1. Write your intro paragraph
2. Address statement – take a position explore broader idea
3. Introduce your text as the evidence basis for your position

Literature is essential to human society for many reasons; chiefly due to its function as a means of helping us to think about ourselves, our lives and each other within our societal and political structures, it makes us more aware of the world we live in. Literature is most successful when it is dealing with the big issues of the world as predominately, literature serves as a tool to help us decipher our own lives to build better ones. “Nineteen Eighty-Four” serves as a warning about the dangers of communism and the effect total power in any form of government can have. Through this text we see clear warnings about power; which is arguably the singular most desired status in human history making it undeniably a big issue for our society. Such warnings include both physical and psychological manipulations of people.

 

Texts	Unifying Idea	Nineteen Eighty-Four	Minority Report	Clockwork Orange
Controlling State
Corruption of power	Power Corrupts. When humans acquire power over one another, there is an inevitable about what happens next. The powerful use this to their own advantage. Any morals they may have held are abandoned in their corrupt pursuit of control.		1:17:00-1:20:00 specifics are the comparisons between minority report and 1984. Physical oppression is the use of birds eye, invasion of privacy, the spiders, physical oppression, he took out his eyes, thermal tracking.	P.g 31 Says he chooses to be bad. Without the choice then there could be no good only compliance. in history we only congratulate the good. Reads articles referring to the problem being the adults and their nature, where as he knows being bad is his choice simply because he enjoys it. It make him human.
Anti-Hero character
Invasion of privacy	A common element in many dystopias is the invasion of privacy. The state over-steps the boundary and invades peoples private lives to the extent that in many cases the very thoughts of an individual fall under state control.
manipulation of language

 

Literature is essential to human society for many reasons; chiefly due to its function as a means of helping us to think about ourselves, our lives and each other within our societal and political structures, it makes us more aware of the world we live in. Literature hands us the tools to decipher our world and consider alternative perspectives and ideas to those we currently hold.  This idea is key within dystopian novels, in which an idea common among all dystopias is the corruption of power and the totalitarianism this generates. Through the following texts, “Nineteen Eighty-Four” by George Orwell, “Minority Report” by Stevan Spielberg, “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess and finally the lyrics of “2+2=5” by Radiohead, I will identify the connections they hold with one another, and the true calamity that the corruption of power has on society and how these dystopias all ultimately achieve the same goal; to warn our modern society about the true nature of power.

George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” is a dystopian novel that serves as a warning to readers of the impending future. Through physical and psychological manipulation “Big Brother” achieves this within Airstrip One exerting unrelenting power and control over the state and ultimately our protagonist, Winston. “Big Brother” is everywhere. On posters and walls, surrounding every aspect of daily life. The idea that every move made, and word spoken is scrutinised by some higher authority, plagues Winston within the text. Orwell achieves this physical oppression within this text when he explains how… “any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it…” showing us how little voice Winston is given to express what he truly believes in. Anything loud and worthwhile must be acceptable by the status quo or risk being scrutinised by the acting government, plucked apart to decipher even the slightest attempt at mutiny. As the novel progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that Orwell is trying to tell us that to live in such fear that someone may know what you are truly feeling is to be controlled and oppressed, thus destroying our individualism by creating a “uniform” of acceptable actions to perform day to day. Expressed when Orwell metaphorically refers to the population as a..”million people all with the same face.” Orwell refers back to this idea that the masses must all behave in accordance with the parties motives. No one is allowed to act out of self interest through fear of what might become of them. Serving as a warning, Orwell uses another metaphor when showing the reader that whilst Winston… “remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard.” he is trying to tell us that as long as we allow the scrutiny of the “higher power” to wash over us, we will always remain oppressed. It is not until we find our own corner of the room in which there is no “metal plaque” commanding our actions to be acceptable that we are free of “Big Brother”; a sole figure used to effectively deliver a focus for all party propaganda to resonate around. To understand how easily this simple invasion of privacy that develops into a mainstay theme within this dystopian novel, is to understand to what degree of power the party has over its inhabitants and how this invasion of privacy is an entirely necessary component to remain in control. The party’s purpose itself being to remain in power after all. This is where the physical oppression begins to embody the mind and is not unlike other texts that reside within the dystopian genre.

