Animal Farm : Slogans and Gaslighting

It's a shame I was already aware that Animal Farm was a satire on Stalin when I first read it so I missed out on the 'innocent' just-about-animals experience that some of you had, followed by a later 'Oh, I never thought about it like that!' revelation.

Me too, Freespeecher. I bet she'd have had some pithy words to say about the TRAs nonsense.

DUH!

Juells - I'm not OldCrone but the quotation is from the start of the linked Medium piece by Jo Bartosch.

medium.com/@josephinebartosch/illiberal-liberal-consensus-785ad953831

Surely Owen Jones has to be Squealer?

Animal Farm also reminds me of one of the classic Adrian Mole books - Mole, who very much sees himself as a literary intellectual, is astonished to find that AF is an analogy of Stalin's Russia - 'I thought it was a book about animals!'

God I miss Sue Townsend.

OldCrone

Who were you quoting in your first post in this thread? ‘Woman/ ˈwʊmən noun an adult human female’...This definition has been derided as exclusionary and transphobic, and reported to the Advertising Standards Authority.

ASA on billboards:

It goes without saying ads on posters and billboards and in other outdoor public spaces, should not mislead, harm or offend. But the targeting and placement of these kinds of ads are also particularly important.

The way in which ads are targeted can have a significant bearing on their acceptability under the ad rules. Targeting is especially important when considering matters of taste and decency because the likelihood of an ad causing offence is inextricably linked to the attitudes of the people who see it.

For example fashion ads featuring semi-nude models may be acceptable in women’s glossy magazines but they wouldn’t be appropriate on posters or billboards in public spaces where they could be viewed by children.

Advertisers should also be mindful that the unsuitable targeting of ads for certain products automatically breaks the ad rules. For example, no medium with more than 25% of its audience under 18 years of age should be used to advertise an alcoholic drink.

www.asa.org.uk/media_channel/Poster_and_other_out_of_home.html

I don't think the complaint will be taken forward by the ASA but I will be very interested in the reasoning if I'm wrong. And, it will be particularly interesting if AncientLights is correct and it's taken as a parallel for religious advertising.

I don't know if the obliqueness of the advertising matters in this case? I think most people have no idea as to the issues - and I can't see whether or not the poster had something like, "Paid for by Standing Up for Women".

In the light of the discussion here, I'm wondering if SUFW could re-write Animal Farms commandments.

The difference between the animals and TRAs is that the animals existed before they became aware of their oppression and then rebelled, whereas TRAs didn't exist as such until the rebellion came along.

What's it's like now is that the animals decided to rebel, the neighbouring farmers decided they wanted a share in Manor Farm, declared themselves Furries, and demanded the animals make it all about them.

arranfan it's difficult to view that billboard as advertising, surely. I mean, exactly what is it advertising? I can see parallels with messages about religion on the sides of buses perhaps. It'll be an interesting one to watch.

Well, I believe as soon as there is some animal that questions stuff, you either have Squealer make the sheep cry the *four legs good...' mantra, that drowns everything out, or Napoleon/Squealer loosens the attack dogs, which they took from their mothers early to train them...

And of course, whenever the pigs are caught in some lie, they rewrite some commandment (animals do not drink [new insert: too much] alcohols, no animal is allowed to kill another animal [new insert: good reason]...)

No 'you are erasing me' tantrums, though.

It's a while since I read it, but I do seem to remember the pigs doing some proper offended pouting when the donkey has the temerity to start seeing through their lies. I think I shall have to get a copy and reread it.

And the pigs would spend a lot more time throwing tantrums.

Yeah, good point. In this respect, Animal Farm is indeed kind of dated.

And the pigs would spend a lot more time throwing tantrums.

Yes. Word for Word.

Thing is though, those books were written of their time, when people were innocent to this crap.

These days, if you wrote Animal Farm, there would be a point where the animals got together on a forum, got out the biscuits and started vociferously saying Fuck This for a game of soldiers. No. Not doing this.

