[Geoff] All right, so we're diving into a book that's practically everywhere, you know. George Orwell's Animal Farm. It's everywhere, and for good reason.
You brought this one to us, and well, it's got it all. Power, rebellion, the way words can be, well, kind of twisted around.
[Sarah] It really is amazing, you know, how relevant this story still is today. Like, it could have been written yesterday. Orwell was really onto something, using this simple farmyard, this microcosm almost, to show us, I don't know, something about ourselves, about human nature, that maybe we don't always want to see.
[Geoff] Totally. And the thing is, it starts with so much hope. I mean, just reading those first few pages, like especially on page three, when it says, no animal in England is free.
The life of an animal is misery and slavery. That is the plain truth. It just hits you. Have you ever felt that way? Like that kind of like burning desire, that need for something way better?
[Sarah] Yeah, absolutely. I think that's something that everyone can relate to on some level, right? That yearning for a better world.
And the animals, they really believe they can create it. Out with the humans, right? Time for their own rules.
So they come up with these seven commandments, and it's exciting, right? This whole mix of idealism and revolution. But, and I think this is where it gets really interesting.
That's where we start to see the cracks. Yeah. Because as much as we might want a utopia, power has a way of, I don't know, messing things up a bit, right?
[Geoff] Yeah, it does. And we see that shift almost right away with the pigs. On page 13, it says, it had come to be accepted that the pigs, who are manifestly cleverer than the other animals, should decide all questions of farm policy.
Now, at first glance, you might just say, yeah, okay, that makes sense. But it's a pretty big assumption, isn't it? Huge.
I mean, who gets to decide who's cleverer, right? And suddenly it's like these pigs are turning into the humans they just kicked out.
[Sarah] Exactly. Special privileges, the milk, the apples. Remember on page 10, oh, we need this for brain work.
Right, sure. But what they're really doing is, well, they're setting up a hierarchy.
[Geoff] So it's not even just about grabbing power. It's about making it seem like it's the only way to do things, right? Like it's natural, inevitable.
[Sarah] Exactly. They shift the power dynamics so slowly you barely notice it. And the other animals just accept it, which is fascinating to me.
Kind of scary too, when you think about it. Like, what does that say about how we react to authority, even when it's just starting?
[Geoff] It really makes you wonder if we're all programmed to follow someone, especially if they tell a good story. And that's where this whole idea of propaganda comes in, don't you think? And when it comes to propaganda in Animal Farm, I mean, Squealer's the, he's the king, right?
Always there with the right words, making sure the pig's agenda. Well, it always sounds good. It's amazing how he manages to like, I don't know, get the other animals to swallow, especially with these seven commandments that always seem to be changing.
[Sarah] Squealer's the one who really understands that power at its core is about perception. Yeah, it's not just about straight up lying. It's about these little twists he adds, you know, leaving things out, using words in a way that just muddies everything up.
And he's really good at it. Like he plays on their fears, their insecurities, that deep desire for something better. And it just works.
[Geoff] Yeah. It's like when they changed that rule about the beds, right? Page 19, no animal shall sleep in a bed suddenly becomes no animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.
I mean, come on, how do they not see what's happening there?
[Sarah] It's brilliant, though, isn't it? I mean, from like a purely strategic standpoint, by changing things bit by bit, they make the unacceptable seem normal. So by the time you get to page 23 and that commandment about killing, you know, no animal shall kill any other animal.
And suddenly there's this "without cause" tacked onto it. Well, it's almost like they don't even notice anymore.
[Geoff] Yeah. It's like one of those optical illusions where the picture's changing right in front of you, but you just don't see it. And you mentioned Squealer using their fears.
And I think that's a huge part of it, right? Like when you're afraid, it's so much easier to just grab onto any explanation, even if it makes no sense.
[Sarah] Absolutely. And Squealer, he's a master at giving them those easy answers. On page 17, Orwell talks about how persuasive he is, how he can turn black into white.
He's like a spin doctor, you know, using these big, dramatic words to make anyone who disagrees with the pigs sound like the enemy and the pigs. Well, they're the only ones who can protect everyone else.
[Geoff] And then there are those slogans. They're everywhere. That whole four legs good, two legs bad thing all over page 24.
It's scary how these really simple phrases can just shut down any kind of, I don't know, critical thinking.
[Sarah] Oh, absolutely. Those slogans become a form of thought control. The animals, they chant these words and it gives them the sense of unity against a common enemy.
But it also silences anyone who might have a different opinion. I mean, let's face it. It's way easier to shout a slogan than to actually sit down and think about what's really going on.
[Geoff] Right. Yeah, it's way easier to just go along with the crowd, especially when the ones in charge are so good at making you think everyone agrees. But that kind of blind obedience.
Well, it can lead to some really awful things. Yeah, there's no better example of that than what happens to poor Boxer. It's just, it's just heartbreaking.
You know, Boxer's story. I mean, he's like the ultimate example of hard work, loyalty, always putting the farm first. I will work harder. Napoleon is always right.
[Sarah] He really shows how dangerous that kind of blind faith can be, especially when you're dealing with, well, someone who has all the power and doesn't mind using it. Boxer, he's so caught up in this idea of a perfect future, this utopia, that he doesn't even see what's right there in front of him.
It's all right there on pages 33 to 37, how he just keeps going, keeps working, even when his body's falling apart. He never questions it, never thinks that maybe all this hard work, well, maybe it's not actually making things better. Not for him anyway.
[Geoff] And the way they get rid of him in the end, it's just, it's awful. Like he's nothing to them. Just another way to make a buck, another bottle of whiskey.
[Sarah] Exactly. They sell him to the glue factory and then Squealer. He cooks up this whole story, you know, Boxer's dying peacefully in the hospital, all this stuff about how much the pigs loved him.
And of course, it's all a lie, a way to cover up what they did and make themselves look good. Page 37. If you want to go back and look, it's a classic move right out of the totalitarian playbook.
Control the story, control the truth.
[Geoff] It makes you wonder how many times has that happened in the real world? How many Boxers are out there? People giving everything they have, trusting blindly.
And then, well, then it's too late.
[Sarah] It's a question we all need to ask ourselves, you know, and it's why it's so important to think for yourself, to question things, even when it's hard, even when the people in charge, they seem so sure of themselves.
[Geoff] You're right. You're right. It all comes back to that, doesn't it?
Animal Farm, it's not just a cute story about talking animals. It's a warning. Power, it can be a dangerous thing.
[Sarah] It's even more relevant now than ever. You know, I mean, think about it. We're living in this age of information overload.
Everywhere you turn, there's someone trying to tell you what to think, what to buy, who to vote for. It's easy to get caught up in all that noise to just follow along with whatever sounds good or whatever everyone else is doing. Orwell, he's reminding us to be careful, to pay attention, to think critically about the world around us.
[Geoff] Yeah, to question everything. And maybe, you know, just maybe if we can learn to do that a little better, we can avoid ending up like the animals in Animal Farm.