“Minority Report” by Steven Spielberg is a representation of how technology is being used in the future to “benefit” human society, by anticipating the crimes of individuals and catching them before they have been committed. The system is perfect, until it comes for you and for John Anderton this became a harsh wake up call for the world he resides within when he is accused for the murder of a man he has not even met yet. Within the famous “spider scene”, there are representatives of how in search of ultimate control, the government will exert any force necessary to remain in power, not unlike the the psychological and and physical manipulation that is a mainstay theme within “Nineteen Eighty-Four”. Just like “big brother”, the “eyes” of the government are everywhere. Iris scanners operate in every corner of every home in this dystopian America, with the “spiders” the chief form of individual identification. I believe Steven Spielberg uses these “spiders” as a vessel of physical oppression. These spiders are seen entering homes in all facets of human livelihood, in times of intimacy, struggle, anger and joy we see these spiders identify and categorise, with people halting there day to day lives to allow this “higher power” to decide if you are the one to commit a crime next and detain you. This idea is reenforced by the opaque glass which is present when the camera pans through the building in a birds eye view. Shattered and broken, with pieces in place barely hiding the work of the spiders, the glass represents what little privacy as a society we actually have now, and the true power the government has over our livelihood. In this birds eye view, with the glass used as a method of effect, Stevan Spielberg is able to show the true power over society the government has, that no wall or door, no roof or floor will be able to hide the omnipresent eyes from watching you. Stevan Spielberg is trying to tell us that we cannot allow the government to have complete control over us in such a way, for if we do, we may as well allow the governing body to watch over us 24/7 using a “gods eye view”, with only small insignificant pieces of our lives allowed to remain private based on the randomosity of this opaque glass; metaphoric for the small parts of our lives today where we are truly free from the scrutiny of a higher power. A higher power deciding if every action or word spoken is acceptable by this status quo. Ensuring we align to the governments idea of a “perfect world”. The extent of this physical oppression is evident when to escape the identification of the government, John will go so far as to have his eyes removed entirely, replaced by someone else whom chooses to conform with society. This can be seen when the spiders find John in the ice bath, and force him to open his eyes for “identification”. This serves as a metaphor that whilst the government were in control, the only way to avoid their scrutiny was to destroy an individuals identity all together. As the saying goes, the eyes are the window to the soul, and yet John is so oppressed by this all powerful entity, he is willing to give up his “soul” to achieve the freedom of choice he desires. In almost a perfect parallel to “Nineteen Eighty-Four”, these simple invasions of privacy show to what degree the government controls the citizens of a futuristic Washington D.C, with the sole purpose to remain in control after all. The idea of individualism being exterminated is a common theme within this dystopian world and is observable equally within our next text.

