“Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits, but according to who does them, and there is almost no kind of outrage-torture, the use of hostages, forced labour, mass deportations, imprisonment without trial, forgery, assassination, the bombing of civilians-which does not change its moral character when it is committed byContinue reading “RKS Literature: Indifference to Reality as One Principal Characteristic of Nationalist Thought (George Orwell)”
Tag Archives: George Orwell
RKS Literature: Obsession as One Principal Characteristic of Nationalist Thought (George Orwell)
“As nearly as possible, no nationalist ever thinks, talks, or writes about anything except the superiority of his own power unit. It is difficult if not impossible for any nationalist to conceal his allegiance. The smallest slur upon his own unit, or any implied praise of a rival organization, fills him with uneasiness which heContinue reading “RKS Literature: Obsession as One Principal Characteristic of Nationalist Thought (George Orwell)”
RKS Literature: The Distinction Between Nationalism and Patriotism (George Orwell)
“By “patriotism” I mean a devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best place in the world but has no wish to force upon other people. Patriotism by its very nature is defensive, both militarily and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable fromContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Distinction Between Nationalism and Patriotism (George Orwell)”
RKS Literature: International Sports Mimics Warfare (George Orwell)
“At the international level sport is frankly mimic warfare but the significant thing is not the behaviour of the players but the attitude of the spectators and behind the spectators, of the nations who work themselves into furies over these absurd contests, and seriously believe-at any rate for short periods- that running, jumping and kickingContinue reading “RKS Literature: International Sports Mimics Warfare (George Orwell)”
RKS Literature: International Sports and an Orgy of Hatred (George Orwell)
“I am always amazed when I hear people saying that sport creates goodwill between nations, and that if only the common peoples of the world could meet one another at football or cricket, they would have no inclination to meet on the battlefield. Even if one didn’t know from concrete examples (the 1936 Olympic Games,Continue reading “RKS Literature: International Sports and an Orgy of Hatred (George Orwell)”
RKS Literature: Leisure, Security and the Stupefaction of Poverty (George Orwell)
“For if leisure and security were enjoyed by all alike, the great mass of human beings who are normally stupefied by poverty would become literate and would learn to think for themselves, and when once they had done this, they would sooner or later realize that the privileged minority had no function, and they wouldContinue reading “RKS Literature: Leisure, Security and the Stupefaction of Poverty (George Orwell)”
RKS Literature: The Party’s View of Its Ideal Society and Reality (George Orwell)
“The ideal set up by the Party was something huge, terrible and glittering-a world of steel and concrete, monstrous machines and terrifying weapons-a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting-three hundred million people all with the sameContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Party’s View of Its Ideal Society and Reality (George Orwell)”
RKS Literature: The Lottery and the Proles (George Orwell)
“The Lottery with its weekly payout of enormous prizes, was the one public event to which the proles paid serious attention. It was probable that were some million of proles for whom the Lottery was the principal if not the only reason for remaining alive. It was their delight, their folly, their anodyne, their intellectualContinue reading “RKS Literature: The Lottery and the Proles (George Orwell)”
RKS Literature: Pornography for the Proles (George Orwell)
“There was a whole chain of separate departments dealing with proletarian literature, music, drama and entertainment generally. Here were produced rubbishy newspapers containing almost nothing but sport, crime, astrology, sensational five cent novelettes, films oozing with sex, and sentimental songs which were composed entirely by mechanical means on a special kind of kaleidoscope known asContinue reading “RKS Literature: Pornography for the Proles (George Orwell)”
RKS Literature: Evil Children Burning a Woman Wrapping Up Sausages in a Poster of Big Brother
‘Did I ever tell you old boy,’ he said, chuckling round the stem of his pipe,’ about the time those two nippers of mine set fire to the old market woman’s skirt because they saw her wrapping up sausages in a poster of B.B.? Sneaked up behind her and set fire to it with aContinue reading “RKS Literature: Evil Children Burning a Woman Wrapping Up Sausages in a Poster of Big Brother”
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