Home › Anthology › George Orwell › Orwell on "keeping out of politics."

Orwell on "keeping out of politics."

Tue, 2005-09-06 09:09 — Nick Lewis
In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible... The inflated style itself is a kind of euphemism. A mass of Latin words falls upon the facts like soft snow, blurring the outline and covering up all the details. The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink. In our age there is no such thing as "keeping out of politics." All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia.

-George Orwell, Politics and the English Language

Comments

Wed, 2005-09-07 14:45 — RainbowDemon (not verified)

Orwell

It is impossible for me to stay out of politics because the Republican Party in this country has decided that I am an "abomination" and they are doing everything in their power to make sure that my lifestyle stays "outside the law".

I am a Gay American, and I deserve the same rights as everyone else. The political climate in this country is still so uncertain, but whatever happens, I will continue to fight for equality. Orwell is right on queue when he says:

"All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia." because they have made everything political.

I'm surprised that the cracking of an egg doesn't link everyone to a political party by which end is cracked by the cracker...(LOL) like in the Swift novel "Gulliver's Travels". I suppose even that could be a political platform in this country as well.

I enjoy your blog very much, Nick.

Peace,

=RD=