“A Clockwork Orange” is an unconventional take on a dystopian future. Written by Anthony Burgess,  “Alex”; our main protagonist and narrator, and his “droogs” have an unquenchable thirst for ultra-violence. However when the state eventually do catch up with him, its apparent they will go to any measures necessary to ensure he conforms to the “good”. Through a fictional language, “Nadsat” based of a Russian influenced english, Anthony Burgess provides a thought provoking take on how the government are only interested in the status quo and ensuring people conform to their ideas and valuations of good vs bad. Alex describes his humanity when explaining to the reader that he chooses to be bad… “All right, I do bad, what with crasting and tolchocks and carves with the britva and the old in-out-in-out, and if i get loveted, well, too bad for me, O my little brothers, and you cant run a country with every chelloveck comporting himself in my manner of the night. So if i get loveted and its three months in this mesto and another six in that, and then, as P.R Deltoid so kindly warns, next time, in spite of the great tenderness of my summers, brothers, its the great unearthy zoo itself, well, i say ‘Fair, but a pity, my lords, because i just cannot bear to shut in. My endeavour shall be, in such future as stretches out its snowy and lilywhite arms to me before the nozh overtakes or the blood spatters its final chorus in twisted metal and smashed glass on the highroad, to not get loveted again.’ In this passage it is clear to me that Anthony Burgess is telling the reader that, Alex understands he is doing bad. He knows that rape, murder, robbery and fighting are all crimes, however it is things he is willing to go to jail for. He doesn’t resent this, in fact recognises that to run the country you cannot be running around the night, part-taking in the acts that he does but all the same, whilst he is still breathing, he will continue to evade the sentences he inevitably is condoned with so that he can continue in the manner he enjoys to continue with. It shows us as the reader that Alex is willing to risk it all to live his own life. In my opinion this is our human right. To be able to choose how and where to spend our energy whilst we are on this earth and without this, we become creatures without individualism. Robots. In fact Alex’s gripe isn’t with the rules and regulations that make him bad, but rather the constant analysis of why he does what he does… “But, brothers, this biting of their toe-nails over what is the cause of badness is what turns me into a fine laughing malchick. They don’t go into the cause of goodness, so why the other shop? if lewdies are good its because they like it, and i wouldn’t interfere with their pleasures, and so of the other shop. And i was patronising the other shop. More, badness is of the self, the one, the you or me on our oddy knockies, and that self is made by old Bog or God and is his great pride and radosty. But the not-self cannot have the bad, meaning they of the government and the judges and the schools cannot allow the bad because they cannot allow the self. And is it not our modern history, my brothers, the story of brave malenky selves fighting these big machines? I am serious with you, brothers, over this. But what i do i do because i like to do.” It is here Anthony Burgess poses the question, why do we pluck apart the bad, without ever focusing on what makes us good in the first place. In fact, without bad, giving us an equal and opposite image to good, what does good even mean? Our history books have been written and rewritten in such a way that the only history we remember is the “good” in which brave people tackle the big, life threatening problems in our world. But without this bad in the first place, we would have no good. Alex understands what makes him behave the way he does. Its not poor parenting and bad infleunces and such, but rather “baddness is of the self, the one, the you or me on our oddy knockies, and that self is made by old Bog or God.” “Badness” is simply a way of life for some people, it is who they are. Who they choose to be. And without this choice we are simply not human but rather beings who conform to whatever we are told to conform to. The government in this text, much like the governments in both “Minority Report” and “Nineteen Eigthy-Four” wish to oppress its citizens to simply doing what they are told. By taking away there choices and individualism, including the choice to be “bad”. 

“2+2=5” by Radiohead is a modern day warning about the society we have been warned about for decades now. Released in 2003, some 59 years after the release of “Nineteen Eighty-Four” it is clear the similarities the song lyrics share with the novella. 2+2=5 is a parallel with the ideas of doublethink in George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four”; this idea that one can hold two opinions, both cancelling out each-others logic but believing in them simultaneously all the same. 

“I’ll lay down the tracks, Sandbag and hide, January has April showers and two and two always makes a five”

In this passage i believe Radiohead are referring to the population who are working for a cause simply because they are sold on a concept that is not true. They do the bidding of those who are in control because they believe the propaganda they are fed, which is inevitably leading to their demise. In “Nineteen Eighty-Four” we see this exact concept with Winston working for the records department, creating and destroying records where and when he is told to. We also see this in “Minority Report” where John is tasked with arresting criminals before they have actually committed the crime simply because he is told that it is an inevitable future. In our modern society we also see this, with journalists and writers heavily influenced by their producers about the content they can and cant produce. An example is in North Korea where there is a complete ban on western culture. Citizens caught buying a selling items that are deemed westernised are fined and imprisoned by the state. It is this freedom of choice that is constantly being stripped of us that all these examples of dystopian literature are screaming at us to notice. The corruption of power has begun to take over our society, making us believe our actions and choices are our own whilst simultaneously being told where to-place our feet and what words to speak at any given moment. Radiohead use “January has April showers” to bring home this message by referring to a concept that is very familiar to our modern society. Global warming. We are told this is not an issue by capitalistic figures in our society such as Donald Trump, simply for their own benefit. There empires of business are often built of the very resources we are expending at a rapid rate, and so to preserve their relative wealth they will go to any measure to brainwash the public into a alternative reality, even whilst scientific professionals can conclude the damage that is being caused to our flora and fauna. 