And spent a hell of a lot of time trying to explain reality in very small words to the pigs, while patiently banging on and on and on to the animals still taken in by it all that they really needed to do some thinking and stop co operating.

I actually think Animal Farm is the more appropriate tale than Nineteen Eighty Four for the TRA movement.

The animals are initially united in their rebellion against oppression - women would have been very happy to have common cause with those who wish to challenge the gender system.

But then, the pigs manipulate the situation so that they end up at the top of the pile - all are equal, some are more equal that others. And so the TRA movement, parasitic as it is, has manipulated various ideas of equality to put themselves at the top of an oppression hierarchy so that instead of dismantling the oppressive gender regime, they have reinforced it and made themselves part of the elite class.

Until yesterday I’d never read any of Orwell’s Animal Farm. When I got to the ‘Four legs good, two legs bad’ sheep chant, I immediately recognised the parallel with ‘TWAW’ slogan. Moving on to the gaslighting of the animals when the pigs move into the house and alter the seven commandments, I shuddered.

I have read Orwell's Animal Farm to my kid when he was six. Wasn't sure how much he would get, but I wanted to try to teach him how totalitarianism works as soon as possible (mostly because I am staunchly antiwar, and do not want him to take so long as me to see through the repetitive, inflationary 'this is the new Hitler' propaganda, that accompanies pretty much every Western march to war these days). I think kiddo got it and he has ever since asked me every couple of months to reread with him the parts with the shifting commandments. He loves it.

Yes, TWAW and moving the goalposts and all the abuse if you disagree is very similar. Heck TERF is basically Snowball, to blame for all the ills TRAs may face. And in the end, TRAs are more equal than anyone else and dish out the same crap (male abuse) as the farmers (patriarchy) whom they once rebelled against, during the historic rainbow rebellion...

Oh yes you are completely right! Bang on and my analysis completely unnecessary lol. But in my defence I often see people saying 'fine it might be true but why rub faces in it' and that is why, it's because the truth informs the power differential.

Interesting point, Charlie, though I'd argue that the billboard isn't actually advertising something, so possibly doesn't fall within the remit of the ASA.

The billboard speaks directly to power differentials. It's a truth, but is it unreasonable to shove it in people's faces? It's all about power.

Compare two billboards: an image of a group of Caucasians, declaring 'we are white and we are here', and an image of a group of black people, saying 'we are black and we are here'.

Both are true, so should be allowed if truth is the only criteria. But one is unnerving and feels aggressive, the other feels like a statement of affirmation. It's because of the power differential between white and black people. There's still a need for black communities to make that sort of statement in the face of discrimination.

So if the ASA sees trans as most oppressed evah, they could find that this billboard breaks rules. But if it sees women as more oppressed, it won't.

what have dictionary definitions got to do with the Advertising Standards Authority?

AncientLights - sorry if you're being tongue in cheek, but if you're not - it's a reference to the Billboard with that definition that was in Liverpool - the Standing Up for Women initiative. It might be interesting if ASA has to rule on that and if the need to address the context. Even so, I can't see how they can find a case to answer...

I read Animal Farm far too young, without knowing the political context at all, and it really upset me. Because of the poor animals

It actually gives me the cold terror chills now I know the context.

And to see it unrolling like this in real life.

TWAW

Some women have penises

We're going to need more stickers.

I'd quite like to suggest that people using Orwell as 'how to' manuals should take a long walk on Wigan Pier.

I may have missed something here, I often do, but what have dictionary definitions got to do with the Advertising Standards Authority? They are about, umm, advertising. It's not their job to re-write dictionaries according to the gospels of Saints Monroe, Jane, Shon et al.

I've been meaning to re-read Orwell. Now seems the perfect time.

Animal Farm & Nineteen Eighty Four are definitely worth reading / re-reading.

Also, Lord of the Flies!