Media & Trump: Flipping the Orwell Narrative

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Date

2017-02-15

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News Decoder

Abstract

The opening pages of George Orwell’s novel “1984” acquaint the reader with the Two Minutes Hate, a daily ritual profoundly effective at unleashing anger, derision and obscenities from the audience. The object of their deep-seated and primal animosity is a figure identified as Emmanuel Goldstein, the Enemy of the People. Day after dreary day in the fictional Oceania, Goldstein is trotted out as a symbol of all that is wrong with those who fail to believe rightly. And every day, enmity is unleashed toward him anew. But, as the novel’s narrator observes, although bounteous vitriol is spewed daily, Goldstein’s “influence never seemed to grow less. Always there were fresh dupes waiting to be deceived by him.” As the narrator reflects: “The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but that it was impossible to avoid joining in.” For the American press, it is de rigueur to offer comparisons between Orwell’s “1984” and the American political environment of 2017.

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Trump, Orwell, 1984

Citation

Metzgar, E.T. (2017). “Media & Trump: Flipping the Orwell Narrative.” News Decoder. Available at: http://bit.ly/2kTfHe7

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Article