“I try to sing along, but the music’s all wrong, cause I’m not, cause I’m not”

In this verse, Radiohead refer to the concept that to “sing along”, is to conform to the status quo. It would be nice to simply accept the status quo and sing along with society’s chants, but knowing the truth of the situation makes the music unbearable. Propaganda loses its effectiveness when people are educated. Radiohead can’t simply stand by and pretend that they fully believe it anymore. They use this parallel with “Nineteen Eighty-Four”  where Winston Smith attends the “Two Minutes Hate,” a daily period during which the members of the Party must express their hatred towards Oceania’s enemies and love of Big Brother. Towards the end of the two minutes, Winston’s coworkers become excessively emotional and begin to chant. Later in the novel, Winston, enlightened by his relationship with rebellious girlfriend Julia, finds himself increasingly unable to empathise with the Party’s propaganda. The music is all wrong; the messages don’t make sense anymore. Radiohead, as well as George Orwell are trying to translate the point to the reader whereby, Knowledge is the first stage of rejecting the constant stream of lies and propaganda that is constantly fed to us by this higher power. 

Literature is essential to human society for many reasons; chiefly due to its function as a means of helping us to think about ourselves, our lives and each other within our societal and political structures, it makes us more aware of the world we live in. Literature hands us the tools to decipher our world and consider alternative perspectives and ideas to those we currently hold.  This idea is key within dystopian novels, in which an idea common among all dystopias is the corruption of power and the totalitarianism this generates. Through the following texts, “Nineteen Eighty-Four” by George Orwell, “Minority Report” by Stevan Spielberg, “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess and finally the lyrics of “2+2=5” by Radiohead, I have identified the connections they hold with one another, and the true calamity that the corruption of power has on society and how these dystopias all ultimately achieve the same goal; to warn our modern society about the true nature of power.

As i look around the room, i see a syndicate, built from scholars and athletes. People who give up there time in the pursuit of personal excellence. From a sporting background myself. I know how this feels. Through the years I’ve journeyed into unfamiliar territory, part-taking in sports such as ice hockey, rugby, snowboarding, football and hockey to name a few, where the aim is simply, to be better today than i was yesterday. All in the hope that upon the final trial, my personal best, at that point in time, will be enough to claim top spot among others in my categories and fields. This day-to-day struggle that we all fight in our own respect, for me, encapsulates the Olympic Games and why it epitomises human transcendence. The Olympic Games inspires the worlds population to be the best versions of ourselves, to be “faster, higher and stronger” in every aspect of our day to day lives. However this spectacle, this event, that touches so many of our lives, is being ruined by the people that build, the people who pay and the people that bid for its existence in their country. The notion that the olympics is not held in a singular destination, instead travelling the globe wrecking havoc on the equity and efficiency within a countries society is absolutely absurd.

