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2004 - by Joe Hill (with apologies to George Orwell).
George Orwell wrote the book 1984 about Winston Smith and Big Brother. If he were alive today he might write about Newspeak at LTD and Big Brother Hamm. If you haven't read 1984 this story may not be interesting. It is written in response to the new and additional service cuts that LTD is making to regular service in the fall. How much more will be cut for the sake of BRT and the AVS fiasco? Where will it stop. Newspeak in this story is in all capital letters.
Winston Smith sat in the drivers lounge waiting for the Ministry For Assignments to call his name and get him an assignment. He had just finished reading the Company Brochure entitled "MORE IS LESS". Winston was used to these seemingly complex conflicts in language. It is truly paradoxical he thought. Things like WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY or IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
MORE IS LESS is about the new buses the Company was buying for one million dollars each. Winston Smith understood well more was definitely less in this case. MORE IN OPTIMIZATION - another slogan in newspeak from the five year plan, but really very hard to understand. But what the Company was saying was Mann Artic's, New Flyer Artic's, Invero Artic's, Gilligs, and AVS buses were an optimized fleet.
Winston heard about the increased need for more inventory and mechanics that had to know about with five different kinds of buses instead of two but MORE IS LESS and MORE IS OPTIMIZATION proclaimed Big Brother Hamm in stark contradiction.
Winston was not about to dispute Big Brother Hamm. A fellow worker Don Dryber got dragged into the back office by the Thought Police and warned him to watch his step because he wrote something down and passed it out. The Thought Police said haven't you seen the new sign - NO CONTRACT NO WORRY. So quit passing out your writing unless it is a prayer wheel or something Big Brother Hamm approves. "Now get out and we will be watching you!" the Thought Police warned.
Winston had seen the signs of the official reading list he but had a hard time believing it. Don was told there was an official reading list and he was not on it. The Thought Police told him to knock it off or else he might be among the FREE FOR AVAILABLE WORK AND HAPPY. Joblessness had been banished by Big Brother Hamm for along time now. The Thought Police pointed to the HUMAN REJECTION OFFICE to give him a poignant reminder.
WINSTON SMITH knew cameras were focused on him because he was reading Don's missive but he did not care. You see Winston had been around and knew how to outwit the Thought Police. But still he worried even with a sign blinking NO CONTRACT NO WORRY right in front of him.
Big Brother Hamm issued a new transit service improvement schedule. Oh the citizens would be so pleased because DISCONTINUED SERVICE IS AN ADJUSTMENT TO IMPROVE SERVICE. Winston quietly noted how Newspeak was having to struggle more and more in making its slogans for Big Brother Hamm. And Bus Talk is such a delightful way for people to get BIG Brother Hamm's words to reach them and they have now learned after many years that dissent or dissatisfaction does not matter. Bus Talk is colorful and bright, unlike the gray existence Big Brother Hamm created everywhere his influence has reached.
Workers trudge along the walk ways and halls, heads hanging low - signs everywhere NO CONTRACT NO WORRY. Scared and worried anyway, workers did their jobs with the best Big Brother Hamm smile they could force. Second Brother Pangborn was ready to make sure they smiled and had Kousin Johnson for assistance. WORK IS FREE was just being issued by the Department of Newspeak. Kousin Vobora proud of his new creation. It is even better than LTD IS A FAMILY from five years ago he thought.
Winston's name was called and before he knew it he was on the bus. Katie rides this bus everyday. "Winnie?" she called to him that because Winston was her friend even though Big Brother Hamm has said FRIENDSHIP IS DANGEROUS. Winston worried because the camera and recorders were whirring as she spoke. "Winnie, is this bus going to stop going here?" Winston said "yup". "We are improving service by adjusting it," he said.
Katie said "how will I get home from work?" Winston Smith just shook his head. "Sorry" he said quietly, but you see Big Brother has a better Plan with rocket shaped buses that "GO NOWHERE AND EVERYWHERE" (another Big Brother Hamm slogan) BRT costs lots but you will like it. The bus rumbled down the road for one of its last trips at this time. A large sign loomed ahead DISCONTINUED SERVICE IS BETTER SERVICE.
In Solidarity,
Joe Hill
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