RantCrush Top 5: April 5, 2017

Last night, almost 200 independent movie theaters across the country screened “1984” to protest President Trump. The date wasn’t random–April 4 is the date of the first entry in the diary of the protagonist Winston Smith. The movie is based on the classic George Orwell novel about a dystopia ruled by an authoritarian regime, in which “Big Brother” is watching over all citizens all the time. Smith is working for the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history so that it will align with the party line. In an effort to stay sane, he starts writing a diary, a crime that is punishable by death.

Today’s the day! Nearly 200 theaters across the U.S. are showing “1984” in protest of Donald Trump https://t.co/59I4DX5Lzs pic.twitter.com/CLstMVa0qh

— IndieWire (@IndieWire) April 4, 2017

The movie theaters were protesting Trump’s proposed cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts. “The endeavor encourages theaters to take a stand for our most basic values: freedom of speech, respect for our fellow human beings, and the simple truth that there are no such things as ‘alternative facts,’” read a statement on behalf of all participating theaters.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.