Tag Archives: 1984

1984, the Novel That Never Gets Old

By Robin Bates | Published: May 11, 2021

1984, always relevant. Now more than ever.

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The Real Face of Patriotism

By Robin Bates | Published: January 22, 2020

When William McRaven asked, out of sympathy with John Brennan, that his own security clearance be withdrawn, he behaved like Brecht’s poet in “Burning of the Books.”

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GOP Epitaph: “He Loved Big Brother”

By Robin Bates | Published: December 19, 2019

Why has the GOP become Trump’s party? Because they have learned to love Big Brother.

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How Trump’s GOP Enforces Loyalty

By Robin Bates | Published: December 10, 2019

Trump’s GOP has ways of disciplining members who depart from their leader’s talking points. Koestler’s “Darkness at Noon” explains how such pressure works.

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Trump’s Transcript & the Ministry of Truth

By Robin Bates | Published: November 5, 2019

Trump tells us to “read the transcript,” as if it exonerates him rather than condemns him. It’s a Big Brother move.

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Brecht on Speaking Truth to Power

By Robin Bates | Published: August 20, 2018

Monday A Bertolt Brecht poem came to mind when Retired Navy Admiral William H. McRaven came to the defense of former CIA Director John Brennan, stripped of his security clearance by a Donald Trump angry at his criticisms. Vox has the story of what happened: The man who led the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in […]

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Does the GOP Love Big Brother?

By Robin Bates | Published: December 26, 2017

Do Congressional Republicans flatter Trump Goneril-like out of convenience or do they “love Big Brother”? Dostoevsky’s Grand Inquisitor may hold the key.

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Using Doublethink To Sell Trumpcare

By Robin Bates | Published: May 9, 2017

House Republicans appear to be using Doublethink to sell their healthcare plan. If it works, there will be no stopping them.

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Fundamentalists Send Readers to Atwood

By Robin Bates | Published: February 19, 2017

Margaret Atwood’s “Handmaid’s Tale” is topping bestseller lists at the moment. The reason is probably because of the GOP’s prospect of success in curbing reproductive freedom.

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