Here's what I think happens in Orwell's books based on how I've heard 'Orwellian' used

[demmiblue]

What a prolific author George Orwell was, and what foresight he had! Here are just a few of what I can only assume are key moments from his works, based on the way I have seen people on the Internet — from Sen. Josh Hawley to Donald Trump Jr. — throw the word “Orwellian” around!

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, narrowly dodging two small, very indoctrinated children who were playing a game. “Bang!” one shouted. “You’re shadow-banned, Devin!”

“Ah,” Winston’s neighbor said. “Winston! Good. We are all getting a letter together to try to discourage the advertisers of a political opinion television program with which we disagree, but you don’t have to sign it if you don’t want to. It’s a free country."

Winston suppressed a shudder. Had it really come to this?

...

Winston shuddered. He had finally surrendered. The Party had won its ultimate victory over him. He had been stripped of his freedom, his mind, his voice. All that he had left was his freedom, his mind, his voice, the massive subscriber base of his podcast and the ability to post on dozens of platforms. Big Brother had won.

“This is—” Winston said. He tried very hard to think of the word for what it was, but it was difficult because he had never read a book.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/12/hawley-trump-twitter-orwellian-1984/

[marybourg]

1. Try to read his essay

Politics and the English Language" (1950) which will shed light on how the right wing has been able to bend our culture by controlling naming, e.g. “ pro-life”, “ militias”.

[mia]

2. Winston knew without looking where they had arrived. They were at the door of Room 101.

“What is in Room 101?” he wondered. But he had always known. The thing that was in Room 101 was the worst thing in the world. He opened the door and quailed in the anticipation of pain. Yes, there it was: a sign asking him to put on a mask while he shopped in a store.

***

Behind the metal gate, Winston could hear a faint scratching, growing louder. “You know what is about to happen,” O’Brien said, his voice infinitely patient and sad. “I will press this button and the rats will be released.”

Winston shuddered. The only thing waiting for the rats on the other side of the metal gate was his publishing contract, and the rats sounded hungry. “No!” he screamed. “Do it to Julia’s publishing contract! Not to mine; to Julia’s!”

***

“Goodbye, Boxer,” the animals cheered, as Boxer the Horse climbed into the van.

“Fool!” Benjamin the Donkey cried, stamping his small hooves. “Do you not see what is written on the side of that van?”

Muriel began spelling it out. “Alfred Simmons, Horse Deplatformer—”

“Get out, Boxer! Get out!” Benjamin cried. “They’re moving you to Substack!”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/12/hawley-trump-twitter-orwellian-1984/

[Paladin]

3. Orwell's 1946 "A Nice Cup Of Tea" remains one of the great "how to" essays.

Two pages, widely available online. The companies that sell tea in bags hate it.

[Generic Other]

4. Poor Winston...

Winston shuddered. He had finally surrendered. The Party had won its ultimate victory over him.

He had been stripped of his freedom, his mind, his voice. All that he had left was his freedom, his mind, his voice, the massive subscriber base of his podcast and the ability to post on dozens of platforms. Big Brother had won.

“This is—” Winston said. He tried very hard to think of the word for what it was, but it was difficult because he had never read a book.

[NNadir]

5. "...never read a book..." Hilarious!