NEW CASTLE —
Editor, The News:
In George Orwell’s thought-provoking novel “1984” (written in 1948 and published in 1949) a government agency called the “Ministry of Truth” rewrote history on a daily basis to promote the propaganda put forth by the ruling administration called “Big Brother.”
It reviewed every publication ever written in order to delete any historical fact that could possibly undermine Big Brother’s oppressive and ever-changing government doctrines.
The book was a source of concern for many people, but very few of Orwell’s examples showcasing an all-powerful society made their way into the future.
Despite the fact that many people believe that government today meddles too much into the daily lives of its citizens, it is still a weak sister compared to the Orwellian world of “1984.”
The ability of a strong-willed human society to think for itself (the 1960s for example) and the current uprisings by the populations of Middle Eastern countries against dictatorial and tyrannical leadership supports that view.
All is not lost for Big Brother, however, for lo and behold, a college sports commission called the NCAA has found a way to rewrite history. Taking a chapter from George Orwell’s book, it took away 112 wins from Penn State’s football team while it was being coached by Joe Paterno.
The commission may have worked hard to protect its agenda by trying to make decisions that would sanctify a horrific situation, but it completely overstepped the bounds of common sense in allowing a “ministry of truth” to get its foot into the door of government intervention.
Fortunately for all of us in society, the NCAA has a lot of work to do in order to replicate Big Brother’s system of erasing every record and every memory of (in this case) legitimately won victories by talented football teams.
Alan Dudash
Meadowridge Drive
Ellwood City
Homepage
NCAA takes Orwellian approach to Paterno
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