Are you living in SB Oceania?

1984

was a book we all HAD to read in High school, even though we didn't want to. Back then we all had to write a book report or take a test on it, but we were all probably too young (I was anyway) to understand what it really meant in society, politics, and Softball (nice connection between some pretty unrelated yet related topics).

George Orwell's brilliant novel's effect on the English language is extensive; as concepts such as

• Big Brother = Evil Overseer
• Room 101 = Mind Control/Brainwashing
  
• Thought Police = Spies
  
• Thoughtcrime = Brain Washing/ Mind control
  
• Unperson = Rewriting history b/c of an agenda
  
• Memory Hole = Oblivion
• Doublethink = Simultaneously holding and believing contradictory beliefs
• Newspeak = Propaganda - an ideological language that makes "all other modes of thought impossible".

have all become common phrases for denoting totalitarian authority. A major theme of the book is Censorship, which is displayed especially in the Ministry of Truth, where photographs are doctored and public archives rewritten to rid them of "unpersons". Lies becomes Truths and Truths become Lies. It's all fucked up, not a fun place to live.

Speaking of places to live, 1984 all takes place in Oceania,
one of three super-states that was divided after a global war.
The Party leader,Big Brother rules the people and always reminds them that
"BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU" on the telescreen. Oh yeah, everyone's crib has a two-way TV called a telescreen that spies on you 24/7 so you have no real privacy.This surveillance allows for control of the citizenry where even the smallest sign of rebellion, can result in immediate arrest/imprisonment.Translation: Your fucked if you go against the Man

The social class system is threefold:

1. The upper-class Inner Party,
2. The middle-class Outer Party, and
   
3. The lower-class Proles (from Proletariat), who make up 85% of the population and represent the working class.

Crazy how only a few evil bastards control everyone. The Party controls the population via four government ministries that are all contradictions and means of manipulation :

1. Ministry of Peace - which is really all about War
2. Ministry of Plenty - in reality their Isn't Enough to go around and they lie about it
   
3. Ministry of Love - is all about promoting Hate
   
4. Ministry of Truth - is all about Lies
   

In the book, the goverment's vision of the future is :

"There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always—do not forget this, - always there will be the Intoxication of Power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.

That's some grim evil shit as inhabitants of this world can't seem to mount a resistance and all share a sense of Betrayed Revolution

Does any of this sound like the people running your softball league? If so, ask yourself is rebellion possible? B/c softball Oceania can come crashing down if you are willinging to Take A Stand against Big Softball Brother.