[Reader-list] A Modest Appeal to Election Propagandists

[Zubin Pastakia]

Shuddha,

I have been re-reading Orwell lately, and the following paragraph (I
have taken the liberty to partition it) continues to prove invaluable
in understanding the minds of those that duckspeak:

"A Party member is expected to have no private emotions and no
respites from enthusiasm. He is supposed to live in a continuous
frenzy of hatred of foreign enemies and internal traitors, triumph
over victories, and self-abasement before the power and wisdom of the
Party. The discontents produced by his bare, unsatisfying life are
deliberately turned outwards and dissipated by such devices as the Two
Minutes Hate, and the speculations which might possibly induce a
sceptical or rebellious attitude are killed in advance by his early
acquired inner discipline.

"The first and simplest stage in the discipline, which can be taught
even to young children, is called, in Newspeak, crimestop. Crimestop
means the faculty of stopping short, as though by instinct, at the
threshold of any dangerous thought. It includes the power of not
grasping analogies, of failing to perceive logical errors, of
misunderstanding the simplest arguments if they are inimical to
Ingsoc, and of being bored or repelled by any train of thought which
is capable of leading in a heretical direction. Crimestop, in short,
means protective stupidity.

But stupidity is not enough. On the contrary, orthodoxy in the full
sense demands a control over one's own mental processes as complete as
that of a contortionist over his body. Oceanic society rests
ultimately on the belief that Big Brother is omnipotent and that the
Party is infallible. But since in reality Big Brother is not
omnipotent and the party is not infallible, there is need for an
unwearying, moment-to-moment flexibility in the treatment of facts.

The keyword here is blackwhite. Like so many Newspeak words, this word
has two mutually contradictory meanings. Applied to an opponent, it
means the habit of impudently claiming that black is white, in
contradiction of the plain facts. Applied to a Party member, it means
a loyal willingness to say that black is white when Party discipline
demands this. But it means also the ability to believe that black is
white, and more, to know that black is white, and to forget that one
has ever believed the contrary. This demands a continuous alteration
of the past, made possible by the system of thought which really
embraces all the rest, and which is known in Newspeak as doublethink."

Best,

Zubin

On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 12:39 AM, Shuddhabrata Sengupta
<shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:
>
> Dear All,
>
> I never thought the day would come when the reader list, after all
> the nonsense it has had to swallow over the last few years, would
> also have to bear with the indignity of being subject to missives
> sent on behalf of the person, Atal Behari Vajpayee, who having
> hobbled along past his sell by date, continues to peddle the tripe
> that goes by the name of his pathetic party.
>
> This was meant to be a list for serious discussion, and has instead
> become a forum for the less than mediocre propaganda, mainly of the
> seemingly inexhaustible far right. Not just jibes (of course,
> unsubstantiated) against activists, but now, much worse, the pompous
> serenade of someone who was not just the worst prime minister (A B
> Vajpayee( but also probably the worst poet that this country has had
> the misfortune to have been subject to.
>
> I hope that you will all (irrespective of political affiliation and
> loyalties) join me in requesting everyone concerned not to burden us
> with this kind of puerile election propaganda in the future. It is
> bad enough that I have to take calls from the BJP and the Congress
> and the Third, Fourth, Left, Right and  my phone an in my mailbox, it
> is worse to see this space that we have tried to nurture for
> autonomous discussion being slowly crept on by electioneering. In
> this election, where no party and no candidate has any vision worth
> discussing, the last thing we need is to have the space between our
> ears being filled with election spam on the reader list.
>
> Please try and keep election garbage out of here.
>
> thanks
>
> Shuddha
>
>
> On 15-Apr-09, at 11:20 PM, Pawan Durani wrote:
>
> > My Dear Fellow Citizens,
> >
> > The decisive hour for electing the 15th Lok Sabha is upon us.
> > Today, our
> > nation is confronted by serious challenges of every kind. To
> > successfully
> > meet these challenges the nation needs a strong government and a
> > determined
> > leader. A government that by means of good governance, can ensure
> > security
> > for and rapid development of our country – a promise that has been
> > made and
> > will be delivered by Shri LK Advani.
> >
> > I am unable to meet all of you due to poor health. However, I am
> > grateful to
> > you for the belongingness and affection that you have showered upon
> > me. What
> > perturbs me much more than my own health is the health of my India.
> > The cure
> > for that lies in your firm resolve.
> >
> > Shri Lal Krishna Advani and I have been working together since
> > 1952. His
> > unblemished character and resolute personality have shown like a
> > light torch
> > in Indian politics. He is skilful in the art of taking up
> > challenges and
> > overcoming them. He is a compassionate human being and an
> > exceptional leader
> > whose best is yet to come. I firmly believe becoming the Prime
> > Minister of
> > India will bring out the best in him.
> >
> > I appeal to all of you, especially to the youth of our country, to
> > extend
> > your wholehearted support, assistance and mandate to the BJP and
> > its allied
> > parties. Only Advaniji is capable of fulfilling the dream that both
> > of us
> > have seen together. Adavaniji can provide a new direction to the
> > governance
> > of this country so that we create an India that is devoid of poverty,
> > hunger, despair and injustice.
> >
> > I invite you to join me in taking a firm resolve to create a strong
> > government under the determined leadership of Shree Advani for a
> > strong and
> > prosperous India. This will only happen when you make the
> > candidates of BJP
> > and its allies from your region victorious.
> >
> > Thank you,
> >
> > Atal Behari Vajpayee
> >
> >
> >
> > http://www.lkadvani.in/eng/content/view/865/427/
> > _________________________________________
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>
> Shuddhabrata Sengupta
> The Sarai Programme at CSDS
> Raqs Media Collective
> shuddha at sarai.net
> www.sarai.net
> www.raqsmediacollective.net
>
>
> _________________________________________
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