Gutbrain Records

Friday, 11 November 2005

The Daily Howler, a media-analysis web site, is one of my favorites. Yesterday, they remarked that "pseudo-cons" offer the "dumbest possible pitches" while their supposed opponents "pretend not to notice". The Howler gave its favorite example: "When we lower the tax rates, we bring in more revenue".

Yes, I do vaguely recall early instruction which touched on this. It was something along the lines of: I have four apples. I take one away. Now how many apples do I have?

During Bush's first term I heard the word Orwellian a lot. This is understandable since the current administration's philosophies and policies are so sympathetic to those of the rulers in Nineteen Eighty-Four. I haven't heard it much lately, though.

This observation about taxes suggests an addition to Nineteen Eighty-Four's well known precepts of doublethink.

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
SUBTRACTION IS ADDITION

It's worth remembering that math is well within the jurisdiction of the dictators in Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the horrific climax of that novel Winston Smith is forced to recognize that 2 and 2 make 5.