Three, the rise and rise of single State Party Rule. This, too, is a theme-work in progress. Nominations? But I have a simple and alarming one for anyone open-minded and untutored: “Eight Startling and uncomfortable ways the Democrat Party Emulates The Nazi Party.”
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2023/03/eight_startling_and_uncomfortable_ways_the_democrat_party_emulates_the_nazi_party.html
Four, how “America is about to go Supernova” and explode into the wreckage of bankruptcy, by Simon Black, February 21, 2023.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2023-02-21/america-about-go-supernova
I’ll excerpt this last piece because it’s not too long to explain the alarm and because so many here are only dimly aware of our county’s status close to the horizon of doom.
“It should not be a controversial statement to say that the world’s dominant empire today, the United States, is in obvious decline.
“The US has steadily depleted and destroyed the very resources that made it so powerful in the first place– things like freedom, capitalism, self-reliance, social cohesion, reputation, military strength, and fiscal restraint.
“The latter bears some additional discussion.
“On Friday I wrote to you that the US government had just published its annual financial report showing, among other things, that they lost a mind-blowing $4.1 trillion in Fiscal Year 2022, which was $1 trillion worse than the year before.
“Going through the rest of the report, you’ll see them describe the utterly dire situation of Social Security, whose trust funds are set to run out of money within the next 10 years or so. They also forecast the national debt to reach more than FIVE HUNDRED PERCENT of GDP.
“But what really struck me about this report… above everything else… was the cover letter; this is the one-page executive summary from the Treasury Secretary [Yellen] right at the beginning of the report.
“You’d think with such horrific financial results and long-term projections that the Treasury Secretary would spend her cover letter calling for immediate reform and fiscal discipline.
“But there wasn’t a single word of caution in her letter.
“Instead the Secretary bragged about how great the economy is, and praised their ridiculous Inflation Reduction Act as “our nation’s most aggressive action to tackle the climate crisis.”
“Come again? Wasn’t the Inflation Reduction Act supposed to, you know, reduce inflation?
“But they’re not even trying to tell that lie anymore. Now they’re fully admitting that the Inflation Reduction Act was just climate change legislation masquerading as economic support.
“The rest of her letter is more useless bombast… making it crystal clear that the people who prepare these reports are just fanatical bureaucrats steeped in their own self-righteousness, as opposed to responsible managers trying to solve problems.“
“…as opposed to responsible managers trying to solve problems.”
I assure you that Yellen is trying to solve THE problem of America’s existence…as are all of “Biden”’s helots.
…as befits Schwab’s (and his merrye band’s) WTF playbook…
@ JJ > “We read “1984” as a warning. The lefties read it as a how-to manual.”
This has become such a frequent observation that I have labeled it as “The Orwell Maneuver.”
I tried to think of some other speculative “future histories” that have the same trajectory, and came up with a few, although most of them didn’t have the obviousness, and pithiness, of “1984” — and “Animal Farm” to a lesser extent.
Huxley’s “Brave New World” and Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” were obvious. Wells had a couple, perhaps. “Blade Runner” (and its source novel).
“Harrison Bergeron” for one of the characteristics of our cancel culture.
Most of the dystopic projections are too wide-ranging (or too narrowly focused) to be as trenchant as Orwell’s masterpiece.
Of course, he had the advantage of being a Leftist of that era.
Insider trading, as it were.
Suggestions?
@ Tom Grey > “ United States v. Douglass Mackey began this week and is a major part of the Left’s war on free speech in America.”
Tucker Carlson’s opening was about this case, and he covered several of the same bases as Neo’s posts today, although not quoting the exact same sources.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ManPOFooYXo
“This is the most shocking attack on free speech in our lifetimes”
On Tom Grey and the Left’s War on Free Speech and Aesop’s post — unquestionably, they are warring.
But con lawyer Robert Barnes insists the Left’s game to weaponize The Law against free thought and anyone who dares presume to be its speakers first climaxed last year..
