“Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”
- from 1984 by George Orwell, a frequently banned book
Among the List of Banned Books in Iowa on PEN America’s website.
If you haven’t visited the PEN America website, you should. The organization describes itself as standing “at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide.” For over 100 years, they have stood behind writers and their rights to express themselves… and our rights to access this bedrock of culture: the written word.
Since 1922, this organization has taken action to protect our culture, defending banned books, publishing tip sheets for students and librarians, bring legal action, and report on the state of censorship in the US. This is an important fight. Controlling literature means controlling culture. And that is exactly the plan, to silence anybody and any thing that doesn’t fit with a very specific worldview.
Cultural suppression relies on doublethink
Just as in 1984, doublethink confers power. Power to deny reality. Power to deny others rights.
Whatever 99+% of climate scientists say, it’s a hoax. And even if it isn’t a hoax, we didn’t do it. And even if we did, we can’t change it. (Oooh, triplethink! Suuuuper power.)
By the way, my guy won the election. Who cares about actual evidence when I just know it?
Religious freedom means you have to do what I say, and that I can discriminate against you.
So, we need your help. And so do many others. How can you help? How about joining us in the fight? Moreover, you could join PEN America, get more educated on the problem, or even go to a school board meeting to show your support.
If you’re looking for a small step to take, you can share this quote on social media (see below). You can comment on this post, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram… just get started. There’s a lot of work to do, and we need your help.
Photo by Markus Spiske: https://www.pexels.com/photo/poster-of-1984-is-now-paste-on-street-post-3671145/
