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“Big Brother” is an Orwellian term taken from the novel 1984. 1984 is a novel, written by British essayist George Orwell, which depicts life in a totalitarian state. Since its publication in 1949, the term “Big Brother” has evolved into a cliché, denoting an overbearing governing body and acts committed therein. For those of the lost generation, the term is in reference to a television reality show [but not in this article].

Governmental legislation such as the PATRIOT Act is, arguably, Big Brother-esque in its conception. “PATRIOT” is not a term referencing injured Minute Men sitting atop Bunker Hill with drum and fife as they fight for the birth of a nation, but an acronym for Public Law 107-56 entitled Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001.

Our Constitution is strongly rooted in 17th and 18th century European political philosophy. One component of that philosophy is social-contract theory. This theory states, in brief, that the State is created by the mutual consent/contract of its members, and political principles rational human beings would consent to, assuming they could indeed contract, and insuring existing political institutions correspond to those principles. In short, our government, based on implicit contractual terms, represents the people; or does it?

Some people would suggest that our government is out of control as it enacts laws that limit freedom, infringe on civil liberties and implement foreign policy dictated by an elitist class. These may or may not be valid points. Examined more closely, it could be suggested that it is we, the people, who have failed in this contract.

This is a day and age when more people visited the website hosting Britney Spears’ genitalia, then viewed information offered by federal websites. It is a time when twice the number of people viewed American Idol in a single night, then actually voted for political representatives. It is an era when the “informed” are only so because they catch Fox News or CNN with their ever-present scrolling headlines but haven’t taken time to visit Internet accessible governmental records that present legislative bills, budgets, commission reports and voting records of all three branches of our government.

So we gave drunk and crazy Big Brother the keys to the family Buick; told him to run some errands for us and we are flabbergasted at the results. The truth is that we did not just happen upon this political quagmire. It has been evolving over the last few decades. Machiavelli noted the nature, or real politicks, of governing bodies. Big Brother has not been evolving as much as fulfilling its Machiavellian nature.

It is our apathy, or indifference that has evolved. It is our absence from the social contract that has given Big Brother the opportunity to legislate regardless of representation or public opinion. Somewhere in the recent past, Americans have somehow disconnected from the State.

As the Romans learned through the decline of their Empire, or the Soviets through the dissolution of their Union, great nations are not toppled by outside foes; but implode, or decay internally, under the weight of sustaining resources in the name of preserving a way of life.

When you step into the political arena, there are two opponents. One is Big Brother while the other is the collective group known as the indifferent. It is the latter who is the most formidable opponent for the screams of thousands dying overseas, the gunshots that take the lives of young black men who are undergoing a systematic genocide in our own cities and on our own soil, the cries of children who participant in a dismal educational system and have difficulty passing basic skills tests have not awakened them.

Image: 1984 - British first edition cover - Wikipedia