History Main / ThoughtCrime

-->-- '''Creator/GeorgeOrwell''', ''[[NineteenEightyFour 1984]]'', Part 1, Chapter 1

* ''Film/THX1138'', which is ''NineteenEightyFour''-esque.

* TropeMaker comes from ''NineteenEightyFour'', by George Orwell. To hammer it home, the main character of the novel, Winston Smith once wrote in his diary, "Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death."

-->-- '''GeorgeOrwell''', ''[[NineteenEightyFour 1984]]'', Part 1, Chapter 1

* ''{{DarthWiki/Soundscape}}'' is particularly vicious at this.

* ''{{DarthWiki/Soundscape}}'' is [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel particularly vicious]] at this.

->''Whether he went on with the diary, or whether he did not go on with it, made no difference. The [[SecretPolice Thought Police]] would get him just the same. He had committed -- would still have committed, even if he had never set pen to paper -- the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you.''

* TropeMaker comes from ''NineteenEightyFour'', by George Orwell. To hammer it home, the main character of the novel, Winston Smith once wrote on his diary, "Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death."

* ''{{Soundscape}}'' is [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel particularly vicious]] at this.
** The Magistrates' CompellingVoice made it easy to determine who were enthralled by them. Those that weren't, were branded as spies and incarcerated, which led to LaResistance being formed from those that escaped.
** Certain [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Executors]] utilize methods to eliminate Thoughtcrime against ''their fellow soldiers''. Microchips are implanted onto your brain, so as to heighten your senses and brain functions (quicker reflexes, quicker learning capabilities, better analysis of a situation, solutions that are developed faster and photographic memory, to name a few). However, your brain waves can be read through those microchips, and if your superiors ''suspect'' that you're voicing so much as a ''blank criticism'' on them, they'll order the microchip to cease your brain waves, decrease the strengths that come from the microchip, or just flat-out erase your personality and turn you into a SlaveMook.
** Inverted for TheKingdom. They don't need to brand free will as Thoughtcrime, when they've already succeeded in ''controlling'' free will through dogmatic propaganda.
** TheRepublic has microchips used to store information, such as personal identification, medical history, medications, allergies, and contact information. As you can imagine, the technology is used for more sinister purposes. The Anquelan government under Cuhvour Holvath uses implants to track and persecute human rights activists, labor activists, civil dissidents, and political opponents. Note that politicians and lobbyists also carry microchips; if they're advocating and fundraising for something that opposes him, he'll incarcerate them indefinitely, without due process. Furthermore, the microchips can cause a form of ColdBloodedTorture, ranging from never-ending migraines, internal pain in bones, decrease in organ functions, and frequent vomiting, to swollen muscles, internal bleeding, unhealthy moodswings, or a chemical reagent that infiltrates your central nervous system (causing realistic hallucinations at best, and paranoid schizophrenia at worst). In the most blatant cases, citizens can be used as [[ParanoiaFuel unknowing suicide bombers, or may even contract cancer]].
** TheFederation utilizes a program (owned by a MegaCorp) that monitors your heart rate and brain waves, in order to infer your "intent for ''future crimes''."
** Taetrians use microchips as a form of currency by channeling your BattleAura and depositing it through machines, which analyzes it to determine if it's stable or unstable. If the former, then those pieces of your BattleAura will be returned to you, or used as a fueling energy for some other machine, at your choice. However, if you choose for them to return it back to you, they can rearrange the separated Battle Aura to turn it ''un''stable (basically an infection), which leads to you either getting arrested next time, or flying into a literal SuperpowerMeltdown. Since your Battle Aura is part of you, when they do the test, they can monitor its "emotional" wavelengths, and determine if you have a negative view of a particular someone.

If a reason is ever given at all, [[BigBrotherIsWatching apart from the obvious]], Thoughtcrime can be [[HalfTruth explained]] as "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrusive_thoughts intrusive thoughts]]," and their 'repression' leads to "[[BlatantLies a happier society]]." On the other hand, maybe you're in a time of war, and Thoughtcrime represents "impulses to treason." Maybe you're in a state of emergency following a massive terrorist attack, and Thoughtcrime is characterized as "sympathizers of terrorism." As ''another'' scenario, you could have been locked into a state of cold war with a rival nation, whose ideologies conflict with yours; Thoughtcrime can be used to justify a WitchHunt for spies. Maybe there's a civil war erupting between various factions within your nation, and Thoughtcrime is identified as rebellion (as decreed by the ruling faction) or complicity ([[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized as declared by the opposition]]). In some cases, the civil war is more nuanced than just LaResistance against TheEmpire; whatever they're fighting for, Thoughtcrime can be described as sympathizers or collaborators to whatever ideology the warring factions embody (pro-slavery, anti-slavery; capitalism, communism; isolationism, interventionism). Whatever the excuse, governments (including those [[OneNationUnderCopyright controlled by]] a MegaCorp) use it against its own citizens to suppress dissent, forcefully and effectively.

