by Randy J. Guliuzza, P.E., M.D. *

“Newspeak” was the language developed by the fictional totalitarian regime Oceania in George Orwell’s classic novel 1984. The regime redefined words and slogans as a means of thought control over its citizens. Often, Newspeak words meant the exact opposite of the “Oldspeak” vocabulary. Citizens’ thinking eventually became characterized by contradictory beliefs that were embraced simultaneously, a practice known as “doublethink.” For instance, the Ministry of Truth produced Newspeak and fabricated history-altering propaganda. And in the Ministry of Love, people were tortured for committing “thoughtcrimes” such as individualism and independent thinking. Orwell’s novel cautions us against being fooled by cunning misapplication of words or deceptive redefinitions.

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