[ by Charles Cameron — 1984 comes to Venezuela? ]
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I had just finished posting the somewhat Orwellian DoubleQuote above and a set of quotes from Biblical and Qur’anic sources in my welcoming comments on Adam Elkus‘s inaugural post here, which itself drew on Orwellian dystopia for its imagery, when a friend pointed me to an article about the recent institution of a Vice-Ministry for Supreme Happiness by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
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Bingo, Orwell again! Responses on Twitter were quick to invoke 1984:
Maduro crea el Viceministerio de la Suprema Felicidad del Pueblo (nombre como sacado de un libro de Orwell). Como no se nos ocurrió antes!?
— LuisFelipe SanMartín (@sanmartinLF) October 24, 2013
En neolenguaje de régimen totalitario vzlno creado Minfel (ministerio de la felicidad). Próximos: Minver (de la verdad); Minamor (del amor)
— Johnny Romero G. (@jorogom) October 25, 2013
El órgano estatal que regulará la escasez y la pelazón en Venezuela se llamará "VICEMINISTERIO DE LA SUPREMA FELICIDAD" .. Orwell lo predijo
— Arimeu Qojole (@ChapulinND) October 25, 2013
In Orwell’s 1984, four ministries control Oceania:
Minitrue is the Ministry of Truth, which controls literature and oversees propaganda Minipax, the Ministry of Peace, oversees warfare Miniplenty, the Ministry of Plenty, controls rationing of food and other goods, and Miniluv, the Ministry of Love, deals appropriately with heretics and dissidents
I disclaim any deep knowledge of Venezuelan politics, although Ahmadinejad‘s claim that Chávez would be resurrected to accompany the Mahdi and Christ when they return certainly caught my attention… but these literary references impress me.
Specifically, the Venezuelan tweeters above suggest that Orwell “predicted” the Venezuelan Vice-Ministry, and that it will be followed next by Venezuelan versiuons of Minitrue and Miniluv.
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George Orwell, the man of the hour / day / year / century / millennium… ?
