The administration at a small liberal arts college in New England has taken a page out of the famous dystopian novel 1984 by George Orwell. After the administration published a statement declaring themselves to be true ‘Orwellians,’ the small college implemented an ideology they are calling “New English Socialism” (NESOC) referencing the fictional nation of Oceania’s state ideology.
The students, staff, and faculty have all begun worshipping a new pseudo-religious figure known only as ‘Big Sister.’ It is unclear whether this ‘Big Sister’ (or B-S as she is referred to in Newspeak) is a real figure pulling the strings behind the scenes, or a fiction created by the administration to symbolize the ideology. The previous mascot has been replaced by this towering figure displayed on a large screen. Onlookers are expected to praise their admiration and loyalty to B-S whenever she appears.
This institution has also created a secret police force known as the “Lot Police.” They are tasked with ensuring no one parks in lots they are not designated to park their car in. They have the authority to investigate all personal information for any evidence that an individual has even considered parking in the wrong lot. Anyone who is shown to have even thought about parking in the wrong lot can be imprisoned for “Lot Crime” and forced to undergo reeducation the specifics of which are hazy but human rights groups have alleged the use of torture, solitary confinement, and drugs to brainwash prisoners.
Students, staff, and faculty have begun and are expected to speak NESOC Newspeak. A dictionary was published outlining words and grammar in line with NESOC’s Newspeak. Newspeak removes many words that could lead one to question the authority of the administration. Words like authoritarianism, dictatorship, and debt have all been replaced with shortened, simplified, approved words with new prefixes and suffixes as modifiers such as ‘pluspower’ (plus meaning very), ‘doubleplusprez’ (doubleplus meaning very, very, and prez being short for president), and ‘unmoneyed’ respectively. All essays and articles made at the college are expected to follow the Newspeak dictionary, and anyone caught using more expressive language might find themselves meeting the Lot Police.
NESOC does not have its eyes set on just this small New England college. Some officials from the organization have begun posturing against other nearby schools, threatening assimilation and violence. Despite the obvious violent expansionism, no other schools or public officials have taken note likely because of the lack of acumen and size of the college. However, the threat NESOC poses is very real, especially with the large donations coming in from wealthy individuals to the school. Some anonymous sources informed our publication that some of the donors were, in fact, central to the formation of NESOC and its implementation at the college. However, this has not been independently verified.
One of the most baffling features of NESOC is the use of clearly contradictory slogans. This reflects the concept of ‘doublethink,’ which refers to a process of accepting two conflicting beliefs as true. A few of the slogans are ripped straight from the book: “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY,” “WAR IS PEACE,” and “IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” (the last one being incredibly strange for an academic institution to promote). In addition to these, the Department of Propaganda (‘deprop’ in Newspeak) at the school formally the Admissions Department has come up with some new inventive slogans just for the school: “CENSORSHIP IS FREE SPEECH,” “HUNGER IS FOOD,” and “DEBT IS WEALTH.” These slogans are seemingly inane, but an insider at the school told us that they believe that these slogans have something to do with policies at the school about campaigning, meal plans, and the school’s financial situation.
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The last strange policy ripped straight from the book is what is called the “Two Minutes Hate.” The Two Minutes Hate is a daily activity where the whole community gathers around one of the screens dedicated to B-S, to watch a video of one of the previous presidents of the school. Attendants are expected to scream their frustrations at this previous president for two minutes before B-S reappears and all must pledge their love for her. In the book, the Two Minutes Hate is directed at Emmanuel Goldstein, who is kind of a Leon Trotsky analog, in that Goldstein is presented as an evil figure who betrayed the Party, despite being one of its progenitors and initial thought-leaders before the aims of the Party were corrupted. However, in the case of this college it is unclear what or why the previous president was singled out, although some theorize it might have to do with animosity between some of the donors and this former president.
The conditions that brought about this little NESOC revolution are unclear. Some refer to the donors as the chief puppetmasters in the formation of NESOC, some argue instead it developed within the administration of the school, and some argue that its ideological origins lie within the student body and faculty. However, there is evidence to believe it is in some ways all of these. Articles from the school’s newspaper chronicle a growing radical faction within the student body applying pressure on the administration, who was undergoing some serious policy changes and restructuring. There is some evidence to indicate that the administration caved to some of the radical propositions with approval from the donors, who had some sort of plan to harness the radical energy and transform it into a moneymaking scheme. Now what is this scheme? Chiefly, it is labor extraction and exploitation. The ideological fervor has made many students, faculty, and even administrators into willing drones ready to work for poverty wages in service of NESOC. This is fortunate timing for the school, as records show it is currently in a period of financial crisis which this new glut of labor is helping to amend.
Now this may seem very cartoonish. 1984 has been the subject of many satires and memes, as has its author George Orwell. Orwell is definitely a controversial figure among literary and political thinkers, but his works have had a very tangible effect on the real world. His works are so influential that they have transformed this small little pocket of higher education in New England into what many would call a dictatorship. The expansionist rhetoric of NESOC threatens all of New England. All one can hope is that the leadership of B-S is gentler than that of Big Brother.
Journalism 2.0 