A 100 word homage to Eric Arthur Blair for Friday Fictioneers, a collective of writers overseen by Little Sister Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, inspired by the photo prompt below which was supplied by Alastair Forbes.
If you think it cannot happen here, you haven’t been paying attention. It is happening now.
The walls shook with the sound of approaching helicopters.
“We might as well say goodbye,” Winston said to Julia.
“YOU MIGHT AS WELL SAY GOODBYE!” the house shouted.
“You’re thirty years late.” Winston replied, free of the need to maintain the illusion of conformity. They could only kill him once, and thoughtcrime was thoughtcrime.
“What is it, Winston?” asked Julia. “What have you done?”
“I expressed an opinion on my blog…”
“YOU EXPRESSED AN OPINION ON YOUR BLOG…”
“How could you?” Julia asked. “The penalty is….”
“…DEATH TO PERPETRATOR. RE-EDUCATION OF RELATED INDIVIDUALS.”
The door burst open.
“Homeland Security, freeze!”
ironwoodwind 
Harter Stoff – as we say in Germany. Unfortunately this is no fiction – even the mobile of Angela Merkel was spied by the NSA. VERY good story, you need only few words for a horror scenario. And we are all concerned.
Liebe Grüße
Carmen
Dear Carmen,
Time is coming when there will be no more prisons because our very homes are being turned into places where thoughtcrime and wrongaction are dealt with swiftly and harshly.
What concerns me is that few people recognize this and fewer still will stand up and speak their minds because to do so put them at risk. In the end, failure to do so is a far worse crime and the punishment is a life of anonymity and enforced conformance.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Oh dear, Oh Dear, OH DEAR! You have done it now! You have pushed my button, and I am SO politically INCORRECT that I just don’t dare respond with the thoughts that are on my mind. I would get started and not stop until the helicopters came for me.
You will find this hard to believe, but I am telling you honestly that less than 20 minutes ago, I was thinking about “Animal Farm,” and how masterfully George Orwell demonstrated that the most seemingly perfect society cannot ever remain perfect due to the fact that it is under the administration and control of imperfect human beings (so many of whom let their own greed for money and power override any kind of justice or kindness).
From there, I went on to think about the author himself and how brilliant he was to see all of “1984” back in 1949. I fixed myself a cup of tea and sat down to my computer, clicked on my blog icon, and there you were — singing his praises — well — in a manner of speaking.
I love the way you’ve done this piece. The dialogue and the touch of humor with the “crime” itself lift it from sounding preachy, but allow it to carry the full weight of the horror of the situation.
And, I agree, my friend, that it is happening here. Moreover, even the touch of humor will be gone because the opinions expressed on blogs will not be safe much longer if we don’t change some things. In fact, when I consider my “Happy Patriot” blog and some posts I’ve made on Facebook, I sometimes wonder how many government lists my name is already on. I’m working on a novel right now that, if it ever reaches publication, could put me on a few more lists as well.
Come to think of it, I may be on my way to being a “dangerous” person to know. Just wanted to warn you ahead of time ….
Dear Sandra,
The opinions expressed on blogs now can and will be twisted and used against you to support whatever conclusion the media and their masters wish to have the rest of the sheep believe. The good news for me is that Big Brother has no leverage with me. I’ve led a long and happy life and nothing they do to me can change that. Now I spend what time remains speaking my mind and irritating people who choose not to see what is happening.
I am reminded of the last words of Voltaire (If they’re not true, they ought to be.) He said on his death bed, “I have nothing, I owe much. The rest, I leave to the poor.
I’ll look for you in the next cell at Stella Maris. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Little Sister reference in comparison to Big Brother…..Nicely subtle turn of the screw, my friend. This may be the scariest story this week. All too true in our Brave New World.
Dear Erin,
Thanks for reading and commenting. Wasn’t commenting on Rochelle’s performance as the bus driver. That bit was tongue in cheek in trying to frame my intro into George Orwell’s frame of reference.
The rest of it, well, I meant every word.
Aloha,
Doug
Yep, they can only kill you once. Of course, there are far worse things than dying. This is really nothing new. After all, they beheaded John the Baptist and numerous others down through the centuries for speaking their mind. We’ll be in good company.
