Is ‘1984’ Here? Right-Wingers Gets Schooled on Orwell’s Dystopian Sci-Fi Novel
#1984IsHere is the go-to hashtag on Saturday on Twitter, referencing George Orwell’s dystopian novel about the consequences of an authoritarian government, as many on the right see the banning of Donald Trump from Twitter as a sign that we are living in the repressive society warned about in the book. But many Twitter users are tossing that theory back at the right-wingers.
“The fact that #1984IsHere is trending really shows that no one in America has read the f—ing book,” one Twitter user wrote.
While many chose to take the literal, lighter side of the hashtag, cheering on the return of hair scrunches, the original “Muppet Babies” and parachute pants, (not to mention Wonder Woman), the debate was fierce, with those on the left schooling the right on what they believe is the real message in the novel versus those on the right mostly focusing on Trump being banned from Twitter (for violating the platform’s terms of use).
A textbook example of two sets of people looking at the same issue, yet seeing totally different things.
*Also Read:* Twitter Permanently Suspends Trump's Account
Actor Michael Sheen wrote: “‘..a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans..'”- George Orwell ‘1984’ #1984IsHere.”
"..a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans.."- George Orwell ‘1984’ #1984IsHere
— michael sheen (@michaelsheen) January 9, 2021
Here are a few others with similar mindsets:
Hey, idiots who don't actually understand what "Orwellian" means: #1984IsHere pic.twitter.com/MCJ3AkQVX9
— Ghost Dog (@JeetoCheesus) January 9, 2021
Weird #1984IsHere is trending in the wrong context. Big Brother = Trump. That's how it relates, not because he was banned from Twitter. He spread false information, just as the Inner Party did to keep the Outer Party and Proles ignorant and brainwashed. Put down the Victory Gin. pic.twitter.com/1wAq2a05zQ
— 3 Headed Mega Beast (@HAP0408) January 9, 2021
*Also Read:* Trump's Twitter Ban Has People Wondering: 'What the F- Took You So Long?'
Also, the "thought police" didn't do what you think they did. They did surveillance and dumbed down language to make the party's rhetoric harder to fight or see through. If anyone is doing that, it's Trump. You guys are clearly eating it up.
— Gabriela (@gabbysway2) January 9, 2021
I read the book and thought it was here when Trump started saying "Don't believe what you see on the media, only what I tell you."
— Office of Star Sibyl (@clalaftyrathem) January 9, 2021
Some context to those on the #1984IsHere trip. pic.twitter.com/OnDz8iN9j7
— Tibricel //Tibby (@Tibricel) January 9, 2021
*Also Read:* Trump Goes on Twitter Tirade From POTUS Account: 'We Will Not Be Silenced!'
#1984IsHere? Nope, you're just experiencing something we in the real world like to call… pic.twitter.com/PW2GoECE2Q
— Will Chilton (@WillChilton1992) January 9, 2021
On the flip side, conservatives rang alarm bells over Twitter’s permanent suspension of Trump and what it might portend for free discourse:
Social networks will have to ban us all.
This is not so easy!#WeAreTrump #1984IsHere #1984isnow
— Marcelo (@Marcelo98650176) January 9, 2021
People say Maga's use of this hash is ironic. Let me tell you something, it's not as ironic as the people praising the censoring, denouncing the comparisons from them to a novel about censorship and oppression. #1984IsHere.
— President-Elect Rascal (@CobaltBeetle) January 9, 2021
#1984IsHere#auditthevote #electionintegritymatters pic.twitter.com/5ywAzdqMgD
— Charlotte (@Starwargrl) January 9, 2021
The Left does not want equality but the illusion of the equality #1984in2021 #1984IsHere #TrumpTwitterBan #BigTechCensorship #technology
— Thus Spoke Enli Hamzai (@EnliHamzai) January 9, 2021
*Related stories from TheWrap:*
Trump Goes on Twitter Tirade From POTUS Account: 'We Will Not Be Silenced!'
Trump's Twitter Ban Has People Wondering: 'What the F– Took You So Long?'
Calls for Twitter to Deactivate Trump's Account Grow Amid Capitol Riot
