George Orwell's story Animal Farm, is widely regarded as a not so deeply veiled allusion to the Communist Revolution in early 20th century Russia. Remember the USSR? That's what he's talking about here.So for what purpose does it serve in the wake of the USSR's now non-existence?
Firstly, the story tells of how one group overthrows the ruling group (the farmer) by promises of a better life. That better life is transformed into much of the same, if not worse, for the masses, but the new ruling group (the pigs) lives rather high on the hog. (har har har).
Thus, it isn't necessarily an explicit commentary on the ills of Marxism, but how power in general corrupts. Once given power, the rulers will exploit this not only for their own benefit, but to keep the workers in their place, thereby keeping themselves as the ruling elite.
Philosophers disagree on if all power is corruptible, or if that is a mere generalization. Clearly some are power-hungry and seek power for its own abuses, while some at least give the appearance of benevolence in their leadership, but then the pigs of Animal Farm do this too, often by abusing the limited mental capacities of the workers, telling lies and changing stories about the past to make it fit their needs.
When approaching the ethics of leadership, it would seem prudent to observe with a certain amount of skepticism until proven otherwise.
1 comment:
Aye. All power systems do this, not just Communism. It's just more evident in a totalitarian system to outsiders. I think it's more dangerous elsewhere, though, where we don't think such twisty lies are fed to and eagerly consumed by the masses. Take, for instance, the many powerful religious leaders who constantly spread the notion that America is a Christian nation...
Post a Comment