The IOC, international olympic committee have clear goals and values in place, to represent the organisation that provides some of the largest multi national events in the entire world. One of these is their commitment to “social development through sport”. The aim is simply to address social inequalities and poverty by providing “concrete” answers through sport. Equity within society is defined as the”quality of being fair and impartial”. To me, fair and impartial represents a level playing field for society, whereby regardless of the background and history you may have, everyone is given a equal chance at his and/or her ambitions. However the olympic games, as it currently stands simply does not achieve this. Rio is a great example. unemployment has literally doubled in the months since the games while the country’s GDP has fallen by 8.4%. Public sector employees have had wages and pensions cut by 30%. 12 billion dollars later and Rio as well as the rest of Brazil are now facing one of the worst economic recessions of recent times. This is no one off, no anomaly. In history we have seen this time and time again, with Athens being the most notable in the last 20 years. In 2004 Greece forked out 9 billion dollars to host the games. Being a small country, at the time this brought the total cost to 5% of the entire countries GDP spent on venues and infrastructure alone, taking Athens and Greece along with it into economic disaster that to this day, they have been unable to rectify. This inefficiency within countries as a direct result of olympic hosting is simply ludicrous and needs to come to a stop. Countries like Brazil and Greece are forced to play there hand by dodgy lobbyists within the olympic voting committees, covering unforeseen costs and downplaying estimates for countries looking to host. Every year since 1960, the olympics have over run budget forecasts with the average being 156%. Often countries don’t wont even know that the overrun has occurred until months later when final figures and stats have been confirmed.

I’m not sure about you, but I am sick of the build ups to olympics revolving more around whether or not the country can cope with economic costs to hosting an olympics rather than the hype of the athletes and the performance themselves. i am tired that once every four years these athletes who train day in day out come together from all corners of the globe to complete in for most disciplines in the biggest event of all and yet the stories media and press releases are more concerned with are economical and socio-cultural factors that have been present in a country for decades but may be supplemented by recent olympic activities? If we continue to allow the olympics to shift nations and cities, wrecking havoc on our economies, before long countries that used to be economic power houses will find themselves in debt larger than they can pay and then maybe no country at all will be left to afford the olympics and it will simply cease to exist. The entire purpose of is to compete and celebrate global sporting achievements for the ultimate title, however this is likely about to be compromised entirely for reasons completely unrelating to the sport itself unless we decide to make a change.

Social support only encourages dependancy and laziness.

A study conducted by The House Budget Committee in 2014 would suggest my suspicions are true. Social support for families who reside in poverty only encourages dependancy and laziness. It is easy to identify the correlation, why would you work after all? a person who can get $500 a month for free is going to be a lot less desperate for work than someone who doesn’t get $500 a month for free. Both people may still be quite desperate, after all $500 a month isn’t exactly ticket to luxury street but it should be clear who is more desperate. In this study, the correlation between laziness and unemployment is explored with conclusion, the idea of paying people to do nothing is absurd.

 

 

The idea: A state whereby capitalism has become so extreme, the worlds population that can afford “nice” things lives in one huge skyscraper in a place called Brand New York. The opening chapter describes the main protagonist consulting with his “collector”; a person who’s entire being is to track down and collect new releases of everything from branded clothing and shoes to entire properties that come to market. Aim is to capture the population today that owns half of the worlds wealth and how they control the rest of society.

 

The suns rays only just begun to break through the tall pines in the distance, filling the windswept park with first light, chasing shadows across the dirt and grass until they found sanctuary, cowering behind objects standing alone in the poorly kept grass. From here you could see everything. The man at the window often felt he spent so much time at this exact spot, that should anything be moved, or even slightly misplaced he would notice. A full 180 degree viewpoint in which everything not under protection from the army of trees fell under his scrutiny. His gaze spread across the barren horizon with intent. Looking for something that perhaps, wasn’t there. The small man that arrived moments before, stood in silence, awkwardly within the doorway. It was impossible to know whether the man had noticed him but he knew better than to interrupt during this process of thought. With knowledge there could be as much as 20 minutes between words spoken, he stood, patiently, fingers clasping buttons that lined his one good shirt. The room was large, with huge floor to ceiling panelled windows across the back end of the rectangular space. The section of floor space that ran the length of the panoramic window was raised by a few feet, with a waterfall staircase leading up to the raised viewing platform directly in the middle flowing down and outwards. The lower floor was half filled with luxurious tan leather couches spread in a half circle surrounding a commanding TV set complete with surround sound speakers of black and gold. In comparison only one seat lay upon the upper section. Found in the corner, angled towards both the window and the door in which the man now stood, the seat was black and dictatorial as if it in itself could bark commands.

