Thoughtcrime

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In George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four the government attempts to control not only the speech and actions, but also the thoughts of its subjects, labeling unapproved thoughts with the term thoughtcrime or, in Newspeak, "crimethink".

In the book, Winston Smith, the main character, writes in his diary:

Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death.

He also makes remarks to the effect that "Thoughtcrime is the only crime that matters."

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Thought Police

The Thought Police (thinkpol in Newspeak) was the secret police of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four whose job it was to uncover and punish thoughtcrime. The Thought Police used psychology and omnipresent surveillance to find and eliminate members of society who were capable of the mere thought of challenging ruling authority.

Orwell's Thought Police and their pursuit of thoughtcrime was based on the methods used by the totalitarian states and competing ideologies of the 20th century. It also had much to do with Orwell's own "power of facing unpleasant facts", as he called it, and his willingness to criticise prevailing ideas which brought him into conflict with others and their "smelly little orthodoxies". Although Orwell described himself as a democratic socialist, many other socialists (especially those who supported the communist branch of socialism) thought that his criticism of the Soviet Union under Stalin damaged the socialist cause.

The term "Thought Police", by extension, has come to refer to real or perceived enforcement of ideological correctness in any modern or historical contexts.

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Soviet-era abuses

In the Soviet era, the USSR frequently used psychiatry as a weapon against dissidents. The diagnosis of sluggishly progressing schizophrenia was used to commit many dissidents to psychiatric hospitals (called Psikhushka in Russia), where they were then treated aggressively with psychoactive drugs. Supporters of the anti-psychiatry movement claim that a similar practice is still in use in the United States.

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Modern accusations

Some people believe governments may be currently enforcing laws that implement a de-facto kind of thoughtcrime legislation. Prime among the laws accused of this are hate crime laws that mandate harsher penalties for people who commit crimes out of racism or bigotry. Opponents of those laws claim that all crimes are committed out of an element of hate, so that defining a specific subset of laws as 'hate crimes' is meaningless, and that these very laws in fact imply the inequality of citizens before the law ("castes" of special sub-groups benefiting from privileges other groups do not, e.g. ethnic or sexual minorities) and that the government should outlaw actions, not thoughts or states of mind. Proponents argue that hate crime legislation protects all groups, be they majority or minority (crimes against majority groups have in fact been prosecuted as hate crimes), and that the state of mind of the perpetrator has always influenced the punishment for crimes. They further argue that hate crime laws are the only way to ensure proper punishment of those who commit egregious crimes in the name of prejudice or bigotry. The debate remains open to this day.

Another controversial topic that may qualify as thought crime is Flag desecration, specifically the Flag Desecration Amendment. The most common act that is thought of as desecration is flag burning. Opponents of the amendment point out that burning is the preferred method for the disposal of worn-out flags and is commonly practiced by the US military, the American Legion and the Boy Scouts of America. The argument is that the proposed amendment criminalizes thought by making the intent of the flag burner the determination of criminality.[1]

An extremely controversial example of borderline thoughtcrime behavior is pedophilia. For example, in 2000 the court in Lafayette, Indiana banned a convicted child sex offender from all city parks, which included a zoo and a golf course after he admitted to his psychologist that he had sexual fantasies about children he saw playing in the park. The man sued, and a U.S. District Judge ruled in favor of the city. However, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed the judge's decision, finding that Doe cannot be punished for what he thinks. [2]

Laws providing for involuntary commitment may also be open to accusations that they provide for thoughtcrimes, since those who have committed no crime may be denied their liberty simply because a court finds that they are a "danger to self or others", yet others who may really be a "danger to self or others" may remain free so long as they have not been convicted of a crime. Thus it is purely on the basis of the thought or mood of the involuntarily committed person that he is deprived of freedom.

In the United Kingdom, legislation to enable the proactive detainment of people considered to display anti-social behaviors who have not yet committed a crime has been passed. Referred to as ASBO's (pronounced as-bo, short for Anti-Social Behavior Orders), these measures specify behaviors and actions that the victim can no longer engage in. These actions and behaviors are not necessarily illegal to normal citizens, and can include things like prohibition from being sarcastic, or not being able to say the word 'grass'. This has caused great concern among human rights activists.

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Technology and thoughtcrime

Just as technology played a significant part in the detection of thoughtcrime in Nineteen Eighty-Four — with the ubiquitous telescreens which could inform, disinform and monitor the population — a number of technologies have been developed to try to detect thought and emotional states. Networks of CCTV cameras are being connected to image-recognition software that intends to detect possible wrongdoers by looking for signs of anxiety. Other technologies range from lie detectors, the penile plethysmograph which was used to try to detect "homosexual or pedophile thoughts", and on to more modern attempts to use magnetic resonance imaging to try to detect brain chemical activity supposedly corresponding to memory or thoughts. All of these technologies have been proposed at one time or another as a way of detecting "bad thoughts".

Research by Canadian scientist Julie Thorpe might allow people to use their very brainwave patterns as personal identifyers, replacing PINs, cards and other common forms[3].

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Theology and thoughtcrime

In the New Testament, Jesus states, "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28).

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In the media

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See also

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Further reading

  • Kretzmer, David and Kershman, Hazan Francine (Eds.) (2000) "Freedom of Speech and Incitement Against Democracy". Kluwer Law International, The Hague, Netherlands. ISBN 90-411-1341-X
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External links

fi:Ajatusrikos

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