A friend of mine writes, “Our son has now decided that communism is the worst possible evil, China the worst possible enemy, and ‘You are a communist’ the worst possible insult.” This was after he read Animal Farm, which “he has now declared the best book ever written.”

Over the years, I have interviewed dissidents who say that reading Animal Farm had a big impact on their lives. It explained what was happening around them.

In 2014, I talked with Yeonmi Park, an escapee from North Korea. For a time, she lived in South Korea, and since then she has lived in the United States. Let me excerpt my piece on her:

Even while a free woman in South Korea, she did not feel completely free in her mind: To a degree, she still felt under the spell of the dictatorship under which she was raised. But in 2011, she read an extraordinary book: Animal Farm, by George Orwell. The book seemed to be about North Korea, she says. She cried all night as she read it. “Animal Farm set me free from brainwashing,” she says.

In 2016, I talked with Danilo Maldonado Machado, a street artist and human-rights activist from Cuba. “He has been in and out of prison many times,” I wrote.

Here is some more from that piece:

In 2014, he took two pigs and painted names on them: “Fidel” and “Raúl.” He was referring to his country’s brother dictators, of course. And he had been inspired by Animal Farm, Orwell’s novella of 1945. Obviously, this act earned him a prison sentence.

George Orwell, especially through Animal Farm and 1984, has educated, inspired, and heartened many people for many years. I wish he could know it. Maybe he does, somehow.

• A news item: “Amanda Gorman’s Biden inauguration poem was moved out of an elementary library at a Miami-Dade school after a parent complained.” The article explains,

A parent of a student at Bob Graham Education Center . . . objected to the poem, for which they erroneously listed Oprah Winfrey as the author/publisher . . .

It “is not educational and have (sic) indirectly hate messages,” the complaint said, adding that the poem would “cause confusion and indoctrinate students.”

The article further says,

The same parent made similar complaints about “Love to Langston,” a poetry-based biography of Black poet Langston Hughes; “The ABCs of Black History” and two books about Cuba . . .

I wish to make a couple of points. There is much snowflakery in America — snowflakes on the left, snowflakes on the right. We have a blizzard, day after day. Alertness is important; activism has its place. But I think America would be better off if we were less touchy and more thoughtful.

Point No. 2: Parental rights are key. I’m talking about parental rights in education, in particular. But here’s the tricky thing: What if parents disagree? Who wins? The squeakiest wheel?

What if some parents like a book and others don’t?

I must say, I don’t envy schoolteachers, sometimes. A lot of the time. I think it is a noble profession and a thankless — often thankless — job.

• You may have seen this story: “Disney scraps plans for new $1 billion Florida campus amid fight with Gov. Ron DeSantis.” There are many things to say. One of them is: It’s bizarre, for some of us, to see Democrats defending business and Republicans cheering for the smack of firm government.

Quiz: Who originated that phrase, “smack of firm government”? The answer appears to be Donald McLachlan, a Scottish journalist (1908–71) who was the founding editor of the Sunday Telegraph. The Wikipedia entry for him says,

He originated the phrase “the smack of firm government” in a leader of 3 January 1956 criticising the premiership of Anthony Eden.

Good to know.

• A headline: “Ron DeSantis will launch his presidential bid with Elon Musk.” The subheading: “The Florida governor will announce he is running for president on Twitter Wednesday evening in a conversation with Musk.” Here is the article.

Musk is a very important part of GOP World. Last year, the House Judiciary Republicans issued a tweet. It said, in its entirety, “Kanye. Elon. Trump.” That is a kind of trinity.

Will DeSantis make it someday? Is Kanye West still in it? (The House Judiciary Republicans have since deleted their tweet. Evidently, they got a little squeamish over the Nazism.)

In recent months, the Kremlin has had reason to be pleased with Musk. That should be no problem in the GOP primaries. But the Chinese Communist Party has also been pleased with Musk — which may give pause to some Republicans.

The Chinese ambassador to the United States has publicly thanked Musk for his position on Taiwan. Musk has opened a Tesla showroom in the Xinjiang region, where the Chinese government is committing genocide against the Uyghur people. (The U.S. State Department has designated the persecution of the Uyghurs “genocide.”) Last month, Musk announced that he will build a factory in Shanghai.

And so on and so forth.

The Republican Party is in an interesting place.

And what a difference wealth makes, right? As Nick Cohen wrote, regarding Musk, “If he were a poor man, he would just be another troll on Twitter.” But he is the owner, the boss.

• This is an interesting story: “Father and son sentenced for decadelong, $20 million lottery fraud scheme.” Often, people put great effort into criminal enterprises, and they exhibit great wit, great cleverness. If only they channeled these things into the legitimate and salubrious . . .

• Conservatives are accused of being nostalgic about the past. I am sometimes guilty of this. But I think it’s fair to say: They don’t make Claremont Lincoln Fellows like they used to. Here is yet another example:

• The headline reads, “Marlene Bauer Hagge, Last of the L.P.G.A.’s Founders, Dies at 89.” In 1947, she finished eighth in the U.S. Open. She was 13.

I need to work on my game.

(To read the obit of MBH, go here.)

• Maybe some of you are tired of dogs and cats, wonderful as they are. Well: “When you adopt a desert tortoise, prepare for a surprisingly social and zippy pet.”

• A friend of mine has three children, all still in elementary school, I believe. She writes me to say that she taught her eldest the difference between “nauseous” and “nauseated.” Could give a fella hope for the future . . .

• Carnegie Hall hosted a concert in honor of Andrei Sakharov. For my write-up of this event, go here.

• Several days ago, I reviewed a performance of The Magic Flute (Mozart) at the Metropolitan Opera. Let me paste an excerpt:

I wish to pay tribute to Fred Kirshnit, my late friend and colleague — a singular critic, a singular man. I will do it in a funny way (I hope).

Once, he saw a Carmen, which he thoroughly disliked. He even wanted to knock the children’s chorus, in his review. His wife, Leslie Johnson, said, “Oh, no, Fred. Not the children.” I can’t remember what the outcome was.

The Magic Flute has Three Boys, and, on Friday night, they were of course adequate and lovable. But someone should have told them to sing out — to be more assertive, for example, in their rebuke of Papageno.

(How was that, Fred?)

Fred Kirshnit has been one of the best friends I have ever had. Unfailingly kind to me, especially when I have needed it. (Leslie has been just the same way.) I have many memories of Fred I would like to share. But, here and now, I’ll confine myself to just one.

One night, I had forgotten my pen, and wanted to take some notes. This happened to be a concert of the New York Philharmonic. Fred was sitting across the aisle from me. I asked whether he had a pen I could borrow. Yes, he said. And as he withdrew it from his pocket and handed it to me, he said, “But it writes only negative reviews of the New York Philharmonic.”

Thank you for joining me today, everybody. See you soon.

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