1984, c. 2004

NRO ^ | August 11, 2004 | Deroy Murdock

[neverdem]

	E-mail Author Author Archive Send to a Friend <% printurl = Request.ServerVariables("URL")%> Print Version

August 11, 2004, 8:59 a.m.

1984, c. 2004
Doublespeak is alive and well.

George Orwell's novel 1984 depicted Earth as a totalitarian planet. Twenty years after that date, most of the world — and America specifically — has avoided his dystopian vision. Even if Big Brother is watching, no one is required to love him. And, at a minimum, he quadrennially faces the voters.

Still, a new study finds Orwell's ghost haunting America's public dialogue. More accurately, the hollow and oxymoronic rhetoric the late British writer described thrives in the United States.

Mark Schmidt, an adjunct scholar with the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, has penned "The Orwellian Language of Big Government," a concise meditation on how politicians contort words to "turn citizens into subjects." As Orwell himself warned, "The great enemy of clear language is insincerity."

"At the national level in particular, elected positions are dominated by career-minded officials who repeat empty and often deliberately misleading or untruthful slogans," Schmidt writes. "Consider the two most recent Presidential campaigns. After 'reinventing government,' we 'crossed a bridge into the twenty-first century' to a place where 'no child is left behind,' thanks to the wonders of 'compassionate conservatism.'"

Do those phrases mean anything? Absent Clinton-Gore, would America still be trapped in the 20th century? Were conservatives cruel and coal-hearted before Bush-Cheney? John Kerry's most memorable utterance this year — "Bring it on!" — doesn't tell us much, either.

"If this trend continues," Schmidt fears, "our language will ultimately be useless to express the ideas that form the basis of rational political discourse in a healthy republic."

Schmidt analyzes numerous sound bites that are so routine most Americans accept them without detecting their internal circularity or outright vacuity.

"The era of big government is over." — Bill Clinton's declaration in his 1996 State of the Union address tantalized free-marketeers. If only he meant it. Three years later, he proposed $305 billion in fresh spending, with another $125 billion on the table in 2000. Schmidt writes, "It was truly Orwellian for a President who involved the federal leviathan with the issue of uniforms in local public elementary schools to claim that the era of big government was over."

Government spending as "investment" — President Bush's FY 2004 budget boasts "major new investments in...education, Medicare, health care, homeland security, energy independence, the environment, compassion, and the unemployed." This is one of the Bush White House's most treasured Clintonian heirlooms. Under Democrats and Republicans, government "investment" suggests that spending tax dollars creates equity-style returns. While some initiatives may be legitimate, disbursing Treasury checks is not the same as purchasing shares of General Electric or Genentech.

"Voluntary compliance" — This term explains the Internal Revenue Service's notion that taxpayers donate their money to the Treasury. According to the IRS publication Why Do I Have to Pay Taxes?: "Voluntary compliance means that each of us is responsible for filing a tax return when required and for determining and paying the correct amount of tax." Those who violate this compulsory voluntarism can wind up in handcuffs.

"Undocumented worker" — While the term "illegal alien" grates on sensitive ears, it often is a more honest term than "undocumented worker." As Schmidt notes, many of those who come to America without permission possess bogus or expired documents. Likewise, some illegal immigrants labor diligently in the informal economy while others are here to treat America's social safety net as a giant hammock. "Undocumented worker" lulls Americans into overlooking these realities.

"Security" — Since September 11, lawmakers promiscuously stamp "security" on their pet projects. Thus one congressman claimed that a $3.5 billion peanut subsidy "strengthens America's national security."

"Working families" — Most offensive of all, this battered cliche‚ paints a populist portrait of blue-collar employees who "work" while the landed gentry play croquet and treat martinis as a food group, pausing only to gauge how much their trust funds have grown. Such nonsense subtly forgives higher taxes on the affluent and forgets that well-paid surgeons, screenwriters, and even trial lawyers actually must work to get paid.

Mark Schmidt urges Americans to listen carefully and critically to the often duplicitous words that roll off of politicians' tongues. As George Orwell taught us: "The slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts."

 

	http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock200408110859.asp

[satchmodog9]

Both sides are guilty of some of Orwel's predictions. I do find the left is much more guilty.

