In the movie 1984 which was based on George Orwell’s classic book, there is a scene that stands out for me – it is the portrayal of the daily Two Minute Hate. Please – take a look:
Now – in the book and movie, who is this Emmanuel Goldstein and why does he elicit such hate? In Wikipedia – this is what we find:
In the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) by George Orwell, the Two Minutes Hate is the daily period during which members of the Outer and Inner Party of Oceania must watch a film depicting Emmanuel Goldstein, the principal enemy of the state, and his followers, the Brotherhood, and loudly voice their hatred for the enemy and then their love for Big Brother.[1]
Now my question to you is: Do you have an Emmanuel Goldstein and if so, who is it? Too often as I review posts on Facebook, I have come to question if the hate displayed in the movie 1984 is alive and well in 2025.
Unfortunately today, we “create” people to loathe. We completely lose our objectivity and we find ourselves going down the path of disdain which borders on abject hate. This often happens when we look at our political leaders. I am “guilty as charged” because I felt that way about Bill Clinton who, for the record, was a pretty good president. Now – a few examples.
In an AP article published in 2021 entitled, How “Let’s Go Brandon” Became Code for Insulting Joe Biden, the author, Colleen Long, writes the following:
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Republican Rep. Bill Posey of Florida ended an Oct. 21 House floor speech with a fist pump and the phrase “Let’s go, Brandon!” it may have seemed cryptic and weird to many who were listening. But the phrase was already growing in right-wing circles, and now the seemingly upbeat sentiment — actually a stand-in for swearing at Joe Biden — is everywhere.
South Carolina Republican Jeff Duncan wore a “Let’s Go Brandon” face mask at the Capitol last week. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz posed with a “Let’s Go Brandon” sign at the World Series. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s press secretary retweeted a photo of the phrase on a construction sign in Virginia.
The line has become conservative code for something far more vulgar: “F—- Joe Biden.” It’s all the rage among Republicans wanting to prove their conservative credentials, a not-so-secret handshake that signals they’re in sync with the party’s base.
Now – let me ask a simple question; does that seem OK to you? In my opinion, we can disagree with policies without resorting to cursing at our President. What I find particularly repulsive is the people promoting this disdain for President Biden are the same people that were elected to get important work done for the American people. Shameful!
That said, the Republicans do not hold a monopoly on reprehensible behavior – Democrats have had their low moments as well. Please take a look at the following video and let me know if this bodes well for our nation.
Representative Green showed a lack of respect for the President and a complete lack of self control. His behavior was an embarrassment for our nation!
One of the problems we see when we lose our ability to be objective is we start to sound a little crazy. What do you think of this 1 minute analysis by Robert De Niro of President Trump:
Maybe it is too much to ask but is it possible to criticize policy without resorting to contemptuous personal attacks on our political leaders? Call me crazy, but it seems that, as a people, we need to be better. Go out and protest! Go out and let your voice be heard! However, please refrain from the name calling and mean-spirited discourse that has become so commonplace!
I am a registered Republican and yet, in my blog dated February 11th, (Emotional Intelligence and Presidential Leadership) you will read a respectful criticism of President Trump. It is good to critique and criticize but let’s do it with some level of decorum and respect for the office!
Thoughts / Comments
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