Voddie Baucham: How Sexual Activists Hijacked the Civil Rights Movement | 7.7.24

Published in 1949, '1984' is a cautionary tale by George Orwell that explores the dangers of totalitarianism. The novel is set in a dystopian future where the world is divided into three super-states, with the protagonist Winston Smith living in Oceania, ruled by the mysterious and omnipotent leader Big Brother. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites historical records to conform to the Party's ever-changing narrative. He begins an illicit love affair with Julia and starts to rebel against the Party, but they are eventually caught and subjected to brutal torture and indoctrination. The novel highlights themes of government surveillance, manipulation of language and history, and the suppression of individual freedom and independent thought.

In this book, Christopher Caldwell argues that the reforms of the 1960s, intended to make the nation more just and humane, have come with staggering costs in wealth, freedom, and social stability. These costs have been unevenly distributed among classes and generations. Caldwell explores key political turning points over the past half-century, including affirmative action, leveraged buyouts, iPhones, Oxycotin, Black Lives Matter, and internet cookies, showing how these reforms have led to two incompatible political systems and driven the country toward conflict.