Ministery of Truth

January 19, 2024 — ~tonm

The Ministry of Peace concerns itself with war, the Ministry of Truth with lies, the Ministry of Love with torture and the Ministry of Plenty with starvation. These contradictions are not accidental, nor do they result from ordinary hypocrisy: they are deliberate exercises in doublethink.

The Ministry of Truth is the ministry of propaganda. As with the other ministries, the name Ministry of Truth is a deliberate misnomer because in reality it serves the opposite: it is responsible for any necessary falsification of historical events.

However, like the other ministries, the name is also apt because it decides what “truth” is. As well as administering “truth”, the ministry spreads a new language amongst the populace called “News”, in which, for example, “truth” in “News” is understood to mean statements like 2 + 2 = 5 when the situation warrants. In keeping with the concept of doublethink, the ministry is thus aptly named in that it creates/manufactures “truth” in the “News” sense of the word.

All in the name of clicks and control.