Orwell’s Boot (n.) – phrase describing metaphorically the end result of the mechanical functions of tyranny.
I’m sure someone said “Orwell’s Boot” before I did, but strangely it hasn’t come into common use, so I guess I can take credit for a formal definition (although obviously Orwell conceived it). It’s based on this passage from 1984:
If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.
I use this phrase to describe the acts of oppression and tyranny engaged in by dictators and other authoritarian bad actors, particularly when it involves group oppression – sexism, racism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry. Often I get the feeling from people organizing “against oppression” that rather than trying to rid the world of oppression, some folks are just waiting for their turn to be the oppressor; this was the context of formally labeling the Orwell’s Boot metaphor for reference in other conversations.
Example sentence: “Either you want to eliminate Orwell’s Boot, or you want to wear it. If wearing it is your goal, you’re no better than whatever you’re fighting against.”
I’m sure someone said “Orwell’s Boot” before I did, but strangely it hasn’t come into common use, so I guess I can take credit for a formal definition (although obviously Orwell conceived it). It’s based on this passage from 1984:
Read more at: http://johnhenry.us/blog/2020/01/19/orwells-boot/
Yea — I did. over 10 years ago, under the name factotum666