It’s unprecedented dark muddled, stagnated trying times like these -- with the sequester cuts looming -- that George Orwell’s prophetic poetic genius shines through so brilliantly. And sadly so.
Will we yet benefit from the simplistic, but revelatory warnings of Orwell’s Animal Farm?
Orwell’s classic metaphorical cautionary tale on the abuses of power has remained timeless in its relevance since its 1945 release, which interestingly coincided with the atomic bomb drops on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
But, perhaps now more than at any other time in United States’ history, Animal Farm (and his 1984) speak loud and clear.
In a contemporary setting, Animal Farm’s ruling pigs of course are the House Republicans. Like the pigs, House Republicans are good at feigning concern for all Americans – proclaiming “all (humans) are created equal.”
Privately, the hoggish House Republicans believe that some are “more equal than others.” And they gauge that equality by the size of a citizens bank account – on or offshore. No matter.
In the same way that Farm’s pigs gradually became corrupted by ideals of the enemy humans – to the point of standing on two legs and wearing clothes – elected House Republicans have snubbed their duty to the people – and instead pledged their unflinching allegiance to Big Money’s corrupt, powerful select few.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The pigs, cows, goats, ducks, hens and horses were all in this thing together. They had successfully rebelled against the cruel oppressive Mr. Jones, who had worked them like slaves and stole their young. A set of promising of democratic commandments were even drawn up.
But soon the pigs, which had assumed power, started to twist the truth and shape the rules to benefit them alone. To borrow from Bruce Springsteen’s timely Grammy-nominated tune, the pigs stubbornly insist: “We take care of our own.”
Take the passage of Animal Farm, where Squealer – the reigning pigs’ apologist mouthpiece in the present day tradition of say, a Rush Limbaugh – is trying to convince the rest of the animals that the pigs solely deserved the farm’s coveted milk and apples to eat.
“Comrades!” he cried. “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health.
“Milk and apples (this has been proved by science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples.”
Rings a bell, no?
In the same way the increasingly snobbish pigs desperately defended their milk and apples privilege, the House Republicans strived to persuade the masses that tax breaks for the rich were crucial for the welfare of the struggling middle class and poor.
They pretend to give a dam about small businesses as long as it conveniently facilitates their scheme to avoid those tax hikes for themselves and their wealthy fat cat pals.
Through the course of it all, like Animal Farm’s pigs, the only genuine effort the Conservative House leaders actually make is to obstruct any progress that might ease the burden on their underlings, the people, during these desperate times.