The man at the window broke the silence.

“Speak to me”

In a cautious tone, the man in the doorway drew a breath..

“I have fresh 12 hourly reports sir, nearly 3,000 new releases in counting sir. Your portfolio wont be complete without them, so with your permission….”

The man at the window swung his body around viscously, malice in his eyes, he interrupted the collectors speech sharply…

“WHY, have i received word that our good friends across the hall have been advised of 4,000 releases this half day whilst we have only 3,000.”

Visibly nervous, the man in the doorway took a deep, husky breath to gather his thoughts. He was no older than 30 but had grey hairs creeping into his unkept beard. He stood slightly hunched, confidence draining out of his figure with every minute that passed. Sweat begun to break upon his pale face, forming beads that sloped his brow, he continued…

“Sir, I’m terribly sorry. Last night was my eldest son’s birthday and i haven’t seen him in nearly three…”

“Silence”

He turned back to those immense panels of translucent glass. By now the sun had risen enough for light to refract through them, causing shapes and reflections to waltz around the room, shining with gold lustre as they went around their morning dance. Brand New York was one of kind they said. Skyscrapers rose like pillars of matte metal darkness against the deep blue backdrop. It was a glorious day in the worlds capital, with a bright sun the only object lurking in the blue abyss.

Only one man could be seen wandering the street below. His steps were quick but cautious as if he expected to stop at any given second. His head worked like a swivel, nervously taking in his surroundings, taking in every detail so that nothing may surprise him. The collector was not an old man, but you wouldn’t, couldn’t tell. Years of stress and anxiety, late nights and early mornings had left the man tired and weary looking. He had just come from Heaven, at least thats what they called it. Where the collector was from it was inversely known as hell. The birthplace of demons. It was not hard to see why. An entire column, no less than 100 stories tall, built for the sole purpose to house the rich and famous, those that could afford to live whilst others worked for them. 90% of the worlds wealth and subsequent power along with it, figuratively living and breathing between four, impregnable walls stretching as high as the eye could see. His master lived on floor 43. This meant he was powerful, but not a god amongst men just yet. His family all lived within the building, his father residing on the 24th floor and his grandfather on the 3rd. He was born into the building and would likely remain for the rest of his life, taking over more and more wealth as his empire expands. It was inevitable.

The collectors position in all this was merely to serve. His position demanded the growth of assets, and if not, he was sacked, left to find work in one of the thousands of factories across the country. Comparably, working as a collector was a blessing in disguise but today didn’t feel like it at all. The trek from the inner city to the outer suburbs where the collectors lived was long, taking as much as two hours to walk. The path snaked through the deserted skyscrapers that no one could afford to reside within anymore. Rot spewed out from buildings and gutters running parallel to the track like

 

The street was littered with rubbish which swept about the place.

The street was surrounded by tall buildings that rose through the low cloud.

 

The man strode with belongings in tail which snagged on cracks littered across the street.

The man wondered through the streets alone which was not entirely correct.

 

Winston Smith had his chin nuzzled into his breast. In an effort to escape the vile wind, Winston slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansion. He was not quick enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him.

The aspect that i intend to explore through my study of “1984” and the relevance it has with todays society is the totalitarian government and its control through fear in our modern era.

