Manic Monday: Colorado Students School the School Board on Democracy and Fight Back Against 'Big Brother'

1984 by George Orwell

One of my all-time favorite books is 1984 (Signet Classics)
by George Orwell. You like dystopian? Now that's dystopian! 1984 may not be a horror story per se, but to me it is may be the scariest story ever written.

Scary because it feels plausible. And scary because for a person such as myself who values the freedom of thought and speech above all else, there is nothing more frightening than losing both.

1984 was published in 1948 as the super powers entered the cold war. Orwell may have been reacting to the events in pre-war Germany and Italy or perhaps looking east toward Russia and China.

But a recent news article brought Orwell's dystopian masterpiece to mind. Have you heard about the brave students, educators and parents in Jefferson County, Colorado that are fighting back against an all right-wing school board?

Image via Associated Press

I found this story via the LA Times. Apparently the recently-elected school board decided that it did not like the AP History curriculum. Here is a quote from the board calling for instruction in which “theories should be distinguished from fact. Materials should promote citizenship, patriotism, essentials and benefits of the free-enterprise system, respect for authority and respect for individual rights."

Okay, we'll stop it right there for a moment. Read the words of the school board closely. "Promote citizenship, patriotism ..." Sound familiar? Does it not sound like the "Ministry of Truth" from 1984, the organization responsible for propaganda and historical revision? After all, Winston Smith's job in 1984 was to rewrite past newspaper articles so that they always reflected the current party line. This is exactly what the Jefferson County school board is attempting to do.

The school board also said: "Materials should not encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard for the law."

I suppose, then, that the board proposes that students not learn about the Civil Rights movement, Women's Suffrage movement, and other events in which citizens used their rights of Free Speech (yes, you know that thing guaranteed by the First Amendment, i.e. the law) to attempt to change to system and obtain freedom for all people, not just the white male people.

In fact, the board's plan to revise the history books was "drafted in response to a new set of history standards adopted by the College Board, which gives more attention to minorities, Native Americans and pre-Columbus early American history." (Source, Portland Press Herald.) (As an aside, the Herald also reports that the school board blames the student protest on "dissident teachers", a phrase which also sounds a lot like it came from a spin-doctor handbook. If someone points out the problems with your agenda or policy, then call them "dissident" or "crazy" to discredit them.)

There was a well-written opinion piece on the Huffington Post blog yesterday written by Joseph Palermo. Mr. Palermo, speaking about Gretchen Carlson and Ken Witt, said: "And I doubt if Carlson and Witt ever heard of George Orwell who wrote: 'Who controls the past controls the future. And who controls the present controls the past.'"

What Ms. Carlson or Mr. Witt know (or think) is probably irrelevant. They are mere pawns belching out the party line. You can be very sure that the right wing politicos behind this move in Colorado, even if they have never heard of George Orwell, absolutely know how to gain power through control of history. And make no mistake that their agenda is to control propaganda so that they can increase their own power.

That's what totalitarian regimes do. And that's what we're talking about here.

Totalitarian is a system of government with only one party (or leader) having complete control and power over the people.

And what is the antonym for totalitarian?

Democracy.

And what is the foundation of democracy?

Freedom of speech.

Unfortunately, the freedom of speech in our country mainly serves the purpose these days of delivering free porn to every smart phone, tablet and computer in America. As I write this, more people right now are viewing porn than are engaging in political debate. Many, many, many more people.

That's okay with the Koch brothers and their ilk. Because if you are sidetracked by porn and cat videos and such, then you're not paying attention to what they're doing to consolidate their power. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

Kudos to the students, teachers and parents in Jefferson County who saw the move by their school board for what it is: an attempt to white wash history in furtherance of their own political agenda. Kudos for exercising their First Amendment rights. It takes courage to speak out against the actions of institutions and people in power. But now, perhaps more than ever, we all must be vigilant about our freedom and muster the courage we may not believe that we have to preserve our freedom. This is our right - and responsibility - in a free society. I for one feel a surge of hope today as I witness young people pushing back against what is most assuredly a threat to their freedom of thought.

How Indies are Democratizing the Arts & Why I Love Ben Semmens

This guy's voice is haunting me - in a good way.  The fact that I was able to discover Ben says a lot about the changes in how we are able to enjoy music, art and books.  The digital age has democratized our access to the arts.  Now, instead of "gatekeepers" deciding what we listen to (or books we read or art we see), artists can go directly to the public.

Many of us have known for years that the "best" music wasn't necessarily what was showing up on our radio.  Large corporations "own" the music business (and the book business and every other business).  Corporations cannot predict what the next big thing will be so they try to replicate the last big thing.  Sure, there are exceptions to this but for the most part, corporate supported art is homogenized.  In the past, if you're someone who likes the unique, the different, the truly new then you may have had to work to find it.

Not anymore.  The digital age has made it relatively easy for consumers to find new and interesting art.  I stumbled upon Ben's PledgeMusic page and heard "Constant Dream" one day when I was surfing the net.  And Ben is Indie.  Without the backing of a label, he sold over 60,000 downloads of songs from his first album Western Lights.

When I heard Ben's music, I could see why it might be tough to get a big label recording contract.  His voice is great, but his music is a bit tough to categorize.  If the corporation can't categorize it, put a label on it and get it onto a particular shelf, they're not very interested (especially for new or emerging artists).

When artists are pushing the envelope - going deep into creativity - their work can be hard to categorize.  Musicians may mix jazz with funk and add a little surfer vibe and what do you get?  Something that's hard to label.  But dang, that would be some cool music huh!?

It's the same with writing.  Some authors write mystery or romance or thrillers or sci fi.  But what if a writer mixes sci fi with western?  Or maybe mythology with action and throws in fantasy?  It could be a great story but may never see the light of day because an acquiring agent knows he/she can't sell it to a large publishing house because it defies quick and easy categorization.

Some consumers want the standard, the same, the thing that feels familiar.  That's fine.  There's plenty of that out there.

But for those of us who enjoy stretching ourselves a bit - listening to something we don't normally listen to - read a genre bending book - we are blessed with more choices than ever, right on our computer.

The beauty of iTunes and Smashwords and Amazon Kindle and other platforms is that individuals with something to say can say it and categorizing doesn't matter as much.  It's not actually taking up physical shelf space and it can stay there in perpetuity, finding its audience as slowly as it needs to.  An artist doesn't need to change their voice or mainstream their art to be heard.  Artists now are able to go directly to the people and don't need to get through the establishment "gatekeeper."

How democratic is that!  Vive la revolution!

If you like the different, the unique - if you like to take a chance - sample new things for the pleasure of every now and again finding something you love - then support the Indie artists of the world.  Musicians.  Novelists.  Poets.  Artists.

Here are two of Ben's songs for you to check out for yourself.

I'm not a Twilight fan, but this is the only video I could find for "Constant Dream" that I can share.  So if you love Twilight, keep your eyes open and enjoy.  If you can't stand the sight of Bella and Edward, then close your eyes and enjoy Ben's beautiful voice.

"Constant Dream" could be in the soundtrack for my forthcoming novel Emily's House.  It perfectly captures the way Emily feels at the beginning of the book.

Ben is working on his first solo album and I hope we don't have to wait too long to hear his new tunes.  Here's one that I hope he'll include (and the photo montage is nice too).

So check Ben out and let me know what you think.  And, if you have favorite Indies, share with us here.