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usonian

(25,115 posts)

6. Shades of 1984. Endless war. Rewrite history. Delete what doesn't "fit"

Fri Mar 20, 2026, 10:57 PM

Friday

https://genius.com/Emmanuel-goldstein-the-theory-and-practice-of-oligarchical-collectivism-annotated

The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism by Emmanuel Goldstein
Emmanuel Goldstein

The alteration of the past is necessary for two reasons, one of which is subsidiary and, so to speak, precautionary. The subsidiary reason is that the Party member, like the proletarian, tolerates present-day conditions partly because he has no standards of comparison. He must be cut off from the past, just as he must be cut off from foreign countries, because it is necessary for him to believe that he is better off than his ancestors and that the average level of material comfort is constantly rising. But by far the more important reason for the readjustment of the past is the need to safeguard the infallibility of the Party. It is not merely that speeches, statistics, and records of every kind must be constantly brought up to date in order to show that the predictions of the Party were in all cases right.

To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies -- all this is indispensably necessary.

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What's the point of fighting in Iran if the US has betrayed its values? [View all] Renew Deal Friday OP

The point is for Trump to get a personal payday from Iran. Irish_Dem Friday #1

America gave up any pretense at not being enormously inconsistent/hypocritical a long time ago. RockRaven Friday #2

He'll stop this as soon as he's made a big enough personal payday Deuxcents Friday #3

The purpose is to bury Trump's EPSTEIN values from the headlines. usonian Friday #4

That's a good point Renew Deal Friday #5

Shades of 1984. Endless war. Rewrite history. Delete what doesn't "fit" usonian Friday #6

Yes. Still the same point. Norrrm Saturday #8

. dalton99a Saturday #7