{"id":30195,"date":"2019-11-06T13:57:15","date_gmt":"2019-11-06T21:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pocketwisdominsights.com\/pwicolab\/?p=30195"},"modified":"2020-03-30T16:40:05","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T23:40:05","slug":"orwell-legacy-visionary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pocketwisdominsights.com\/pwicolab\/pub\/legacy-co-lab\/legacy-co-lab-blogs\/third-party\/orwell-legacy-visionary\/","title":{"rendered":"Orwell \u2013 Legacy of a Visionary"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Opening Insights: Legacy that Lives On<\/h2>\n

Who controls the past controls the future:<\/em>
who controls the present controls the past.
<\/em>GEORGE ORWELL, 1984<\/em><\/p>\n

It would be too easy to plunge into the details of George Orwell's satirical works that many believe are a foretelling of an America-yet-to-come, but that's not the aim of this writing. Though Orwell's prowess as a predictor of modern calamity is most widely known, it's his legacy as a writer with international reach that is outlined in the article quoted below.<\/p>\n

Many have looked to the messages in Orwell's works to more eloquently portray their own struggles. Those individuals in chaotic nations across the globe found a sympathetic struggle in the characters that came to life on the pages of Orwell's most famous writings, Animal Farm <\/em>and 1984.<\/em><\/p>\n

The article below states, \"The British-born Orwell, who died in 1950, was known for 'Animal Farm' and '1984,' both of which tackled totalitarianism. Orwell\u2019s '1984' has become a best-seller in the U.S. again during the Trump administration.\" <\/p>\n

Informational Insights: Internationally Known<\/h2>\n

The following article was published by the Associated Press, \u201can independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City.\u201d It was written by Russell Contreras, reporter for the Associated Press and \"a member of The Associated Press\u2019 race and ethnicity team.\"<\/p>\n

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) \u2014 War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.<\/p>\n

Those were the slogans of the Party in George Orwell\u2019s 1949 novel \u201c1984\u201d that allowed the superstate of Oceania to keep its population under control. The Thought Police thwarted dissent. The Ministry of Truth promoted lies. The Ministry of Love tortured lovers.<\/p>\n

Those dystopian warnings about the fake becoming the gospel have shaped the minds of generations since they appeared in print more than a half-century ago. And now a new exhibit on Orwell at the University of New Mexico\u2019s Zimmerman Library in Albuquerque, New Mexico seeks to remind people about the author\u2019s premonitions amid a new \u2014 yet very familiar \u2014 era.<\/p>\n

\u201cGeorge Orwell: His Enduring Legacy\u201d which runs to April, features posters and material related to \u201c1984\u2033 and his 1945 allegorical novella, \u201cAnimal Farm.\u201d It also contains rare Orwell books in different languages to highlight his reach and evolution as a writer.<\/p>\n

The British-born Orwell, who died in 1950, was known for \u201cAnimal Farm\u201d and \u201c1984,\u201d both of which tackled totalitarianism. Orwell\u2019s \u201c1984\u201d has become a best-seller in the U.S. again during the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

The exhibit was sparked after a longtime advocate and employee of the University of New Mexico University Libraries donated his collection of rare Orwell books. For years, Russ Davidson, a University of New Mexico professor and curator emeritus, amassed rare Orwell books from around the world.<\/p>\n

Those rare works included first editions of \u201cAnimal Farm\u201d and \u201c1984\u2033 in Icelandic, Ukrainian, Swahili, French, Urdu, German, Hungarian and Spanish. He also obtained first, early and other scarce editions of many of Orwell\u2019s other books, essays, and reportage.<\/p>\n

Such unique books are on display in the exhibit.<\/p>\n

Yet, the most captivating aspect of the small but powerful exhibit is the art and objects connected to themes and Orwell\u2019s life. Artifacts and posters from the Spanish Civil War are shown to illustrate how the conflict played a role in Orwell\u2019s intellectually formation. Orwell fought against a right-wing military coup in Spain but fled after he was shot in the throat and officials sought his arrest.<\/p>\n

The campy book cover art also is seductive, offering commentaries about the eras the editions were produced rather than the work inside. In one edition of \u201c1984,\u201d for example, the cover features characters for the Sen. Joseph McCarthy Era 1950s with the words \u201cforbidden love...fear...betrayal.\u201d It\u2019s almost as if novel was merely a pulp fiction soap opera found at Route 66 gas stations, except it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

Then, there are the portrayals of Napoleon, the authoritarian pig in Animal Farm. Red posters show Napoleon in military gear of communist Eastern Europe. Other images show his celebrating his abundance at the sake of others, since, \u201call animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Journalists, academics and political observers of every succeeding generation since Orwell\u2019s untimely death have argued that Orwell remains relevant in their time. And, yes, the same could be said of today.<\/p>\n

Orwell\u2019s concepts of doublespeak (deliberately euphemistic, ambiguous, or obscure language), newspeak (doublespeak for political propaganda) and thoughtcrimes (thoughts deemed illegal by a mob or a government) continued to be cited in response to current events.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump\u2019s practice of blurting falsehoods \u2014 like saying, \u201cThe Kurds are much safer right now\u201d after Turkey invaded Kurdish strongholds \u2014 have been called Orwellian.<\/p>\n

The same has been noted for some Democrats. California Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed in August that the \u201cvast majority\u201d of San Francisco\u2019s homeless people came from Texas. (A 2019 report found 70 percent had previously lived in the city).<\/p>\n

Even in New Mexico, the most Hispanic state in the U.S. that sits along the U.S.-Mexico border, Orwellian concepts in practice have emerged.<\/p>\n

In 2016, for example, a left-leaning immigrant rights group denounced then-Republican Gov. Susana Martinez and her attempts to revamp a state law that allowed immigrants in the country illegally to obtain driver\u2019s licenses. The group called a potential compromise to create a \u201ctwo-tier\u201d system to issue two types of licenses \u2014 one compliant with the federal REAL ID Act \u2014 nothing but a \u201cscarlet letter.\u201d<\/p>\n

After New Mexico Democrats said it would support the compromise and the bill passed, the group changed course and publicly and proudly claimed Martinez lost.<\/p>\n

But she won.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

If You Go...<\/p>\n

University of New Mexico\u2019s Zimmerman Library Frank Waters Room<\/p>\n

1900 Roma Ave NE, Albuquerque, N.M.<\/p>\n

Ten-minute walk from Historic Route 66 (Central Ave) and Cornell Dr. NE<\/p>\n

Admission is free during normal library hours<\/p>\n

https:\/\/apnews.com\/d00f819347c04c08833fd3b419935b31<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This article originally appeared in AP NEWS: George Orwell New Mexico exhibit bares \u2018doublespeak\u2019 legacy<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Possibilities for Consideration: Prophesy is a Funny Thing<\/h2>\n

Will Orwell's works come to be known as a prophesy for the fall of America as we know it, or will they be credited with the insight Americans needed in order to stay their own calamity? Either way, it is certain that George Orwell's legacy will live on. <\/p>\n

If you haven't read Animal Farm <\/em>or 1984 <\/em>then it is the position of this office that you take the time to remedy that. It just may save your country.<\/em><\/p>\n

Add Your Insight<\/h2>\n

Take a moment and examine\u2026<\/p>\n