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Guy Montag is good at his job. As a “fireman” he enjoys his job because he is ridding the world of awful ideas one book at a time. Books, and the ideas they contain, are offensive. We need only our giant video screens in our TV rooms with our “TV families” on reality shows; seashells (earbuds) block out any possible personal interaction with our world, thus avoiding any stress. Comic books and pornography are the only acceptable printed books. Gone are the days of thinking about anything.
Ray Bradbury didn’t write Fahrenheit 451 to predict the future. Like most dystopian novels such as Fahrenheit 451, Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm, and other such novels, these authors looked at the signs of the times and tried to warn people of potential terrible times the future could hold if we didn’t keep our guard and protect our freedoms.
We have seen the enemy, and it is us. We have let our guard down and now the liberal left is usurping our freedoms. If you don’t conform, like in the novels mentioned, you will be dealt crushing blows to try to bring you in line with “correct thinking.”
You’ll remember that Bradbury placed the blame for the book ban squarely on the shoulders of the public. Special interest groups rallied against books and ideas they considered offensive until everything was offensive. Then people turned away from reading and sharing ideas for fear of offending anyone.
Our new “firemen” of today are the internet and tech giants: Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Apple, PayPal, Patreon, and so many more. Now, in order not to offend these leftist moguls, they have stepped in to ban certain people and internet sites with which they don’t agree.
The reader of this newsletter and similar conservative news sources knows that many of Texe Marrs’ books have been banned at Amazon, so too have books by M.S. King, Andrew Hitchcock, and others. If you’ve ordered through our website, you noticed that PayPal isn’t a payment option. Paypal closed our account and the accounts of others it deems offensive. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms have removed our posts, as well as completely banned Alex Jones, Louis Farrakhan, James Woods, Laura Loomer and more. YouTube has also closed the channels of many of these same people. Banks and credit card processing companies have closed accounts because they don’t agree with the ideals shared by a company.
The orders have come down from on high and marching orders are given: “silence these ‘terrible,’ ‘offending’ voices.” The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) created a list of offenders and has spoken: unless you absolutely glow about Israel and Zionism, or are so benign as to stand for nothing at all, you will be targeted.
Fahrenheit 451 illustrates how easily people are offended by another person’s ideas, thoughts, actions, beliefs and how quick they are to block, by any means necessary, any dissenting ideas other than their own. This includes not only online censorship of ideas, but as you have read the news reports, even by violence in the streets. Without a platform to share ideas they are hoping Christian and conservative ideas and thoughts will die fast.
Recently in the news, President Trump has talked of breaking up the tech giants under antitrust laws, such as the likes of AT&T. There are already excuses why it can’t be done, but let me say this, even if it is done, censorship will be the same. The same types of liberals will control any spin offs and your thoughts and mine will still be unwelcome.
Ultimately the story of Fahrenheit 451 is about freedom. This story has never been more relevant than today. One thing is for sure, the masses are too ignorant or apathetic to understand what is at stake. Some people and groups would rather have a scorched earth policy and destroy everything they hold dear, as long as the other side loses everything as well.
Some parallels to today’s society you’ll notice in Bradbury’s book: Tuning in to tune out (TV rooms with giant monitors, reality TV, earbuds); political correctness; dehumanized society; citizen conformation and restriction; society of illusion; propaganda; destroy everything if necessary.
Another parallel: Mrs. Montag relies on pharmaceuticals to get her through life. In one scene, she overdoses. Montag calls for emergency help. Rather than sending a doctor or an ambulance, they send a special team to pump her stomach. When Montag asks why no doctor is needed, it’s explained that overdosing is such a regular occurrence, this is just routine.
In the Holy Bible, the book of Acts records several instances of the rulers telling the apostles Peter, John, and Paul to shut up. But they didn’t bow to the pressure and neither should we. Without fear of worldly retribution the apostles believed, “We ought to obey God, rather than man” (Act 5:29).
One last thought: if you think this book, Fahrenheit 451, is about censorship, it is. But it’s also about more than that: it is also about apathy and complacency overtaking society. Never before have so many people disengaged from their life and the world around them. Oftentimes it seems easier to withdraw than to face disagreement. Had Jesus or the apostles given in to the pressure of censorship and disagreement, who among us might be saved?
PS: Montag, so inspired was he with his new-found freedom, he began memorizing the Holy Bible. 
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