“You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.”
One of my favorite novels of all time is Animal Farm
by George Orwell and this is largely because it was a book that I read during school. If it wasn’t for the guidance and instruction of my teacher, I probably wouldn’t have understood the incredible depth of the tale.
On the surface, Animal Farm sounds almost like a children’s book with talking animals, but it is really an allegory for the Russian Revolution. It attacks all sorts of incredibly profound issues, from the politics of government to the treatment of workers. In this mix, Leon Trotsky (portrayed by Snowball the pig) plays an integral role. Trotsky is known as a fantastic orator and a great writer, not unlike a modern day politician like Barack Obama.
In this way, he reminds us that even if you are not interested in something, that something could have a powerful impact on your everyday life. Even if you don’t care about the war in Iraq, it could have an effect on your life. Even if you’re not at all interested in international politics, the resulting policies are “interested in you,” so to speak.
Speaking for myself, I’ve become somewhat disenchanted with the military efforts overseas, having been bombarded by so much news coverage these last few years. At the same time, I recognize why these issues are so important. What about you? Do you stay glued to CNN with every new development? Or do you just glaze over when they talk about “the war” again?
And as Glenn Beck would say, like Trotsky, Obama is a Marxist.
No. I check out CNNs only now and then. Local news interest me the most.
If you liked the Orwell book, you will love “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch” and The 4 book set “The Gulag Archipelago”. They are my favorite books.
I don’t really pay too much attention to the news other than checking the headlines on msn.com. Personally, I think that our government has hidden agendas and promote different campaigns for their own self interests.
The money that politicians receive are usually from big companies that have interests that they want to promote. A lot of companies will lobby and donate funds to different political groups with hopes that these politicians and groups will create policies and laws in their favor.
I think that is why we have been going through so much economic turmoil. Instead of looking out for the whole of society, our government is mainly looking out for their selves.