Dystopian Website

Conflict

By: Luke Conlon

 

     Propaganda is one form of control governments use to control the people under its jurisdiction. Almost three years ago the Chinese Government used propaganda in order to make the communist government appear more well liked by the general population. The Chinese Government had its propaganda chief change a new year’s day editorial. “The original editorial called for the protection of individual rights. The one that appeared instead praised the communist party.”(Greenslade) The conflict in China, “an ongoing nationwide clampdown on freedom of expression”,  is one that is apparent in George Orwell’s 1984; propaganda as a form of control is a conflict that plagues the citizens of Oceania and China (Fan). In 1984 the Party had a ministry of truth that would rewrite and destroy historical documents in order to support the propaganda they fed to the citizens. The Chinese Government and the Party were able to do this, because “ if all others accepted the lie which the party imposed -- if all records told the same tale -- then the lie passed into history and became truth.” Governments do this, because it gives no evidence that their actions are wrong. They erase all proof that there was anything other than the way it is now and the citizens must accept life as it is. In 1984 there was no way for the proles to argue that life could be better if it were different, for how could [one] establish even the most obvious fact when there existed no record outside your own memory?” Despite China’s knowledge that life could be better and different from its current position they cannot argue, because the government fights to change reports or articles that support this opinion. The government creates this biased information and it seems “necessary to alter, or as the official phrase had it, to rectify” the truth; the truth has no evidence to use as support and as a result appears as a lie. The conflict in 1984 is similar to that in China in this manner also. The people in the book do not know they are being lied to and therefore perceive the truth as lies. In turn the government views it as their job and the good of the people to change the history. Chinese officials also have the same view, because if they did not change the article conflict would ensue.