[spodefly]

Double Plus Ungood BTTT

[RipSawyer]

You have opened a subject which fascinates me. I am amazed everyday by the continued decline in the ability to express anything clearly. I have mentioned to several people that anyone who has seen some of the letters which were written by enlisted men during the American Civil War cannot help but be struck with the fact that these men, with what was then considered very little formal education, expressed themselves with a clarity not to be found among professors of language in this day.
To read the writings of Franklin, Jefferson, Paine and many others of the American Revolutionary period is enough to make me weep when I compare it to what I hear and read today.

[just me]

I know what you mean. I collect old books. They are fascinating. Very well written. No double speak.

[susiek]

This problem has gotten worse in the electronic age (it's so easy to condense things to 30 seconds or less soundbites for tv and radio and people don't do as much in-depth reading of the details of issues anymore) but it's not a new problem. Andrew Jackson's wife was so viciously attacked for her character that she grew ill. Tyler's slogal "Tippecanoe and Tyler too" conveyed that he had a military past but said little else of substance. Slogans, simplified soundbites, and character attacks have been around in politics for as long as politics have been around. Phrases like the ones being used today by Bush and Kerry may not contain much substance, but they aren't doing anything new.

[Congressman Billybob]

Agree with your comments. I have a proposal out for a book on Tom Paine, which I expect to be published early next year. His formal education ended in grade school. But he learned his English from three primary sources, the King James Bible, the collected works of Shakespeare, and the collected works of Pope, plus other classics, of course.

Spend forty years reading sources like that, and it automatically shapes and improves one's writing. All those Civil War veterans that you referred to were also schooled with the KJV Bible. That's the major reason their English was so literate.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "Says the Wuss: Ma, He's Touching Me"

If you haven't already joined the anti-CFR effort, please click here.

[Nowhere Man]

B-)

[lelio]

I am amazed everyday by the continued decline in the ability to express anything clearly.

I think part of that is due to not wanting to be on the hook, or that one hasn't lived up to another's expectations.

For example the simple question "Are we utilizing X as we planned?" could result in a answer of "Yes" even if you're only using 5% of X. People get wise to this and then ask questions in excruciating detail "Are we using part #12341an to connect to 8844AHD as of right this second?"

Then the casual reader (or citizen)'s eyes glaze over and so there's no civilian oversight. Then politicians can get back to what they really wanted to do: fund pet projects and get more power.

What's the solution? Change human nature perhaps. Or have everyone live up to a code of ethics that involves not lying. Until then I'll keep a watchful eye out.

[Maria S]

"...enlisted men during the American Civil War...these men, with what was then considered very little formal education, expressed themselves with a clarity not to be found among professors of language in this day."




I think the total time that was allowed on the following was 5 hours, 10 minutes. Could I pass it now? Nope...and I did pretty well in school back in the olden days. Probably a lot of the men you mentioned had a similar "eighth grade education". Ha! Sadly, today's kids are...like...you know...so...like...


This is the eigth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, KS. It was take from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

8th Grade Final Exam

Salina, KS -1895

Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.

2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no Modifications.

3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.

4. What are the Principle Parts of a verb? Give principle Parts of lie, lay and run.

5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.

6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principle marks of Punctuation.

7. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.

2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel,deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?

4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school 7 months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?

5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.

6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.

7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per meter?

8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.

9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance around which is 640 rods?

10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.

2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.

3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.

4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.

5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.

6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.

7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?

8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.

Orthography (Time, one hour)

1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography,etymology, syllabication?

2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?

3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, subvocals,diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?

4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.

5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.

6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.

7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi,dis,mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup

8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood,fare, last.

9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain,feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.

10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.


Geography (Time, one hour)

1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?

2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?

3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?

4. Describe the mountains of North America..

5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla,Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.

6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S..

7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.

8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?

9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.

10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

[anonymous_user]

2004 8th Grade Final Exam:



_______________

Answer: Any mark on the paper, tearing up the paper, leaving the paper blank, and/or leaving the room is acceptable. Proctor: Be sure to praise the child and say, "Thank you!"

[eno_]

I know what you mean. I collect old books. They are fascinating. Very well written. No double speak.

PC wasn't invesnted yesterday, or even in the '70s.

I bought old editions of the Bobsey Twins and other series books for my kids.

