Commentary: Big Brother & The War In Iraq

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in "ESP Magazine," an entertainment weekly published in Greensboro, N.C. on April 2, 2003, just as the war in Iraq was beginning.

"Oceania is at war with Eurasia. Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia."

Eerie, isn't it, how George Orwell's novel seems much more relevant now, 19 years after it's self-proclaimed due date of 1984, than ever. Last year we were at war against Osama bin Laden, with our government's propaganda machine working overtime to convince us that the Al-Qada leader had been public enemy number one practically forever. Now we fight Saddam Hussein, and are reminded that this tyrant has been our chief nemesis, also practically forever. In case we notice this obvious inconsistency, the officials at MiniTrue, the Ministry of Truth, imply that Hussein and bin Laden are actually the same person.

Before, it was different. In the 1980s we were at war with the evil Soviet empire and the Sandinistas of Nicaragua, who had always been our enemies. Before that, in the 1960s and 70s, we were at war with Vietnam and had always been at war with Vietnam. Before that, we were at war and had always been at war with North Korea.

Big Brother tried to sell our most current war to the world by claiming this to be a mission to rid the planet of "weapons of mass destruction," while never mentioning the fact that the nations proposing the war possessed the vast majority of such weapons. Now, as these weapons rain down daily upon Bagdad, the war is being sold as a "war of liberation," an action meant to free the Iraqi people from tyranny so they can freely choose their own government, as long as that government vows to maintain good relations with the United States and Britain.

The majority of the Arab people see this war in an oddly different light. Even though they admit that Hussein is an evil tyrant, they don't trust our motives for getting rid of him. They feel that we're not in Iraq to liberate the people, but that this is actually a war to colonize the Arab world, to secure an oil supply and to further aid Israel, an idea that's dismissed by our administration and largely skipped-over by our media.

The Thought Police have been mobilized into action and are fully enforcing the use of Newspeak. For example, those who would dare to exercise their right to dissent and speak-out against this war are branded as unpatriotic. Those who hide behind the flag and propose that dissenters are traitors who deserve serious jail time would seem to be the true patriots in the brave new world.

The Thought Police and the Ministry of Truth work together to manipulate us. Last week resembled Orwell's Hate Week, a time when we could redirect our anger at the economy and our government toward Saddam, who is obviously the cause of all of our ills. We all know the truth, that if we can just kill the evil tyrant, then all of our other woes will disappear.

"War Is Peace, Freedom Is Slavery, Ignorance Is Strength"

I sit in front of a Telescreen to write these words. Like all citizens of Oceania, I know that if I fall under suspicion, my government can monitor my every keystroke, keep a list of every site I visit on the Internet, and keep an eye on my emails for various keywords that would make me a potential enemy of the state. Even though I have no evidence that my Telescreen can actually do these things, I must be mindful as I type that Big Brother might be watching me.

As I write, the war is in it's fifth day. By the time these words appear in print, this action might well be over. Whether we win or lose, the folks at the Ministry of Truth will undoubtedly move on to another enemy. With Korea on the horizon, we will probably be told that "Oceania is at war with Eastasia" and that "Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia." A hate week will be held, which will allow us to redirect our anger over the economy and our government to Kim Jong Il and the regime in North Korea. Eventually, our campaign to disarm North Korea will turn into a campaign to free the North Koreans from tyranny.

We can't trust our government and we can't trust our media. You, the reader, can't even trust the words that I write here. All any of us can know is that we don't know anything for sure. Will Rogers understood this when he said, "All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that's an alibi for my ignorance." Everybody has an agenda, peacenik and hawk alike. The only thing we can know for sure is that Big Brother is watching us, and trying to mold what we think.

©Copyright 2003 by AlternativeApproaches.com