Dear Russell,
I’l look for you in the next cell, my friend. They’ll be asking you, “What’s so funny?” and I’ll be laughing myself silly.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Very sinister Doug, and even more so in that others clearly share your views/convictions about this. It makes me wonder whether I’m living in cloud cuckoo land over here. Just because I’m not paranoid doesn’t mean I oughtn’t to be, I guess. 😦 Well done for speaking your mind. I’m grassing you up right now… 🙂
Dear Sandra,
The barge police will be waiting for you at the next lock one day….
Cloud cuckoo land is where we all live if we let our freedoms be eroded in the name of ‘security’.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
If it weren’t for fear of Big Brother (or Rochelle’s political censorship) your provocative post could (or may, anyway) start a firestorm of inflammatory commentary. Well done, Doug–I’ll be back.
Dear VB,
I tried to keep my story simply a cautionary tale. In the end we are all going to be isolated from each other. Divide and conquer. Information control. We are each going to fight this battle alone.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
ok, i’m still a little shaken. this story’s gonna stay with me for a while…
Dear Kz,
You may remember it even more in thirty years.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
I’m confused by the house’s inability to spell… is that a deliberate point I’m missing, or just a couple of typos??
Anyway, yes, there’s something spooky about that face in the picture, isn’t there? I don’t like him watching me!
Dear Jennifer,
Despite proofing like crazy I missed the house’s inability to spell until you graciously pointed it out. Thanks again. That makes two weeks in a row, right? I think I’ll run these by you first in the future, provided there is one.
Mahalo for dropping in to whack my fingers with a ruler.
Aloha,
Doug
Oh dear, am I the nasty teacher? No ruler, I promise, just a gentle reminder and stickers for trying hard when the spelling goes awry.
Also, stickers for wonderful stories, great writing and kind comments.
Dear Jennifer,
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Thanks for the discipline. (Stickers, too:)
Aloha,
Doug
Since 1984 has come and gone, and we are now living in a version, not quite the same, but so weirdly congruous, of the vision we read about back then, back before 1984, when we were fighting to keep it from happening. Yet the future slipped through our fingers. Although, not really, we never had a chance; those in charge of the future, took it by force, by assassination, by dis-eduacation, dis-enfranchisement, and a lot of clever parlour tricks.
Dear Lindaura,
And we are going to have to fight to get it back, and fight hard. People cling to the illusion of freedom and they hope someone else will do the work. It is a false hope. We’re all going to have to do it together.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Blogcrime! Chilling. Scary. Sad and Sickening. Loved it!
Dear Linda,
It is happening now.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
As a non-American AnElephant is less concerned about Homeland Security.
But he is a long time admirer of Mr Orwell.
Your tale is well told and very to the point.
Dear AEC,
As a citizen of Airstrip One, you will one day be far more concerned. Until then, keep writing.
Aloha,
Doug
I was nearly burned at the stake a couple of times in the last few weeks for expressing feelings…. feelings of an almost HUMAN nature… this will not do. (see if you spot the reference, darling…)
I do hope they don’t stick you in a room with rats in cages… that scared the shit out of me in high school. Under the spreading chestnut tree, I sold you and you sold me…
I think that I agree with Chuck Palahniuk in his book Lullaby, in which he states that the whole purpose of Big Brother was to prevent revolutionary thought — to prevent people from gathering together in private and having dangerous thoughts and plotting against the government.
Further, he says that we don’t need Big Brother imposed on ourselves, because we are all voluntarily sitting around watching TV, sapping us of all independent and dangerous thoughts. We don’t need Big Brother watching us; we are watching Big Brother.
Those that do gather together to discuss revolutionary ideals are now called terrorists, and the media has trained us well to BOO and HISS and call them names. The US of A was founded by folks that today would likely be hung as terrorists, because they dared speak out against the government, and then actually took up arms against their supposed sovereign.
Not that I’m inciting revolution, darlings, but someone should.
Dear Helena,
You are one of the bright lights in the darkness. People will look to you for ideas and hope in the coming years. And the government will try to silence you first. I applaud you, your disclaimer at the end notwithstanding.
Your thoughts about Lullaby are enlightening. Thank you for pointing me in that direction. Whatever this country was at its inception, those days are long gone and only a few are fighting to return us to them. I will look for you in the next cell.
Thanks for taking the time to comment here.
Aloha,
Doug
This is perfectly crafted, Doug. “Thoughtcrime was thoughtcrime”… masterful. Not so far out there that it’s entirely sci-fi, and yet it is… in a realistic and meaningful way. Bravo!