The decisive case in law as lawlessness,b illustrating the “process is the punishment” lawfare which the fascist Left now loves, was last year’s two cases against Alex Jones, one in Texas (Autin), the other in Connecticut.
In both cases, Jones’ freedom to opine about speculations concerning the school shootings at Sandy Hook on electronic media was at stake. Ordinarily, and only ten years ago, these would’ve been summarily tossed out of court.
Today, however, yo pu cannot even take possible speculation in a hypothetical matter seriously without getting shut down and sued into penury like Jones.
Digital fascist tyranny, indeed.
Now, from the above cases, can anyone see the common thread! All supported Trump.
Thus, the film noir style PDJT portrait some (many) have seen: “In reality, they are not after me, they are after you; I’m just in their way.”
https://media.makeameme.org/created/in-reality-theyre-3970bb0f71.jpg
Ironically, the Fascist Left CREATES the populist “fascist” enemy (in this case, the charismatic leader bonding with the mass public) by projection and by persecution they piously claim to reject — and beneath it all,
is their actual spying and prosecution! — collectively addling their brains, obsessing their fevered states, ultimately giving them a fig-leaf of moral virtue.
they lost a mind-blowing $4.1 trillion in Fiscal Year 2022, which was $1 trillion worse than the year before.
Those who’ve settled into the ruling chairs feel it necessary to buy sufficient votes for re-election at all costs.
“own providential destiny and that of people like them to rule, regardless of their failures.”
They believe they are gods and they have the right to run the lives of other people.
This is as good a definition of evil as any.
They have knowingly rejected the wisdom of the founding fathers. They have re-defined morality according to Lenin’s formulation. They are the revolution. And “moral” is that which furthers their power.
Lies, slanders, abusing power, cancel culture, riots, political violence, political prisoners — these are all morally and ethically proper and desirable.
Comey, while teaching government ethics, celebrates the indictment of Trump. They aren’t even pretending anymore to observe the basics of legal or moral government.
Repeat — they aren’t even pretending to be honest or fair. They don’t care about appearances. They are going to impose their tyranny with force and legal abuses. Without any possibility of losing at the ballot box, they don’t have to pretend anymore.
From a commenter (gearbox123) at Instapundit:
“Still only about 2/3 of the way through the article, but seriously, it explains EVERYTHING that has happened in the last 10 years or so. The “elites” have simply decided that THEY will make the decisions from now on, and the proles will go along with them, by force if necessary.
This is why they don’t care about illegal immigration, street crime, the food chain, or anything else. We are no longer “America.” They are “America.” We are disposable units to them, meaningless things to be replaced as necessary.”
This is a description of modern feudalism. The nobles will run things and the serfs will like it….or else.
Pertaining to this is Tucker Carlson’s interview on Fox Nation with a tech expert who has quantified the way Google is affecting public opinions and elections.
https://nation.foxnews.com/watch/057ddd595d82c26aa805d45f839e7cec/
Google and other big tech companies now have their fingers on the pulses of their users. They monetize this data but have also developed algo rhythms to control public opinion. Big brother is here. The only escape is to quit using Google, Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, etc. and find less monopolistic companies like DuckDuckGo, Rumble, Truth Social, etc.
The expert that Tucker interviewed about Google claimed that Google can move opinions on elections far more than we would believe.
I have instinctively avoided Google because they have been so intrusive and pushy. Also, I’ve never used any form of social media – e-mail is my social media. 🙂
I’m wondering how long it will be before they start going after blogs and substack?
Well stated, stan — alarming JJ…plus ca change%.