Mr. Bobsey used to be quite a lumber barron, and he had servants, and the servants spoke in a thick patois. By the '60s, the manservant was an employee at the Bobsey's lumber yard, and he and the woman cook spoke standard English. The Bobsey home and cars were less grand. Eytc.

[Logophile]

I am amazed everyday by the continued decline in the ability to express anything clearly. I have mentioned to several people that anyone who has seen some of the letters which were written by enlisted men during the American Civil War cannot help but be struck with the fact that these men, with what was then considered very little formal education, expressed themselves with a clarity not to be found among professors of language in this day. To read the writings of Franklin, Jefferson, Paine and many others of the American Revolutionary period is enough to make me weep when I compare it to what I hear and read today.

As Thomas Sowell has observed, "A recently reprinted memoir by Frederick Douglass has footnotes explaining what words like 'arraigned,' 'curried,' and 'exculpate' meant, and who Job was. In other words, this man who was born a slave and never went to school educated himself to the point where his words now have to be explained to today's expensively under-educated generation."

[Huntress]

I think part of that is due to not wanting to be on the hook, or that one hasn't lived up to another's expectations.

I totally agree with you. I get very suspicious when I hear someone use the passive voice. An acquaintance of mine is always saying things like "a mistake was made" and "the subject was discussed" in reference to his own activities. Not surprisingly, he doesn't think anything is EVER his fault.

[chudogg]

Your post is meaningless. I would damn well guarantee that the average adult couldn't pass a modern day 8th grade Final. The students study that material for a year, get study guides, etc.

To go back years later and expect to know the same material in exact detail is impossible. Whether the test is from 1995, 1895, or just 5 is irrelevant, the result is the same.

[Mulder]

I have mentioned to several people that anyone who has seen some of the letters which were written by enlisted men during the American Civil War cannot help but be struck with the fact that these men, with what was then considered very little formal education, expressed themselves with a clarity not to be found among professors of language in this day.

I've come across the same thing in my readings about America during the Revolution.

The language used in the Federalists Papers, for instance, is very sophisticated, and that was a document intented for public comsumption. Ditto with the articles written in newspapers, and letters....etc..

[TomServo]

Orwellian ping!

[upchuck]

"Undocumented worker" — While the term "illegal alien" grates on sensitive ears, it often is a more honest term than "undocumented worker."

Why don't we stop all this PC crap and pussyfooting around? You want complete honesty?

Criminal Alien

There, done!

[Maria S]

"Your post is meaningless."

Thanks!


And after looking at some of the questions again, I think there are some that ARE still relevant, and would have the same answers as they did in 1895.

But what do I know? I'm from the generation that just went to school to learn how to read, spell correctly, do long division, etc. We actually DID still have a "morning devotional" over the PA system and a prayer was said over the same system while we stood in line for lunch. Yes, it was a public school in Texas.


"I would damn well guarantee that the average adult couldn't pass a modern day 8th grade Final."

I could and HAVE taken and made an A on a modern day 8th grade final. I was working as a teacher's assistant until I finally got so fed up with the moronic way things are taught these days! (Not to mention WHAT is taught! Unbelievable.)

[Tymesup]

Some other Orwell predictions:

Constant surveillance of the citizenry - consider cameras at intersections and face recognition software at sporting events

Two-minute hate - Substitute OBL or Saddam or Bush or Clinton for Emmanuel Goldstein

Chanting for Big Brother (B-B) - Consider the national conventions, Wellstone funeral, Democratic Underground or Free Republic, Limbaugh or Franken

Memory holes - Rose law firm billing records, Bush Reserve records, Berger's trousers

1984 also featured a lottery as an opiate for the masses.

[supercat]

The language used in the Federalists Papers, for instance, is very sophisticated, and that was a document intented for public comsumption. Ditto with the articles written in newspapers, and letters....etc..

It should be noted as well that liberals today are trying to convince people that such writings do not mean the things they clearly say. I suspect they succeed in part because liberals themselves never mean what they clearly say, and so it's easy for people to figure the old writings must be 'in code' as well.

[Elsie]

This is the eigth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, KS. It was take from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

 

This is the eigHth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, KS. It was takeN from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

 

(I hope the Salina Journal has better proofreaders than THIS!!)

[Don Joe]

Thanks.

What discouraging times we occupy...