An Orwellian Read

Is there a more over-used pseudo-intellectual descriptor in American media and politics than "Orwellian?" It's become such a flabby term despite its origins in a mind that despised lard-butted prose. (And the passive voice as well, but there you go). Every large-scale political organization of any type is Orwellian to today's commentators, and any big media company fits the bill as well. Indeed, almost any intervention by the many (or at least, by a bunch) over the less-many can be slapped with the name of a man who died in 1950. Once "Orwellian" has been cast, the usual references to "big brother" and the "thought police" are nigh.

Can the term be made relevant sixty years after the defeat of fascism in Europe and nearly a generation after the fall of the Soviets? The answer is a resounding yes, thanks to a new volume edited by my friend and colleague Andras Szanto.

What Orwell Didn't Know: Propaganda and the New Face of American Politics is a series of essays by contributors like George Soros, Francine Prose, Drew Westen, George Lakoff, Victor Navasky, Nick Lemann, Orville Schell, Samantha Power, Mark Danner, Farnaz Fassihi, Francis Fitzgerald, Michael Massing, Aryeh Neier, David Rieff, Geoff Cowan, and Patricia Williams. The book is timed to celebate the 60th anniversary of Orwell's classic essay on propaganda, Politics and the English Language.

It's become my "train book," a volume I turn to a bit at a time; I'm about three-quarters through and I think it's the right time to recommend it unreservedly.

Conservatives may be offended because many of the essays center on the use of politial language by the Bush Administration to bring this country to war; and the authors are indisputably left-leaning in their politics. Despite those two constructs, Andras and his parter   Orville Schell have still managed to build a vast canvas of contemporary media analysis - one that contains plenty of vicious brushstrokes for liberals as well, especially for our mass surrender to the language of the right over the past decade or so.

Indeed, the surrender of intellectual free will may have been the greatest of the secular sins described by Orwell - the lazy group-think we're prone to falling into, the very opening for those who use messages to control people. What Orwell Didn't Know: Propaganda and the New Face of American Politics takes on the Bush Administration for its wide use of disinformation, but it also points a finger at an uninvolved, disconnected, pleasure-obsessed public.

For anyone interested in media and politics, in the current rhetorical state of the republic, in causes and marketing and policy, it's a must read.

Comments

[tina oiticica harris]

I guess your recommendation will make it my English language book present. I've chosen one in Portuguese about a bigger than life journalist of futebol, João Saldanha.

[Ralph]

Sounds like an interesting read. But I have a problem with "the new face of American politics". Ain't nothing new about it. Believe me, if Orwell was alive, nothing would surprise him about our media. As you know, Noam Chomsky has been writing and speaking about government biased, corporate media propaganda for 30+ years. And, as a result, he's been basically ignored by the very media's called out for their complicity in brain-washing Americans. Nice to see some folks finally catching up to the most important intellectual alive.

[blue girl]

TW, George Lakoff, Frank Luntz and Drew SomethingOrOther were on a panel at the NYC Library discussing this subject. It's been repeating on C-Span all this week. It was really interesting. Definitely worth watching if you run across it.

At the risk of being thought of as a hater, Frank Luntz was completely disappointing, as always. The guy talks about the obvious so much, you want to fall asleep. Plus, he whined about all the "hate" on the left -- like there's no "hate" on the right at all. But, the other two were really great to listen to. George Lakoff is one cool dude!