BLACKWHITE

George Orwellの小説 1984にはOrwellがこの小説のため作った言葉が幾つも出てきますが、その内の二つ、BLACKWHITEとDOUBLETHINKを紹介します。
The keyword here is BLACKWHITE. Like so many Newspeak words, this word has two mutually contradictory meanings. Applied to an opponent, it means the habit of impudently claiming that black is white, in contradiction of the plain facts. Applied to a Party member, it means a loyal willingness to say that black is white when Party discipline demands this. But it means also the ability to BELIEVE that black is white, and more, to KNOW that black is white, and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary. This demands a continuous alteration of the past, made possible by the system of thought which really embraces all the rest, and which is known in Newspeak as DOUBLETHINK.
黒を白と主張するのは強引な理屈ですが、考えて見ると最近日本の社会でも目立つと言うか、多くなってきた気がする企業、特に大企業による、本来なら不合格の製品を検査合格とするのは黒を白と言うことと全く同じですね。
"DOUBLETHINK" については次回に回します。