Key moments for this include:

• Within “1984” Big Brother (the governing body within airstrip one) is everywhere. On posters and walls as well as nearly every aspect of daily life, Big Brother controls what you do, think, eat and even feel. Big Brother controls everything – information, the past, the present and inevitably both physical and psychological needs. He is a friend and the enemy of your enemy. He will protect you and save you as he wishes. Within the book, Totalitarianism is big brother and vice versa. Examples can be seen everywhere throughout the text.
• items including psychological manipulation whereby the party barrages its subjects with psychological stimuli designed to overwhelm the mind’s capacity for independent thought. The giant telescreen in every citizen’s room blasts a constant stream of propaganda designed to make the failures and shortcomings of the Party appear to be triumphant success. The telescreens also monitor behaviors; everywhere they go, citizens are continuously reminded, especially by means of the omnipresent signs reading “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU,” that the authorities are scrutinising them.
• The Party undermines family structure by inducting children into an organisation called the Junior Spies, which brainwashes and encourages them to spy on their parents and report any instance of disloyalty to the Party.
• The Party also forces individuals to suppress their personal desires, treating sex and forms of emotional contact as merely a procreative duty whose end is the creation of new Party members. An example within the text is Julia, Winston’s lover ironically enlisted within the Junior Anti-sex League. The Party then channels people’s pent-up frustration and emotion into intense, ferocious displays of hatred against the Party’s political enemies. Many of these enemies have been invented by the Party exclusively for this purpose.

“Wealthy men can’t live in an island that is encircled by poverty. We all breathe the same air. We must give a chance to everyone, at least a basic chance.” – Ayrton Senna

Poverty. The unspoken, unmentioned war that humanity is in constant embattlement with. For those on the acidic end of the spectrum they don’t truly understand to what degree of wealth some enjoy nor the means to attain such a lifestyle and for those living in basic standards they are oblivious for they have not walked the dirty paths just to receive a bucket of water that may or not kill them anyway. The PH in our world is so varied that half of the world’s wealth is in 1% of the world’s hands and until we can return to a neutral state in which we are all given a level playing field to do what we wish we can never truly understand evolution or a litmus strip for that matter. But of course who actually cares that 1 billion people live on less than 1 american dollar a day. It’s not our fault that these simpletons don’t even care to walk the 10 or so km to school through forests infested with gun wielding gangsta’s protecting the kids from the the government by “educating” them to fight for themselves. Remind you of a particular viral KONY 2012 project?
See the problem is all about common interests, is it our fault that our interests have drifted through the years? It’s not our fault that speeding through stop signs in my 2017 Bugatti Veyron and drinking fine wine through the long afternoons on my 100 foot yacht where the sun is so exceptionally hot that i may even have to go inside the air conditioned cabin whilst my factories in deep india churn out hundreds of millions of dollars worth of product to consumers who can’t actually afford what i sell. After all it’s my interests that have got me here and i’ve worked ever so hard to collect the settlements from my father who passed away leaving me nothing but a business that leaves me in the highest tax bracket possible. All the rest are just into different things.. Like shelter and warmth. Maybe we should just make our own country? Call it NZ 2.0 or NZ +. I mean it’s not that crazy to think about, we all live in gated communities anyway, lock them connecting only to other communities with similar interests. All you need is a green card and a certain income bracket.

Well, here we are. It’s been two years of fighting, over 100,000 people are dead, there are no signs of this war ending, and a week ago I used chemical weapons on my own people. If you don’t do anything about it, thousands of Syrians are going to die. If you do something about it, thousands of Syrians are going to die. Morally speaking, you’re on the hook for those deaths no matter how you look at it.

So, it’s your move, America. What’s it going to be?

I’ve looked at your options, and I’m going to be honest here, I feel for you. Not exactly an embarrassment of riches you’ve got to choose from, strategy-wise. I mean, my God, there are just so many variables to consider, so many possible paths to choose, each fraught with incredible peril, and each leading back to the very real, very likely possibility that no matter what you do it’s going to backfire in a big, big way. It’s a good old-fashioned mess, is what this is! And now, you have to make some sort of decision that you can live with.

So, where do I begin? Well, this is just the tip of the iceberg, but let’s start with the fact that my alliance with Russia and China means that nothing you decide to do will have the official support of the UN Security Council. So, right off the bat, I’ve already eliminated the possibility of a legally sound united coalition like in Libya or the First Gulf War. Boom. Gone. Off the table.

