SQUEALER

Though George Orwell's 1984 gets the lion’s share of comparisons with our modern dystopian digital age, Animal Farm is no less useful a text in providing a literary analogy for these troubled times, where the twisting and reframing of words, speech, and their meaning is used to control a mentally subjugated nation via established media channels.

In Animal Farm, set on Manor Farm (later renamed Animal Farm), the pig Squealer acts as the chief propagandist for his superior, Napoleon, the tyrannical pig leader of the farm. Squealer has a unique ability to use language to manipulate the other animals and is described as being able to “turn black into white.” He is a master of propaganda, used to harness the machinery of public information on behalf of the farm's totalitarian regime, employing wily skills and narrative framing to mislead, rewrite, and control the story of Manor Farm. Gaslighting through the weaponisation of language is one of the oldest tricks in a communist’s playbook, and there are few better at it than Squealer, the Goebbels-like figure in Orwell’s allegory.

Then, just the other morning, it occurred to me, like being stunned by a captive bolt gun, that LBC’s James O’Brien, that radio presenter and self-entitled exemplar of “wisdom,” “tolerance,” and “political nous,” could very well be seen by some observers as the human equivalent of Squealer. O’Brien has so many characteristics that resemble this fictional counterpart that it seems a shame not to note them down here. Obviously, the following comparisons reflect my interpretive opinion about style and behaviour, rather than any assertion or claim of literal equivalence.

The absolutism of perceived moral certainty

Squealer: Speaks with complete moral certainty, never wavering in his conviction and presenting every position as inarguably correct.
O’Brien: Frames arguments with moral authority, convinced of his own rightness (he even wrote a book called How to Be Right), and leaves little room to consider alternative points raised by listeners who ever dare challenge his positions on chosen subjects.

Controlling the narrative through reframing

Squealer: Repeatedly frames current events to fit the ruling pigs’ favoured narrative.
O’Brien: Uses callers’ arguments against them or, where in agreement, uses their shared point to vindicate his and the government’s ideological viewpoint at any cost. Occasionally, O’Brien gives the impression of being opposed to some government policy, but it is mostly performative, just to give listeners the sense that he is not completely driven by ideological or political bias.

Persuasion through hypothetical doubt

Squealer: Uses emotive language to manipulate the animals’ thoughts and beliefs, especially guilt, fear, and outrage.
O’Brien: Relies heavily on emotional rhetoric to steer debates toward his fixed ideological position, which is ostensibly centre-left or hard left.

Carefully curated information to support the argument on behalf of the regime

Squealer: Judiciously highlights and omits facts to maintain narrative control as well as the regime’s authority.
O’Brien: Selectively focuses on facts that reinforce his preferred stance while downplaying any counterarguments that contradict the regime he appears to favour.

The use of ridicule and mockery as effective tools

Squealer: Silences dissent and preys on hesitation or doubt, using cutting remarks or derision to keep opposing voices in their place.
O’Brien: A lover of sarcasm and intellectual condescension when speaking with members of the public he vehemently disagrees with.

Moving the proverbial goalposts

Squealer: Switches explanations mid-argument to confuse the animals.
O’Brien: Shifts definitions or lines of argument to maintain the upper hand in debate at all cost, never conceding doubt or admitting he may be wrong.

Voice of authority

Squealer: Asserts his airs of expertise and inside knowledge to gain trust with the animals.
O’Brien: Speaks with a god-like sense of entitled moral and political authority, giving the impression that he is the chief steward of ethics and conscience in modern British social, cultural, and political discussion.

Portraying opponents as misinformed or stupid

Squealer: Declares that those who question his words simply do not understand.
O’Brien: Frequently implies that callers who do not agree with his views are uninformed or intellectually lacking.

Repetition as brainwashing

Squealer: Repeats points and arguments like mantras on loop until the animals accept them as total truth.
O’Brien: Relies on repetitive messaging, or soundbites, to reinforce his worldview to his audience.

There can be no doubt that both Squealer and O'Brien are extremely good at their jobs. The ability to twist the truth and justify the actions of regimes takes a strong constitution, one that does not fall prey to vomiting on its own deceptions, especially in Squealer's case when justifying the actions of the pigs with no regard for their hypocrisy or tyranny could easily destroy your soul. I know it would mine.

As for O'Brien, I greatly admire his sorcery as a thought leader of the airwaves and listen most mornings (for as long as I can) to remind myself never to become ideologically poisoned.

But I should caution, living on Animal Farm, aka England in 2025, you really do need to resist the slop so that you do not become fattened on lies and regime propaganda.