You know who Donald Trump reminds me of? A certain character, or should I say idea because it is never really said whether or not said character exists or is a made up being, that goes by the name of Big Brother. Yes, George Orwell's all seeing eye from his famous novel 1984. These are the reasons why Donald Trump is Big Brother:
1. Donald doesn't mind invading privacy
Big Brother is most commonly known for his invasion of privacy through the usage of the two-way telescreens that are installed in the homes of everyone that is a member of the Outer Party. Big Brother has become synonymous now with an invasion of privacy because of George Orwell's novel. How does The Donald stack up to this? While he may not have advocated yet for the installation of these two-way telescreens in our homes, he has advocated for some other invasive measures. First and foremost, Donald Drumpf has advocated the surveillance of mosques. Not only that, but he has advocated an increased surveillance of Muslim neighborhoods as well.
2. Changing His Mind
Now Donald Trump has changed his mind on numerous issues. Recently, he changed his mind on the minimum wage and borrowing. More recently, he changed his mind on his infamous ban on Muslims stating that it was only a suggestion. Yes because your base totally views that as a suggestion or a joke and doesn't in anyway want to ban Muslims from the United States. But how does that compare to the novel 1984? Well, in the novel, one can recount where, at a party rally, the orator changes the enemy of Oceania mid-sentence from Eurasia to Eastasia. Huh, I wonder if Donald Trump would be able to pull that type of manipulation off? To be honest, I don't really want to find out.
3. Freedom of Speech? Yeah, no.
We all know that a dictatorship does not allow freedom of speech and the press, so obviously Big Brother is going to have some people in their to stamp out freedom of speech. Say hello to the Thought Police. These are the guys who end up arresting those who won't believe that black is white. How does the Donald compare? Well, he may not have the Thought Police, but he sure would like to stamp out those protestors and he sure as hell would like to introduce some new libel laws.
4. The Supporters
Oh, there is so much to work with here. First, those that are supporters of Big Brother are brainwashed into supporting the Party and IngSoc. Donald Trump supporters seem to be brainwashed, and some of them probably are. Others are just so infatuated with the Donald. But the important thing is that both Donald and Big Brother's supporters are blindly loyal to them. Secondly, the violence. Remember that Party rally I mentioned from 1984 where the orator just switched the enemy of Oceania mid-sentence? Yeah, well, to follow that up, the supporters of the Party go berserk when they notice the anti-Eurasia posters on the wall and begin to tear them down, blaming it on Eastasian spies in their midst. This is an obvious comparison. Not only has Donald endorsed violence, but his supporters act on it, too. Then there is the part where Donald Trump blamed Bernie Sanders for the protestors being sent to his rallies, which is obviously a comparison to the blaming of the anti-Eurasian posters on Eastasian spies.
Bonus: 5. The Republican Party is the Inner Party
Oh, I just had to get into this one. I know the topic is focusing on Donald, but he's their party's presumptive nominee, how could I not resist the urge to compare the two? Well, I should start with a quote from the novel:
There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always - do not forget this, Winston - always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.
I can make many comparisons here. Let's compare the first part that talks about making life dull and mindless. While the Republicans may not fully advocate this, many conservatives would speak of how violent videogames, and one can assume all violent media, cause school shootings. Gee, wouldn't conservatives just love it if they could just ban all that violent media? Oh and now the holier than thou ones also would probably enjoy banning porn from the Internet because sex is meant for marriage and Jesus Christ, can I just shoot myself?
Anyways, now the second part with the reference to power, the trampling of the powerless. Doesn't that sound a bit like Republicans? Slashing Medicaid spending, wanting to have the top 1% pay less in taxes, introducing a flat tax. Don't these all sound like things that inevitably make life harder for the poor and make life easier for those at the top?
So, congrats Republicans. You are officially the Inner Party from George Orwell's 1984. Congrats Donald, or should I say Big Brother. For all those that want to know what a Donald Trump presidency would bring, "imagine a boot stamping on a human face."