8,347
edits
(Import from TV Tropes TVT:Main.Thoughtcrime 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:Main.Thoughtcrime, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license) |
|||
(7 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{trope}}
{{quote|''Whether he wrote DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, or whether he refrained from writing it, made no difference. Whether he went on with the diary, or whether he did not go on with it, made no difference. The [[Secret Police|Thought Police]] would get him just the same. He had committed -- would still have committed, even if he had never set pen to paper -- the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you.''|'''[[George Orwell]]''', ''[[Nineteen Eighty
One of the most insidious, brilliant and disturbing concepts is the idea of your ability to think freely being ''illegal''. Whenever a government controls the speech and actions of its citizens, it'll label (what it considers) disapproved thought as Thoughtcrime, and take [[Orwellian Retcon|whatever]] [[Orwellian Editor|steps]] [[Newspeak|needed]] to quell Thoughtcrime, [[Doublethink|by]] '''[[Room 101|every]]''' [[Two Plus Torture Equals Five|means]] [[Unperson|capable]]. One could even call such governments paranoid, if they're willing to go this far, ''just'' to keep the citizens from revolting.
If a reason is ever given at all, [[Big Brother Is Watching|apart from the obvious]], Thoughtcrime can be [[Half Truth|explained]] as "[
Note that this is extreme hypocrisy on the part of the guys who came up with Thoughtcrime; [[Irony|they use their free will]] to [[Double Standard|censor others' free will]]. Telling that ''to'' them, however, [[Cold
Also note that it's nearly impossible to remove anti-Thoughtcrime policies once enacted, [[Crapsack World|for obvious reasons]].
Related to [[The Evils of Free Will]]. In more nuanced stories, some of these guys sincerely believe they're using [[Brainwashing for
{{examples|Examples:}}▼
== Film ==
* ''[[
* Apparently something like this existed to some degree in the world of ''[[Starship Troopers (
== Literature ==
* [[Trope Maker]] comes from ''[[Nineteen Eighty
* In the short story "[[Harrison Bergeron]]", thinking is ''literally'' outlawed.
== Live Action ==
* A mundane variant comes from the ''[[
* ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'' had an episode where they came across a people who were extremely telepathic, so sensitive that any extreme emotions would incite them to act out on those feelings; having violent thoughts was a crime in and of itself. Torres was put under trial for having a brief violent thought when someone bumped into her, and Tuvok's investigation into the planet's culture found a sort of "violent thoughts" [[Black Market]]. Of course it examined the nature that when something was so taboo it meant their own people were unable to handle it when confronted with the situation.
== [[Real Life]] ==▼
* Under the reign of Henry VIII, it became treason to even ''think'' ill of the king.▼
* At least one street sign seen in [[New York City]] in the 1980s read "Don't even ''think'' about parking here!"▼
** It's still there, a block away from the Burrito Bar.▼
* The idea behind "re-education camps" in Communist countries.▼
* In the USA, respectful burning is the recommended method for disposing of old flags. However, many people want to ban flag-burning, when the intent is to protest the government. Thus, the actual crime isn't the burning, it's what you're ''thinking'' while doing it.▼
== [[Stand Up Comedy]] ==
* Played for laughs in Paula Poundstone's standup routine.
{{quote|
== [[Tabletop RPG]] ==
* ''[[Paranoia (
== Trope Works ==
Line 43 ⟶ 36:
== Webcomics ==
* ''[[
* ''StoneToss'' illustrates the inherent risks of working in thought police: "[http://stonetoss.com/comic/you-laugh-you-lose/ You Laugh, You Lose]".
== Western Animation ==
* In a merge of [[Orwellian Editor]], ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' has the higher-ups of Ba Sing Se brainwashing everyone who dares to mention that there's a century-long war going on in the whole world outside the walls. The resident [[Lovable Rogue]] had this inflicted upon him, which {{spoiler|led to his death}}.
▲== [[Real Life]] ==
▲* Under the reign of Henry VIII, it became treason to even ''think'' ill of the king.
▲* At least one street sign seen in [[New York City]] in the 1980s read "Don't even ''think'' about parking here!"
▲** It's still there, a block away from the Burrito Bar.
▲* The idea behind "re-education camps" in Communist countries.
▲* In the USA, respectful burning is the recommended method for disposing of old flags. However, many people want to ban flag-burning, when the intent is to protest the government. Thus, the actual crime isn't the burning, it's what you're ''thinking'' while doing it.
{{reflist}}
Line 53 ⟶ 54:
[[Category:The Index Is Watching You]]
[[Category:Thoughtcrime]]
|