What "Orwellian" really means - Noah Tavlin

Šta izraz "orvelovski" zaista znači - Noa Tavlin (Noah Tavlin)

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

If you've watched the news or followed politics

Ako ste gledali vesti ili ako pratite politiku,

chances are you've heard the term Orwellian

sve su prilike da ste čuli kako se razbacuju terminom "orvelovski"

thrown around in one context or another.

u raznim kontekstima.

But have you ever stopped to think about what it really means,

Ali da li ste ikad stali da razmislite šta on zaista znači

or why it's used so often?

ili zašto ga tako često koriste?

The term was named after British author Eric Blair

Termin je nastao po imenu britanskog pisca Erika Blera,

known by his pen name George Orwell.

poznatom pod pseudonimom Džordž Orvel.

Because his most famous work, the novel "1984,"

Zato što njegovo najpoznatije delo, roman "1984",

depicts an oppressive society under a totalitarian government,

oslikava ugnjetavano društvo pod totalitarnim režimom,

"Orwellian" is often used simply to mean authoritarian.

"orvelovski" se često koristi prosto u značenju autoritarnog.

But using the term in this way

Ali ovakva upotreba termina,

not only fails to fully convey Orwell's message,

ne samo da ne prenosi u potpunosti Orvelovu poruku,

it actually risks doing precisely what he tried to warn against.

već zapravo rizikujemo da uradimo ono na šta je pokušao da nas upozori.

Orvel je uistinu bio protivnik svih oblika tiranije,

Orwell was indeed opposed to all forms of tyranny,

spending much of his life fighting against anti-democratic forces

proveo je veći deo svog života boreći se protiv nedemokratskih sila,

of both the left-wing and the right.

i levog i desnog krila.

But he was also deeply concerned with how such ideologies proliferate.

Takođe je bio i duboko zabrinut zbog načina

na koji se te ideologije množe.

And one of his most profound insights

A njegovo najoštroumnije opažanje

was the importance that language plays in shaping our thoughts and opinions.

bilo je značaj jezika u oblikovanju naših misli i stavova.

The government of "1984"'s Oceania controls its people's actions and speech

Vlada u Okeaniji iz "1984" kontroliše dela i govor ljudi

in some ways that are obvious.

na očigledne načine.

Their every move and word is watched and heard,

Svaki njihov pokret i reč se posmatraju i slušaju,

and the threat of what happens to those who step out of line

a pretnja od onoga što će da zadesi one koji pređu crtu,

is always looming overhead.

uvek im visi nad glavom.

Other forms of control are not so obvious.

Drugi oblici kontrole nisu toliko očigledni.

The population is inundated with a constant barrage of propaganda

Stanovništvo je preplavljeno stalnim propagandnim bombardovanjem

made up of historical facts and statistics manufactured in the Ministry of Truth.

koga čine istorijska fakta i statistike proizvedene u Ministarstvu istine.

The Ministry of Peace is the military.

Ministarstvo mira je vojska.

Radne kampove zovu "Kampovima užitka".

Labor camps are called "Joycamps."

Political prisoners are detained and tortured in the Ministry of Love.

Političke zatvorenike zatvaraju i muče u Ministarstvu ljubavi.

This deliberate irony is an example of doublespeak,

Ova namerna ironija je primer dvosmislenosti,

when words are used not to convey meaning but to undermine it,

kada koristimo reči, ne da bismo preneli značenje, već da bi ga podrili,

izopačavajući tako same ideje na koje se reči odnose.

corrupting the very ideas they refer to.

The regime's control of language goes even further,

Kontrola jezika od strane režima ide čak i dalje,

kroz eliminaciju reči iz engleskog jezika

eliminating words from the English language

to create the official dialect of Newspeak,

kako bi stvorili zvanični dijalekat Novogovora,

a crudely limited collection of acronyms and simple concrete nouns

banalno ograničenu kolekciju akronima i prostih stvarnih imenica,

lacking any words complex enough to encourage nuanced or critical thought.

bez ijedne reči dovoljno složene

da bi podstakla istančano i kritičko mišljenje.