Dear Dawn,
Thank you for commenting. i appreciate you taking the time. It will not be long before you will not be able to do so.
Aloha,
Doug
I am going to hold onto my rights, until there’s no holding. Reading these stories? They will have to pry that one from my cold dead hands. 😉 Have a wonderful weekend in paradise, Doug!
Thank you, Dawn.
Friends like you make my days wonderful.
Aloha, D.
Mister Doug,
Geo. Orwell couldn’t have done better! Maybe had he the insight of today, he might have had a better story. Or a different one. In either case, I think he’d not be too surprised at today. Super-duper story!
I agree, they can only kill us once. I’ll stand with you.
Dear Dawn,
I am honored. You’re doing it now. Thank you.
Aloha,
Doug
Dear Kent,
Thanks for saying so. Coming from someone who works for the Ministry of Truth, your dangerous praise is most welcome. See you in the next cell.
Aloha,
Doug
As Diz Moore said in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, “‘What IS truth?’ said jesting Pilate and would not wait for an answer.”
Hey, I express my goofy opinions at will…I don’t think they would cause much furor, except among my (few) Republican friends. If Snowden’s replacement is reading my blog/e-mail/twitter or facebook posts, he will probably be bored as sh**. But if not, I will await the thought police compliantly. I do love a man in uniform….
Dear Jan,
They know this and are counting on you to remain silent while the rest of us are turned into jerky treats for the guard dogs.
That we would have the temerity to resist such a wise plan is what gets under their collective skin so much.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
I’m not so much worried that they’ll be reading my blog or tweets but that one day someone will come and look at the internet history for my book research – which some days scares even me.
Carry on writing whatever’s on your mind Doug – then we can carry on reading the best stories.
Claire
Dear Claire,
Everything you do is fair game, and if they cannot find anything incriminating, they will invent it. Book research? Thoughcrime. Writing a book without approval? thoughtcrime. It’s coming.
Thanks for reading and commenting. it’s been nice living in the end of an era with you.
Aloha,
Doug
Scary indeed but with lots of grains of truth sprinkled-which makes it worse!Loved the “thoughtcrime” and the phrase,”free of the need to maintain the illusion of conformity.” :-)I also shuddered at the punishment-“re-education”-what kind-brainwashing?Ugh!
Dear Atrm6,
There will be little subtlety in the methods used for re-education. And, by the way, it has long since started via your telescreen.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Ah,so true Doug-most of us don’t realize it though :-)Glad am not addicted to what they feed via the idiot(or not so idiot) box 😛
Tc
Atreyee
A talking house that the script people at Dr Who wished they’d have thought of – great interpretation. Anything or anyone that curbs our freedom of expression is just frightening – a very scary story.
Dear Mike,
The government is playing the part of Dan Ackroyd in his role in Twilight Zone: the Movie where he says to his unwitting passenger, “Want to see something really scary?” Keep your eyes open, my friend. The erosion of our freedoms will not stop without your help.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
“I expressed an opinion on my blog…” scary but well written story. Now there is no freedom of expression really. In India a girl expressed her opinion on Face Book and was jailed and her father’s office rampaged. Going through your comment are was a good journey.
Dear Indira,
The tyranny of the mob is another grave problem that we humans must fear and watch for sign of. I appreciate you reading and commenting. Keep your eyes open and continue to speak up. There are far worse things in this life than death.
Aloha,
Doug
So true and gifted are those who can express their feelings so beautifully like you.
Hi Doug,
Once again I have to thank you for educating, or perhaps re-educating me. I had to look up Eric Arthur Blair, not knowing that Orwell was a nom de plume. I made reference to Animal Farm in a short story called Confessions of a Bookworm which is about a young man’s discovery of great literature. Orwell’s books remain vivid in my memory, though I read them in my youth.
If expressing opinion is going to be a crime, I’m in big trouble. We all are. Some Constitutional scholars argue that freedom of speech is the most important of our rights because it was at the top of the list in the Bill of Rights. And what many don’t get is that unpopular opinions are the most in need of protection and that the idea is to allow for expression of all points of view, the so-called marketplace of ideas.
I think it’s amazing that you could pull this story out of that photo. I thought this was a challenging about which to create a coherent story. Ron
Dear Ron,
I find it interesting that Mr. Blair had his publisher choose the now famous nom de plume because he was afraid of the embarrassment his family would suffer if they read his real name as the author of Down and Out in Paris and London.
