I’m re-reading George Orwell’s book, 1984, and it feels like a completely new book today, with the perspective gained by living before and after the age of wokeism, thought policing, and Cultural Marxism. The Communist dystopia into which we’re brought in the book was once just the stuff of fantasy to us in the Western world—especially as an American. That’s not so true anymore. A lot of what I see in 1984 smacks of reality in 2024.
One example touches on a message I put forward a few weeks ago in a clip that—as usual—got almost zero attention on social media. I’ll embed it beneath this paragraph for you to review if you’d like.
My message or warning in that clip was that it’s important to teach children the truth and why it’s the truth. If they aren’t taught why a truth is what it is, they can be dislodged from it, reprogrammed, and made to believe a lie. Maybe Orwell can advance that warning better than I was able to. So, let’s take an intellectual stroll through a moment in Chapter 7 of the book as I share and intersperse my thoughts, analyzing how the chapter mirrors modern reality. As a man of many stories, I’ll set a foundation with yet another one.
The Dirty G-Word - Gender
A few years ago, I was speaking to a class of 8th graders preparing for Confirmation. Something I wanted to impress upon them was the importance of asking their teachers hard questions and being open to discussing difficult or touchy subjects that may not be acceptable subject matter out in the world or in their secular schools; subjects that are off-limits in the modern secular world, but, as they stand in contrast to Church teaching, need to be addressed maturely and thoughtfully in a Catholic setting. I invited them to tell me some things they see or hear out in the world that they know don’t seem right. Responses ticked every box on the Required Secular Talking Points list. They ranged from racism to gun violence to bullying and economic justice.
