Orwell

Written by BRIAN LOCKHART

I rarely, if ever, use a quote from another person to pass on words of wisdom or some other profound utterance, especially on my Facebook page.

I rarely, if ever, use a quote from another person to pass on words of wisdom or some other profound utterance, especially on my Facebook page.

Why pass on a quote from the Dalai Lama, Abraham Lincoln, or Winston Churchill? Most likely their words are no more important that something your mother, father or grandfather or grandmother once said to you.

They are people you don't know and those famous quotes were all written by some ghost writer who spent weeks working on a speech that is only approved by the speaker then reiterated in front of an approving crowd. 

However, I came across a gem from George Orwell the other day that is so pertinent to modern society I believe it is worth repeating.

George Orwell, for those who don't know, but I'm sure almost all of you do, was a 20th century writer, essayist and journalist who seemed to have great insight when it came to the workings of society. In fact, his name has become synonymous with a society where, as he somewhat predicted, the state is overly concerned with the activities of its citizens. 

‘Orwellian' is a situation, idea, or societal condition that is identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free and open society.

Among his many well known sayings and quotes, Orwell once wrote, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.”

It seems that idea is becoming true in our society.

In large part, ‘the truth' is whatever you believe it to be. That's why various denominations of the same religion all claim to possess the true knowledge and divine understanding of ancient scriptures while dismissing the ‘truth' of the ‘other church' down the street.

It also explains why the Russian version of the Second World War taught in their schools is a lot different from the way is it taught on this side of the pond.

It is no secret that truth in our society has become wildly distorted over the past few years thanks to politically correct nonsense that is determined by a small handful in society.

The problem is many people are believing what they are told by a small group determined on swaying public opinion – even when the counter arguments are apparent and valid.

Reports from international news agencies have been hugely skewed in favour of opinion rather than fact. 

It's not that hard to find out what's really going on – you just have to look for it.

There are plenty of non-mainstream media that are getting stories and the truth out while state and agenda sponsored media refuse to report it or even admit incidents have taken place.

That includes our own state-sponsored news media which is notorious for leaving out facts when the facts get in the way of the agenda.

See for yourself – just read over daily news reports and observe when information is missing and when it's not. 

According to their version of events, the RCMP only releases descriptions of wanted criminals if they happen to fit the description of a politically correct agenda.  Judging from the comments section of these news stories, there are a lot of people who have come to the same realization that these reports are heavily edited and information removed to suit program. 

As the sports editor at the Citizen – the newspaper of record for Dufferin County – my job is fairly straightforward. A team either wins, loses, or ties a game. There's no in-between.

Editorial content is provided in the way of interviews with coaches and players.

If I decided to fudge results, scores, team standings or any statistics to favour a town's teams, you can bet I would be hearing from players, coaches, parents, and team and league executives in very short notice.

When it comes to international news however, many people are accepting the reports as accurate without considering the source. This is where the truth becomes distorted – and when that happens, you end up with a situation just as Orwell claimed.

This is not new in society – it has happened before with dire consequences. When the majority start to believe a lie, they turn on those who still hang on to the truth.

The difference theses days, is that with the availability of media to be broadcast almost anywhere, the truth can still be found despite what the agenda-driven media and propaganda outlets report. 

You just have to look for it.