Oceania, 1984! Or Oceania, 2021?

Before I get started, I want to emphasise that this article is written with the intention of bringing people together—not cause greater division! After all, I am neither the MSM nor a state or federal government.

As we approach the final months of 2021 in a world that’s become divided by a pandemic, it behoves us to heed the prophetic warnings shared by George Orwell in his book, 1984. The book became a famous warning for people to stand against totalitarianism everywhere! Since the book’s inception, ‘Orwellian’ has became a synonym for totalitarianism.

In Orwell’s 1984, the protagonist (Winston) resides in Oceania, which is controlled by ‘The Party’ and is supported by the supreme power, ‘Big Brother’.?The party is in a state of constant war with other states and territories within Oceania. The story is underscored by a terrifying lack of critical thinking and freedom of thought—conditions that are promoted by the MSM as being positive.?

The keystones of an Orwellian society are:

1.??The Ministry of Peace: Controls perpetual wars

2.??The Ministry of Plenty: Creates both food and supply shortages

3.??The Ministry of Truth: Controls media and information, and alters history

4.??The Ministry of Love: Maintains law and order, identifies dissidents (via the thought police), and tortures insurgents to ‘re-educate’ them?

The objective in an Orwellian society is to go beyond scaring citizens of Oceania. The purpose is indoctrination to discourage independent thought; this is partly achieved via a ‘collective or hive’ of people who believe and support the propaganda to the extent that they spy on and blow the whistle on each other for non-compliance (sound familiar?). In Oceania, regardless of whether it is 1984 or 2021:

·?????War is peace

·?????Freedom is slavery

·?????Ignorance is strength

In Orwellian societies, very little of the information that is released by the MSM and our leaders is either factual or transparent, though when the vast majority vehemently agree with the propaganda and disinformation, it’s extremely difficult to oppose, let alone fight against. It creates a world consumed by fear, hate, and divisiveness. We can easily relate to this type of reality in the contemporary world because social media is an ever-present scourge in our lives, and it is a major platform for indoctrination—a place where people will hubristically argue over anything and everything, using logical fallacies to support their poorly formulated, conjectural, and often fact-free arguements!

In 2021, we have people walking along aimlessly in public places, heedlessly staring at their devices at every opportunity, wilfully seeking information to support their often unqualified beliefs, hunting down seemingly every opportunity to be outraged by ideas that are discordant with their own!

After 18+ months of lockdowns, restrictions, media blackouts, half-truths, mistruths, contradictions, hate-speech, and division (all in the name of public health and safety), the term Orwellian has been thrown around casually, with each opposing group accusing each other of pedalling lies, propaganda, and authoritarianism.

Ironically, I believe regardless of which side of the fence you’re sitting, it’s our very own actions that are perpetuating the Orwellian society of Oceania that we are witnessing in 2021. Opposing groups have become more polarised in their positions, largely due to a complete intolerance of opinions other than their own.

For example, the debate between the choice to be vaccinated versus unvaccinated against COVID-19 has become a black and white, ‘either or’ argument, instead of an intelligent, nuanced discussion based on factual information from reliable sources about safety, contraindications, groups who’re at high risk of suffering life-threatening side effects from the vaccination, possible deleterious side-effects in the long-term, and whether the vaccination will be enough to protect against other, potentially more virulent strains of the virus in future. The discussion has been reduced to a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ dialogue, which has predictably escalated into division, conflict, fear, and the proliferation of disinformation and fear mongering. In my opinion, these very important discussions have been shut-down in the interests of both dividing people and to distract them from accessing the truth that people need to make an informed decision that is in their best interests.?

What is the TRUTH?

In Oceania 1984/2021, it comes down to the MSM and their agenda: ‘What will it take for the majority of people to do what our governments want them to do, irrespective of empirical evidence?'. The MSM of Oceania today has clearly and willingly chosen sides. Their reporting, by and large, ignores anything and everything that does not conform to the mainstream narrative—hence the term, ‘fake news’!

We have individuals surrendering their personal freedoms and the freedoms of their children because they are living in fear. In 2021, are we living in the Oceania of 1984? Most of you will argue we are not! However, I believe that we are, and I think we are all contributing to the Orwellian state.

If freedom can be taken from us so easily, then technically it isn’t a freedom—it’s a privilege! However, how can we possibly fight to win back our freedoms if we don’t know they’ve taken from us?

So, what is the solution? We need to come together—not isolate. We must push through our fear and resist the temptation to source only information that confirms what we currently think. We must learn to be open to new information and perspectives—not terrified by them. In turn, we need to rebuild our communities—not isolate and destroy them. Never before has it been more important to think critically and to question what we are being told to do instead of blindly following the herd and attacking anyone who dares to think differently!

In closing, if we as a nation allow this great country of ours to remain on our current trajectory, it will, without question, destroy the Aussie spirit, our freedoms, and everything that we stand for! Is this really a future that you want for yourself, your kids, and future generations? It’s time for us Aussies to stand our ground against this tyranny and start asking the difficult questions.

The alternative is that our future has already been written for us. As Orwell himself said: DON’T LET IT HAPPEN!??