Memory hole

From RationalWiki

Memory hole is a technical computing term that refers to ... hmmm what was it that it refers to again, damn damn, damn, I'm sure I used to know what it was. Anyway to continue, non sequitur refers to a statement or conclusion that does not follow from that which preceded it. It is a logical fallacy and peaches sure taste nice don't they?

Mmm, peaches. Yup, sure good, ain't they? See what I wux tellin' ya?

The term came from George Orwell's famous novel 1984, in which an extremely authoritarian government of the future (well, it was the future at the time the book was written) controlled information so thoroughly that they could make facts disappear completely. Citizens had no access to written records that could contradict the government, so the government could actually rewrite history however they wanted. The "memory hole" itself was literally a hole in the wall that served as a waste disposal chute that led directly to an incinerator in the basement of the building (specifically, the Ministry of Truth in London).

At present, the best place to view this kind of behavior is the deletion of history that is regularly practiced by the administrators of Conservapedia. (See Burning the evidence).

In the comic book series Jack of Fables by Bill Willingham, the memory hole is a place where fictional characters are placed as punishment by Chief Librarian "Revise." The implication is that the experience is incredibly painful, as parts of them are forgotten, removing them from reality. In this version, the memory hole is an actual object.