Your comment raises a great subject: The Constitution as the foundation of our rights as citizens.
This basic tenet of our citizenship is being eroded, stripped, ignored, deleted and bypassed by judicial decree and executive order. It will not be long no before lobbyists submit a 2500 page long document to address the supposed inadequacices of the document.
You and thoughtful, intelligent people of your ilk are the cornerstone of liberty. Don’t let them wear you down.
Thanks for reading and commenting
This is chilling, thought-provoking and darkly humorous. I read 1984 as a teenager, and just thinking about it can still scare me! We seem to be heading down that road.
Dear Steve,
We are headed down that road. By the time you go to do something about it, it will be late in the game.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
You are indeed harsh on the government, sir. Not that I don’t understand the sentiment if I don’t fully agree with it. If Eugene McCarthy were still in charge of things I’d be way more concerned. Anyway, I guess I’ve won the victory over myself. I love Big Brother (not really; I don’t dig the mustache!)
Dear Perry,
Though you’ll be able to point to your comment as evidence of your good citizenship, it will avail you little. My name and yours are irretrievably linked. You will be tarred with the same brush and be declared guilty by association. And when that happens, you will begin to think less charitably toward your overlords.
Good luck with that.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Was this flash fiction, Doug???
Glad they can’t read our thoughts (yet). Though I just read that the technology is there.
Good golly George can you write us out of this dilemma???
Well Done!
Dear MDW,
It is going to be very interesting and strange in the coming years. I feel bad for my son and his children. Keep speaking up and out. You are on the tip of the spear, whether you realize it or not. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Big Brother is definitely watching, Brilliantly written (and well politically-timed)!
A glimpse into a (not too far distant?) future.
Dear Draliman,
It is now. People just don’t want to see it. They keep hoping it won’t happen to them.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Oohh, a poignant story that makes you think about the wider world. I’ll pray for your safety, Doug.
Dear Karen,
I’ll be fine. Pray for our country…
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Dear Doug,
Since I never got around to reading 1984, some things flew over my head without disturbing a curl. However, it didn’t diminish the chilling effect your story had on me.
I’ve often said we’re living the sci-fi of our youth.
The light touch of your layering sends home a heavy message.
Shalom,
Little Sister
YKEWIM
Dear Rochelle,
Thank you for your kind comments. The List grows daily. Add 1984 to it.
Your life will be the richer for seeing the contrasts and parallels between life in Airstrip One and our here and now. It will also be a little scarier, becasue the differences are fast blurring.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
What a break, in the US for a business trip this week and I have to be so PC! Thanks for breaking the spell and thanks for the reminder: They can only kill us once,…
Dear Ingmar,
It is a sad thing and a sad time we are living through over here. I hope you can see through the BS to the beauty of the people of this country.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Dear Doug,
What an awesome leap of imagination from an architectural doorway to what critics call a ‘trenchant” commentary on our present!
Love the term ‘Thoughtcrime’, which of course has been a problem in Nazi Germany, Russia, then China.. and now the so-called free world. Not quite here in NZ yet, but Pastor Niemoller’s words ring in my ears…
I now take for granted the excellence of the writing, and the build-up of suspense, but it’s
always a moment of shocked delight to realise what you’ve done with the prompt – tossed it up in the air, turned it inside out and upside down, stuffed it with meaning, sprinkled it with sharp insight, and sauced it with humour!
With love,. Valerie
Dearest Valerie,
“And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak up….”
You are so right to mention Niemueller. I do believe that there will always be people crying out for and fighting to secure and maintain our freedoms, but if history has taught me anything it is that those who would abuse and remove those freedoms are legion and must be fought at every turn.
New Zealand is a bright shining light in these times. Was I in charge there, I’d put up stringent controls to keep out the riff raff (me) because we’re fast headed your way.
Your kind comments on my story are deeply appreciated, as always. No week is truly complete without your voice on these pages.
Summer’s coming!
Aloha,
Doug
Hi Doug – Sometimes it feels like that time is now.
Dear Bill,
It is.
Aloha,
Doug
I reckon Mr Blair would have been wishing he’d written this. A great homage – albeit more than uncomfortable to ponder.