** The earliest example comes from Imperator Avarono, whose CompellingVoice made it easy to determine who was enthralled by him. Those that weren't, were branded as spies and incarcerated, which led to LaResistance being formed from those that escaped.
** Certain [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Primarchs]] utilize methods to eliminate Thoughtcrime against ''their fellow soldiers''. Microchips are implanted onto your brain, so as to heighten your senses and brain functions (quicker reflexes, quicker learning capabilities, better analysis of a situation, solutions that are developed faster and photographic memory, to name a few). However, your brain waves can be read through those microchips, and if your superiors ''suspect'' that you're voicing so much as a ''blank criticism'' on them, they'll order the microchip to cease your brain waves, decrease the strengths that come from the microchip, or just flat-out erase your personality and turn you into a SlaveMook.
** Inverted for the Aselian Kingdom. They don't need to brand free will as Thoughtcrime, when they've already succeeded in ''controlling'' free will through dogmatic propaganda.
** The Anquelan Republic has microchips used to store information, such as personal identification, medical history, medications, allergies, and contact information. As you can imagine, the technology is used for more sinister purposes. The Anquelan government under Cuhvour Holvath uses implants to track and persecute human rights activists, labor activists, civil dissidents, and political opponents. Note that politicians and lobbyists also carry microchips; if they're advocating and fundraising for something that opposes him, he'll incarcerate them indefinitely, without due process. Furthermore, the microchips can cause a form of ColdBloodedTorture, ranging from never-ending migraines, internal pain in bones, decrease in organ functions, and frequent vomiting, to swollen muscles, internal bleeding, unhealthy moodswings, or a chemical reagent that infiltrates your central nervous system (causing realistic hallucinations at best, and paranoid schizophrenia at worst). In the most blatant cases, citizens can be used as [[ParanoiaFuel unknowing suicide bombers, or may even contract cancer]].
** The Cryslian Federation utilizes a program (owned by a MegaCorp) that monitors your heart rate and brain waves, in order to infer your "intent for ''future crimes''."
** The Equerrean Hegemony has [[BeyondTheImpossible the worst deal]]. Equerreans also have microchips, but they're used as a form of currency by channeling your BattleAura and depositing it through machines, which analyzes it to determine if it's stable or unstable. If the former, then those pieces of your BattleAura will be returned to you, or used as a fueling energy for some other machine, at your choice. However, if you choose for them to return it back to you, they can rearrange the separated Battle Aura to turn it ''un''stable (basically an infection), which leads to you either getting arrested next time, or flying into a literal SuperpowerMeltdown. Since your Battle Aura is part of you, when they do the test, they can monitor its "emotional" wavelengths, and determine if you have a negative view of a particular someone.
** Ironically, one could argue that the Ivrali Dynasty fell so quickly because they ''didn't'' employ methods to stop Thoughtcrime.

->''Whether he went on with the diary, or whether he did not go on with it, made no difference. The Thought Police would get him just the same. He had committed -- would still have committed, even if he had never set pen to paper -- the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you.''

* TropeMaker comes from ''NineteenEightyFour'', by George Orwell. To hammer it home, the main character of the novel, Winston Smith once wrote on his diary, "Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime ''is'' death."

* Under the reign of Henry VIII, it became treason to even think ill of the king.

->-- '''GeorgeOrwell''', ''[[NineteenEightyFour 1984]]'', Part 1, Chapter 1

->''Whether he wrote DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, or whether he refrained from writing it, made no difference. Whether he went on with the diary, or whether he did not go on with it, made no difference. The Thought Police would get him just the same. He had committed -- would still have committed, even if he had never set pen to paper -- the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed for ever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you.''

->"Whether he wrote DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, or whether he refrained from writing it, made no difference. Whether he went on with the diary, or whether he did not go on with it, made no difference. The Thought Police would get him just the same. He had committed -- would still have committed, even if he had never set pen to paper -- the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed for ever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you."
->-- '''GeorgeOrwell''', {{1984}}, Part 1, Chapter 1

* TropeMaker comes from ''NineteenEightyFour'', by George Orwell. To hammer it home, the main character of the novel, Winston Smith once wrote on his diary, "Thoughtcrime does not entail death; thoughtcrime ''is'' death".

* TropeMaker comes from ''NineteenEightyFour'', by George Orwell. To hammer it home, the main character of the novel, Winston Smith once wrote on his diary, "Thoughtcrime ''is'' death".

