1984 | Ch. 1.2 - Orwell Predicted Everything Except the Golden Girls Cover Song

Banned Camp: Banned Books, Comedy, and Free Speech vs. Censorship

Welcome back to Banned Camp, where we’re reading 1984 one chapter at a time and slowly realizing Orwell was way too optimistic. In today's episode, we cover Chapter 1.2, where Winston Smith is legally required to scream at a telescreen for two minutes straight (which, to be fair, is basically Twitter).

Meanwhile, Jennifer comes up with the worst Spin the Bottle scenario imaginable, and Robot fact-checks them both like an exhausted AP History teacher.

Things to Listen For:

• Winston Smith: repressed freedom fighter or the original nice guy?
• How hate rallies became a fun group activity (and why that feels relevant).
• Jennifer and Dan try to figure out if Goldstein even exists.

Featured Clips:

@tifanimichelle76’s version of The Golden Girls theme song – Because even in a surveillance state, everyone needs a friend. plus, a few seconds of the theme from The NeverEnding Story – Because childhood nostalgia and totalitarian dystopias go hand in hand. All rights and copyrights are the property of their respective owners and are used here for entertainment and educational purposes under fair use guidelines. No copyright infringement intended.

Take Action – Call Your Reps

Feeling fired up about the state of democracy? The 5 Calls app makes it ridiculously easy to contact your representatives about the issues that matter. Just open the app, pick a topic, and it’ll give you a script and the right number to call. Because real change happens when people make noise.

Download the app here:

• iOS (Apple)
• Android (Google Play)

Banworthy to Bingeworthy Podcasts:

• Good News for Lefties – A daily podcast that gives you progressive news without making you want to launch yourself into the sun.
• The Blueprint with Jen Psaki (MSNBC) – Jen Psaki explains why everything is a disaster, but in a way that actually makes sense.

Rate, Review, & Follow:

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Disclaimer:

Banned Camp features readings and discussions of banned books for the purpose of criticism, commentary, education, and entertainment, in accordance with fair use guidelines. 1984 by George Orwell is shared under these principles. We strongly encourage listeners to purchase the book in full: Buy Here from Penguin Random House.

This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to George Orwell’s estate or publisher. Our goal is to foster literary appreciation, critical discussion, and educational engagement—because we all know what happens when people let governments decide what can and can’t be read.

Topics Covered:

1984, George Orwell, mass hysteria, political propaganda, historical scapegoats, government control, manufactured outrage, cult mentality, censorship, Trump as a golden idol.

Don’t forget, you can grab a free ‘I Read Banned Books’ decal at BannedCampPodcast.com/stickers. Supplies are limited, so don’t wait.