Dear Freya,
He kind of did, only much better. Thanks for reading and comenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Nice homage to George Orwell.
Here’s mine: http://unexpectedpaths.com/friday-fictioneers/sentinel/
Dear Maggie,
Thank you. I hope George would agree. He’s out of it now and we get to slog on.
Aloha,
Doug
How dare he speak his opinion, let alone share it among the masses!
If people knew half the thoughts that ran through my head I’d be locked away for a very long time. I just turn them into stories and call myself a writer to avoid being called insane.
Dear Adam,
When they declare all writers political undesirables one of the follow up cures they’ll have for your problem is to declare you insane. You’re paving the way. good luck…but keep writing anyway.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Dearest Doug, quite possibly this is the best bit of fanta-politics that I’ve read recently. I don’t live in the U.S., but that has never made me feel “safe” I’ve been watching as over the years the people have allowed themselves to be wooed and “somaed” into believing that war is peace, that putting oneself into debt is the best way to get a good credit rating, so you can get into more debt, that anyone that doesn’t agree with the “American Way of Life” are probably terrorists…(used to be communists, yes, we always need an enemy) and on and on…the latest round of paranoia and control have been so blatently Orwellian, I’m surprised how few have even noticed…we’ve lived in soft tyranny for ages…from Brave New World we are passing into 1984 via Fahrenheit 451…yes…we’re there and don’t really see it. Thanks for the warning…Ciao, Georgia.
Dear Georgia,
Thank you for such a detailed and cogent response to my story. I do fear that the slow erosion of our rights and, indeed, our knowledge level is never going to end until we are all wired up, jacked in automatons who labor for the ‘good’ of the government and are kept in bondage to ensure the ‘safety’ and ‘security’ of all. it is a waking nightmare and the only way out is to open our eyes and fight every single act of enslavement, no matter how small, or how well couched in language meant to lull us into sleep.
I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. You carry the light.
Aloha,
Doug
I see it happening in small doses, or at least I imagine it’s happening. This was scary and well written. It came out loud and clear.
Dear Amy,
I am sure these thing run in cycles but being on the downside of this one is discouraging. I will be fighting the slide. I hope you’ll join the ranks.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
dOUG
Brilliant response to the challenge, and a chilling vision of what’s in store for America gone awry. Beautifully done.
Dear Ms. Pickens,
Thank you for your complimentary comments. Won’t be too much longer before such things must be approved by a censor. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
who can we trust? all hopes seem lost. 😦
Dear Plaridel,
Trust few in government for they have shown themselves willing to rule over otheres. Trust your friends until they show you different. Trust in yourself to know the truth when you see it. Speak out, speak up, be brave and honest. It is a good start and a better finish.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Aloha,
Doug
Actually this brings back so many dystopies of literarature. Now this can be real.. and we are all lost cases, being on some list or other already. I recall a dialogue with a friend who carefully explained that when the revolution came he would have the Kalashnikov and me not. Now the front-lines are different and where they will be is unsure… but being on someones list probably is a reality for many that gives an opinion.
Dear Doug
Perhaps here in the UK we are slow to realise just what is happening to our various freedoms. The World Wide Web has opened up communications that our grandparents’ generation could never have imagined in their wildest dreams – excluding George Orwell from the group!
This opening up has allowed great improvement to some and untold destruction to others.
Your stance, as seen in some of your comments puts me in mind of the poem ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley – my father used to recite it to me when I was a child, this the the first verse
‘Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.’
Take care
Dee
Hi Doug,
My, you have hit the nail on the proverbial head! This is exactly what I’ve been saying for years! Big Brother is watching, listening and not liking! You will conform or be erased. Yeah, It’s a scary place out there. Freedom of thought? Nope, not if you want to live. Eh, like you I’ve lived a life, now I say what I want and the government would not like it at all. People better wake up before it’s too late, which it might be already.
Anyway excellent story in so few words. Well done my free thinking friend (I can call you friend right?)
Jackie
Around the corner with this one. I was just reading about those Google Glasses and if they should be worn while driving – really? You have to ask. But I do like that one commercial where hubby is pulling up in his driveway and the car voice (via phone connection) says; “Honey my mother stopped by…” and he backs up out of the drive way and the voice says; “Honey where the ‘bleep’ are you going!”
Foils as in any sword that can foil life, short, long, broad…
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
This does appear to be a sign of the times in which we live.