One of the most insidious, brilliant and disturbing concepts is the idea of your ability to think freely being ''illegal''. Whenever a government controls the speech and actions of its citizens, it'll label (what it considers) disapproved thought as Thoughtcrime, and take [[OrwellianRetcon whatever]] [[OrwellianEditor steps]] [[NewSpeak needed]] to quell Thoughtcrime, [[DoubleThink by]] '''[[{{Room 101}} every]]''' [[TwoPlusTortureEqualsFive means]] [[UnPerson capable]]. One could even call governments paranoid, if they're willing to go this far, ''just'' to keep the citizens from revolting.

If a reason is ever given at all, [[BigBrotherIsWatching apart from the obvious]], Thoughtcrime can be [[HalfTruth explained]] as "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrusive_thoughts intrusive thoughts]]", and their 'repression' leads to "[[BlatantLies a happier society]]". On the other hand, maybe you're in a time of war, and Thoughtcrime represents "impulses to treason". Maybe you're in a state of emergency following a massive terrorist attack, and Thoughtcrime is characterized as "sympathizers of terrorism". As ''another'' scenario, you could have been locked into a state of cold war with a rival nation, whose ideologies conflict with yours; Thoughtcrime can be used to justify a WitchHunt for spies. Maybe there's a civil war erupting between various factions within your nation, and Thoughtcrime is identified as rebellion (as decreed by the ruling faction) or complicity ([[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized as declared by the opposition]]). In some cases, the civil war is more nuanced than just LaResistance against TheEmpire; whatever they're fighting for, Thoughtcrime can be described as sympathizers or collaborators to whatever ideology the warring factions embody (pro-slavery, anti-slavery; capitalism, communism; isolationism, interventionism). Whatever the excuse, governments (including those [[OneNationUnderCopyright controlled by]] a MegaCorp) use it against its own citizens to suppress dissent, forcefully and effectively.

* ''THX1138'', which is ''NineteenEightyFour''-esque.

* TropeMaker comes from NineteenEightyFour, by George Orwell. To hammer it home, the main character of the novel, Winston Smith once wrote on his diary, "Thoughtcrime ''is'' death".

* A mundane variant comes from the DoctorWho episode ''The Happiness Patrol'', where enforced cheerfulness was the law on one planet.
* StarTrekVoyager had an episode where they came across a people who were extremely telepathic, so sensitive that any extreme emotions would incite them to act out on those feelings; having violent thoughts was a crime in and of itself. Torres was put under trial for having a brief violent thought when someone bumped into her, and Tuvok's investigation into the planet's culture found a sort of "violent thoughts" BlackMarket. Of course it examined the nature that when something was so taboo it meant their own people were unable to handle it when confronted with the situation.

* Henry VIII. It became treason to even think ill of the king.
* At least one street sign seen in NewYorkCity in the 1980s read "Don't even ''think'' about parking here!" See below.

* ''{{Paranoia}}''. Under The Computer's rule every citizen is required to be happy. Anyone who isn't happy is a traitor and can be punished, such as by being required to take drugs that ''make'' you happy.

* '' SluggyFreelance'''s 4U City enforced mandatory happiness with involuntary drugging. And mandatory efficiency with mandatory drugging. And so on. The alternative was to be thrown down a judgement chute.

Examples:

** The Equerrean Hegemony has [[BeyondTheImpossible the worst deal]]. Equerreans also have microchips, but they're used as a form of currency by channeling your BattleAura and depositing it through machines, which analyzes it to determine if it's stable or unstable. If the former, then those pieces of your BattleAura will be returned to you, or used as a fueling energy for some other machine, at your choice. However, if you choose for them to return it back to you, they can rearrange the separated BattleAura to turn it ''un''stable (basically an infection), which leads to you either getting arrested next time, or flying into a literal SuperpowerMeltdown. Since your BattleAura is part of you, when they do the test, they can monitor its "emotional" wavelengths, and determine if you have a negative view of a particular someone.
** Ironically, one could make the argument that the Ivrali Dynasty fell so quickly because they ''didn't'' employ methods to stop Thoughtcrime.

* SluggyFreelance's 4U City enforced mandatory happiness with involuntary drugging. And mandatory efficiency with mandatory drugging. And so on. The alternative was to be thrown down a judgement chute.

* In a merge of OrwellianEditor, AvatarTheLastAirbender has the higher-ups of Ba Sing Se brainwashing everyone who dares to mention that there's a century-long war going on in the whole world outside the walls. The resident LovableRogue had this inflicted upon him, which [[spoiler:led to his death]].

* At least one street sign seen in NewYorkCity in the 1980s read "Don't even ''think'' about parking here!"

