As a former teacher of literature, I’m beginning to resent the assertion that the NSA’s gathering of telephone metadata is Orwellian. The term “Orwellian” presupposes that the motivations and tactics of the U.S. government match those of the inner party in George Orwell’s “1984.” That is not the case.
The ruling party in “1984” admittedly exists for its own benefit and imposes constant intrusive surveillance for the purpose of control of its population and the maintenance of its own power. None of that is relevant here. Our government is nothing similar to that depicted in “1984,” and the NSA’s surveillance program has not even the remotest similarity to that imposed by the inner party in Orwell’s novel. Furthermore, Orwell’s novel is just that, a novel, a work of fiction.
The NSA surveillance program may or may not overreach in terms of the government’s mandate to protect the American people, but it is not intended to deprive us of our constitutional right to privacy. It may not be effective, but it is certainly not evil, nor does it threaten any individual not plotting against our safety.
And for those whose argument is couched in Orwellian terms, would you be able to compose an argument if Orwell had not written “1984”?