After consideration, albeit without my “saved files” reviewed, my FOUR PART OUTLINE, part TWP is now filled in with fairly recentpolitical documentaries (on my old list, but neglected as too painful to watch before now), of late 2020 and late last year:
SECOND, how Russiagate became Spy-gate and Obamagate — How the Deep State built our digital fascism. “The Plot Against The President” The deep state ad ICs coup against our elected President Trump, Oct20 (based on Lee Smith’s book):
https://ugetube.com/watch/the-plot-against-the-president-full-documentary-2020-1080p_qubbsUwDnmaBSk6.html
The chilling Trailer https://rumble.com/vansaf-the-plot-against-the-president-documentary.html
INTRODUCTION by neo — Our Age of (Politically Rendered) Disinformation:
https://www.thenewneo.com/2023/04/01/the-clever-and-highly-coordinated-war-on-disinformation/#comments
ORIGINAL 45 page article at the Tabletmag.com:
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/guide-understanding-hoax-century-thirteen-ways-looking-disinformation
“The Shadow State” (November 2022) and the rapid rise Eco-globalist tyranny:
https://www.theshadowstate.com
“From our food, fuel, money, even freedom of speech … who is really in control? Kevin Stocklin presents his investigation in this eye-opening documentary about ESG (Environmental Social and Governance), a new global alliance affecting everyone’s way of life. As a business reporter who has written extensively on ESG issues, he uncomplicates the complicated in this Epoch Original. “The Shadow State” reveals the surprising truth behind the driving force of this global alliance, the multi-trillion dollar ESG industry which unites governments and corporations.”
__________
Finally Part FOUR is now amended with a short note about the mechanism for corrupt political-corporate and Democrat machine driven urban politics:
ALL OF THIS descends from the Constitutional evisceration of “Regular Order,” meaning the House originating all federal spending bills, and doing so on an annual basis. The mutilation has gone on so long that it is practically institutionalised.
This “Process” got tossed out of Congress with The Great Recession in 2009. Ever since then, Fed spending occurs in Trillion Dollar and then multi-trillion dollar Omnibus spending Bills. Which has resulted in many of the largest company’s moving to DC, in order to get their Big Bite into the spending pie that results from irregular and habitual Federal spending.
I’m testing this revised four-parter on my old university roommate, his wife and he currently Professors of statistics.
We are old, even pre-uni friends. But we’ve not caught up since the last three pandemic years began.
Perhaps I’ll have a reaction to report in the week or two ahead. We used to be politically conversant, and remained so, until his wife went Global Warming nuts, thereby killing open discourse. Now the gapping, bleeding wounds in the body politic are too large not to Go There.
}}} preserving free speech online was “Musk’s dream. And Trump’s. And Putin’s. And the dream of every dictator, strongman, demagogue, and modern-day robber baron on Earth.
This comment is insane. How does any rational person hear that, and nod, “Yeah, that’s correct!”??
SMH.
OBH:
It was Robert Reich after all; what a crazy little man.
AesopFan: “Suggestions?”
Here are a few:
1. Vladimir Nabokov, “Bend Sinister” (1947). A police state in which the official ideology is “Ekwilism” (Equity). Anticipated Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” by almost 15 years.
2. Anthony Burgess, “The Wanting Seed” (1962). From the Wikipedia summary: “There is also active discrimination against heterosexuals, homosexuality being encouraged as a measure against overpopulation. Self-sterilization is also encouraged.” Add “climate change” to “overpopulation” with a nod to Canada’s medical-assistance-in-dying (MAID) law and this sounds pretty familiar.
3. Ira Levin, “This Perfect Day” (1970).
4. And David Foster’s favorite, “Year of Consent” (1954) by Kendell Foster Crossen.
What we are living through contains elements of all of these.
@ Hubert > “What we are living through contains elements of all of these.”
Thanks for the book recommendations.
The only one I’ve read is Levin’s and, that being many years ago, had forgotten it.
It may be that Orwell’s “1984” is referenced the most because it is the ur-prophecy: it contains so many elements of tyranny that are precursors of, or correlating with, the elements in all of the others.
(Although not the oldest, it is the best archetype.)
AesopFan:
Please see this post.
@ Neo July 2021 in re Brave New World >”The book is exaggerated (so far, that is) in the amount of control and social engineering exerted.”
I think the Democrats are about to catch up with Huxley’s vision.