Thoughts on “thoughtcrime.” Is it a crime? Haha.
“Thoughtcrime” is a concept from George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel 1984. I think the title just meant the future as it was written in 1948. Orwell just switched the order of 4 and 8. The novel is about a totalitarian state, and it seems to be the author’s response to the horror of World War II. There is a good movie version of it with brilliant English actor John Hurt as the main character, if you don’t have time to read or re-read it.
Here is the Wiki definition of “thoughtcrime”: “a person’s politically unorthodox thoughts, such as unspoken beliefs and doubts that contradict the tenets of Ingsoc (English Socialism), the dominant ideology of Oceania.”
In my personal life, I was recently severely punished for “thoughtcrime” in part. I was arrested, tortured, and inhumanely jailed for telling jokes in public. Yes, I guess society can decide what is legal and what isn’t. But we should have better responses to minor, social, nonviolent crimes that involve no theft. I don’t even think thieves should be physically brutalized, if they do not resist arrest. Let’s demolish “Room 101.”