How to Handle Pravda
Why Sarah A Hoyt's Methods Will Not Always Work
There is an important tutorial on According to Hoyt today.
It deals with an important concept in Leftist societies - how to read/watch the news, and use it as a Starting Point to figuring out just what REALLY happened.
That, BTW, was an art form in the Old USSR (and many other Leftist countries, as well). The official organ of the state was Pravda (it means Truth - which is either a stern command, or an ironic twist on reality). It printed the Official Story of What Happened each day, straight from the Party leadership.
Which had little or no relationship to what actually happened.
But, it was the only game in town. So, it became standard to read Pravda, and use it as a stepping stone to working out what really happened. Solzhenitsyn wrote about the process in one or more of his books. When I first read it, my thought was: why the hell did they bother?
I’ve since realized why this was the norm. It gives the citizen/subject a clear roadway for compliance with directives from the state. It makes it easier to fall in line with The Leftist Way. By taking it all in, you just have to remember (and spew back on command) what is printed. You HAVE to read it every day, as the stories changed (but, you could NEVER acknowledge that changes occurred - it was Pravda today, same as Pravda yesterday, and Pravda Eternal). The memory-holing of your recollections was a necessary skill for all good Party followers.
Twitter and other Leftist social medial aren’t at that advanced point, so far. They’ve managed to get their in-house Army of Twitstapos to seek out NLDs (Non-Leftist Dissidents), and get them Silenced. (The CAPS just seem to work there, don’t they?)
You don’t even have to be an Officially NLD - simply daring to pass on a Non-Approved Story, or Sharing a Post from a Non-Approved Source will suffice to trigger the AoTs (Army of Twitstapos) to Shut You DOWN!
That problem is not unique to Twitter. The Facebook Fascists (TM Pending) also zoom in to silence the NLDs.
The Silencing is so pervasive, that the Left even managed to pressure Amazon to shut down Parler access to their own site. As of today, Parler is - fittingly, in German - Kaput!
Ironically, some Conservatives readily engage with, and permit access on their sites, to the Left.
For now, the biggest problem is tossing the NLDs off social media.
In the future, will the greatest problem be the re-writing of history?
Sarah points to the formerly common practice of those in Leftist countries, of analyzing the Pravda to determine the actual, underlying story. That practice depends on people who trust their intellect, eyes, and common sense. And, who don’t fear the knock at the door.
In the end, it took many years of pain and suffering before the USSR finally fell. And, although some aspects of Russia have changed, others still remain - including the ruthless willingness of the people in charge to commit murder to keep their position.
In modern-day Russia, Pravda is still what the government officially says it is.
In the absence of hard copies, will the malleable electronic records be irretrievably changed?
1984 may be in the past, but its full implementation will be in the future.