Now, let’s say you’re okay with that, and you decide to go ahead with, oh, I don’t know, a bombing campaign. Now, personally, I can see how that might seem like an attractive option for you. No boots on the ground, it sends a clear message, you could cripple some of my government’s infrastructure, and it’s a quick, clean, easy way to punish me and make you look strong in the face of my unimaginable tyranny. But let’s get real here. Any bombing campaign capable of being truly devastating to my regime would also end up killing a ton of innocent civilians, as such things always do, which I imagine is the kind of outcome you people would feel very guilty about. You know, seeing as you are so up in arms to begin with about innocent Syrians dying. Plus, you’d stoke a lot of anti-American hatred and quite possibly create a whole new generation of Syrian-born jihadists ready to punish the United States for its reckless warmongering and yadda yadda yadda.

Okay, what else? Well, you could play small-ball and hope that limited airstrikes to a few of my key military installations will send me the message to refrain from using chemical weapons again, but, c’mon, check me out: I’m ruthless, I’m desperate, and I’m going to do everything I can to stay in power. I’d use chemical weapons again in a heartbeat. You know that. And I know you know that. Hell, I want to help you guys out here, but you gotta be realistic. Trust me, I am incapable of being taught a lesson at this point. Got it? I am too far gone. Way too far gone.

Oh, and I know some of you think a no-fly zone will do the trick, but we both know you can’t stomach the estimated $1 billion a month that would cost, so wave bye-bye to that one, too.

Moving on.

I suppose you could always, you know, not respond with military force at all. But how can you do that? I pumped sarin gas into the lungs of my own people, for God’s sake! You can’t just let me get away with that, can you? I mean, I guess you easily could, and spare yourself all of this headache, but then you would probably lose any of your remaining moral high ground on the world stage and make everything from the Geneva Conventions to America’s reputation as a beacon for freedom and democracy around the world look like a complete sham.

And, hey, as long as we’re just throwing stuff out there, let’s consider a ground invasion for a moment. Now, even if you could reasonably fund a ground invasion, which I’m pretty sure you can’t, what exactly would such an invasion accomplish in the long term? I suppose it’s possible that you could come in and sweep me out the door and that would be the end of it. It’s possible. You know, like, in the sense that seeing a majestic white Bengal tiger in the wild is possible. Or, more likely, you could find yourself entrenched in a full-blown civil war that drags on for 15 years and sets off further turmoil in the rest of the region, leading to even more dead bodies for your country and mine, and even more virulent hatred of America. In fact, boy, maybe this is the one option that should be totally off the table.

Oh, and speaking of me being toppled from power, let’s say, just for fun, that tomorrow I were to somehow be dethroned. Who’s in charge? Half of these rebel groups refuse to work with one another and it’s getting harder to tell which ones are actually just Islamic extremists looking to fill a potential power vacuum. We’ve got Christians, Sunnis, and Shias all poised to fight one another for control should I fall. You want to be the ones sorting through that mess when you’re trying to build a new government? I didn’t think so.

So, all in all, quite the pickle you’re in, isn’t it? I have to say, I do not envy you here. Really curious to see where you go with this one.

I’ll leave you with this: I am insane. Not insane enough to generate worldwide unanimity that I cannot remain in charge of my own country. That would make this a lot easier. No, unfortunately, I’m just sane and stable enough to remain in power and devise cunning military and political strategies while at the same time adhering to a standard of morality that only the most perverse and sociopathic among us would be capable of adopting. But nevertheless, I am insane, so do with that information what you will.

Long story short, I’m going to keep doing my best to hold on to my country no matter what the cost. If that means bombing entire towns, murdering small children, or shooting at UN weapons inspectors, so be it. I’m in this for the long haul. And you will do…whatever it is you’re going to do, which is totally up to you. Your call.

Anyway, let me know what you decide. I’ll be waiting.