Orwell once said that “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.”

The pervasiveness of censorship has done just that. But we are not just altering our history books, we’re altering today, week by week, hour by hour in this fast-paced world with the fragile truth fettered amongst the thick scattering of lies. How do we shovel through this, when investigative journalism is fast becoming a relic – when most of the talented writers are too fearful to pursue the truth?

I’m not talking about the Middle East, Russia or North Korea, either. I’m talking about the ‘Collective’ West: Australia, the United States, the UK and Western Europe. We are tempered by our own arrogance because we refuse to admit to having a problem. We refuse to stand up to the problem, and when we do, we face bans. When we take to the streets to protest, we face arrest. When we dare to voice an alternate opinion, we face public humiliation, face losing our jobs…We. Face. Silence.

I’m from the West, and I have a Problem…