This has an effect on the psyche Orwell calls, "Doublethink,"

Ovaj uticaj na psihu Orvel naziva "dvomišljem",

hipnotičkim stanjem kognitivne disonance

a hypnotic state of cognitive dissonance

in which one is compelled to disregard their own perception

u kome se pojedinac podstiče da zanemari sopstvenu percepciju,

in place of the officially dictated version of events,

zarad zvanično izdiktiranih verzija događaja.

leaving the individual completely dependent

Pojedinac tako postaje potpuno zavisan

on the State's definition of reality itself.

od državne definicije same stvarnosti.

The result is a world

Rezultat je svet

u kome je narušena čak i privatnost ličnog toka misli,

in which even the privacy of one's own thought process is violated,

where one may be found guilty of thoughtcrime by talking in their sleep,

gde pojedinac može biti osuđen za misaoni zločin počinjen govorom u snu,

and keeping a diary or having a love affair

a vođenje dnevnika ili ljubavna afera

equals a subversive act of rebellion.

su jednaki subverzivnom činu pobune.

Ovo možda zvuči kao nešto što je jedino moguće u totalitarnim režimima,

This might sound like something that can only happen in totalitarian regimes,

but Orwell was warning us about the potential for this occurring

ali Orvel nas je upozoravao da se ovo može desiti

even in democratic societies.

čak i u demokratskim društvima.

And this is why "authoritarian" alone does not "Orwellian" make.

Zbog toga "orvelovski" ne znači jedino "autoritaran".

In his essay, "Politics and the English Language,"

U svom eseju "Politika i engleski jezik",

he described techniques like using pretentious words to project authority,

opisao je tehnike, poput upotrebe pretencioznih reči

da bi se iskazao autoritet

or making atrocities sound acceptable by burying them in euphemisms

ili postizanja da užasi zvuče prihvatljivo kada se zatrpaju eufemizmima

and convoluted sentence structures.

ili uvijenim rečeničnim strukturama.

But even more mundane abuses of language can affect the way we think about things.

Čak i svakidašnja zloupotreba jezika može da utiče na to kako razmišljamo.

The words you see and hear in everyday advertising

Reči koje vidite i čujete svakodnevno u reklamama

have been crafted to appeal to you and affect your behavior,

su osmišljene kako bi vas privukle i uticale na vaše ponašanje,

as have the soundbites and talking points of political campaigns

poput tonskih isečaka i tema političkih kampanja

which rarely present the most nuanced perspective on the issues.

koje retko prezentuju najistančaniji pogled na problematiku.

And the way that we use ready-made phrases and responses gleaned from media reports

A način na koji koristimo gotove fraze i odgovore napabirčene iz medija

or copied from the Internet

ili prekopirane sa interneta

makes it easy to get away with not thinking too deeply

olakšava nam da se izvučemo ako ne razmišljamo naročito duboko

or questioning your assumptions.

ili ako ne dovodimo u pitanje pretpostavke.

So the next time you hear someone use the word Orwellian,

Pa, sledeći put kad čujete da neko koristi reč "orvelovski",

pay close attention.

dobro obratite pažnju.

If they're talking about the deceptive and manipulative use of language,

Ako govore o varljivoj i manipulativnoj upotrebi jezika,

they're on the right track.

na pravom su putu.

Ako govore o masovnom nadzoru i napadnim vladama,

If they're talking about mass surveillance and intrusive government,

they're describing something authoritarian but not necessarily Orwellian.

opisuju nešto što je autoritarno, ali ne nužno orvelovski.

A ako je koriste kao svenamensku reč za sve ideje koje im se ne sviđaju,

And if they use it as an all-purpose word for any ideas they dislike,

it's possible their statements are more Orwellian

moguće je da su njihovi iskazi orvelovskiji

than whatever it is they're criticizing.

od bilo čega što kritikuju.

Words have the power to shape thought.

Reči imaju moć da oblikuju misao.

Language is the currency of politics,

Jezik je politička moneta,

forming the basis of society from the most common, everyday interactions

on čini temelj našeg društva, od najobičnijih, svakidašnjih interakcija

to the highest ideals.

do najviših ideala.

Orwell urged us to protect our language

Orvel nas je podsticao da štitimo naš jezik

because ultimately our ability to think and communicate clearly

jer je naposletku naša sposobnost jasnog razmišljanja i komunikacije

is what stands between us and a world where war is peace

ono što stoji između nas i sveta u kome je rat mir,

and freedom is slavery.

a sloboda je ropstvo.