* At least one street sign seen in NewYorkCity in the 1980s read "Don't even ''think'' about parkin here!"

* North Korea. It is absolutely plausable that people go missing just for talking about the wrong things.

->I live in San Francisco where the parking is impossible. I saw a sign on a guy's garage that said "Don't even think about parking here". So you know what I did? I sat right there and I thought about it. I yelled up at his window "Hey buddy, I'm thinking about it. Go ahead, call the cops. I'll just tell them I was thinking about something else."

* ''{{Soundscape}}'' is [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel particularly vicious]] at this, where almost every major power in the verse enacts policies meant to suppress free will.

-->I live in San Francisco where the parking is impossible. I saw a sign on a guy's garage that said "Don't even think about parking here". So you know what I did? I sat right there and I thought about it. I yelled up at his window "Hey buddy, I'm thinking about it. Go ahead, call the cops. I'll just tell them I was thinking about something else."

* ''{{Soundscape}}'' is [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel particularly vicious]] at this.
** The earliest example comes from Imperator Avarono, whose CompellingVoice made it easy to determine who was enthralled by him. Those that weren't, were branded as spies and incarcerated, which led to LaResistance being formed from those that escaped.
** Certain [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Primarchs]] utilize methods to eliminate Thoughtcrime against ''their fellow soldiers''. Microchips are implanted onto your brain, so as to heighten your senses and brain functions (quicker reflexes, quicker learning capabilities, better analysis of a situation, solutions that are developed faster and photographic memory, to name a few). However, your brain waves can be read through those microchips, and if your superiors ''suspect'' that you're voicing so much as a ''blank criticism'' on them, they'll order the microchip to cease your brain waves, decrease the strengths that come from the microchip, or just flat-out erase your personality and turn you into a SlaveMook.
** Inverted for the Aselian Kingdom. They don't need to brand free will as Thoughtcrime, when they've already succeeded in ''controlling'' free will through dogmatic propaganda.
** The Anquelan Republic has microchips used to store information, such as personal identification, medical history, medications, allergies, and contact information. As you can imagine, the technology is used for more sinister purposes. The Anquelan government under Cuhvour Holvath uses implants to track and persecute human rights activists, labor activists, civil dissidents, and political opponents. Note that politicians and lobbyists also carry microchips; if they're advocating and fundraising for something that opposes him, he'll incarcerate them indefinitely, without due process. Furthermore, the microchips can cause a form of ColdBloodedTorture, ranging from never-ending migraines, internal pain in bones, decrease in organ functions, and frequent vomiting, to swollen muscles, internal bleeding, unhealthy moodswings, or a chemical reagent that infiltrates your central nervous system (causing realistic hallucinations at best, and paranoid schizophrenia at worst). In the most blatant cases, citizens can be used as [[ParanoiaFuel unknowing suicide bombers, or may even contract cancer]].
** The Cryslian Federation utilizes a program (owned by a MegaCorp) that monitors your heart rate and brain waves, in order to infer your "intent for ''future crimes''."
** The Equerrean Hegemony has [[BeyondTheImpossible the worst deal]]. Equerreans also have microchips, but they're used as a form of currency by channeling your BattleAura and depositing it through machines, which analyzes it to determine if it's stable or unstable. If the former, then those pieces of your BattleAura will be returned to you, or used as a fueling energy for some other machine, at your choice. However, if you choose for them to return it back to you, they can rearrange the separated BattleAura to turn it ''un''stable (basically an infection), which leads to you either getting arrested next time, or flying into a literal SuperpowerMeltdown. Since your BattleAura is part of you, when they do the test, they can monitor its "emotional" wavelengths, and determine if you have a negative view of a particular someone.
** Ironically, one could make the argument that the Ivrali Dynasty fell so quickly because they ''didn't'' employ methods to stop Thoughtcrime.

* North Korea. It is absolutely plausable that people go missing just for talking about the wrong things.

->I live in San Francisco where the parking is impossible. I saw a sign on a guy's garage that said "Don't even think about parking here". So you know what I did? I sat right there and I thought about it. I yelled up at his window "Hey buddy, I'm thinking about it. Go ahead, call the cops. I'll just tell them I was thinking about something else."

* AvatarTheLastAirbender has the higher-ups of Ba Sing Se brainwashing everyone who dares to mention that there's a century-long war going on in the whole world outside the walls. The resident LovableRogue had this inflicted upon him, which [[spoiler:led to his death]].

* SluggyFreelance's 4U City enforced mandatory happiness with involuntary drugging. And mandatory efficiency with mandatory drugging. And so on. The alternative was to be thrown down a judgement chute.