1984

[Kram]

I believe this book is to long and soulless. It may be a prediction of a well descriptive future that never happened, i believe it couldn't happen due to all the media. For examplle if someone were to change the past someone would stick their nose into it and it would be uncovered. The Government has no control over the meida fortunatly, but it is also unfortunate that every paper/magzine has a main story about some idol or celeb. I would however recommend this to anyone who has alot of time on their hands and likes sort of unactioned sci-fi, sloppy romance, uninformative piece of literture. If they want to read a book by George Orwell pick Animal Farm not as long but covers the same meaning.:smilielol5:

[The Atheist]

I believe this book is to long and soulless. It may be a prediction of a well descriptive future that never happened, i believe it couldn't happen due to all the media. For examplle if someone were to change the past someone would stick their nose into it and it would be uncovered. The Government has no control over the meida fortunatly, but it is also unfortunate that every paper/magzine has a main story about some idol or celeb. I would however recommend this to anyone who has alot of time on their hands and likes sort of unactioned sci-fi, sloppy romance, uninformative piece of literture.

That's one of the harshest criticisms I've ever read of the book. Orwell would be upset that he missed the target so badly with you.

I think you're very naive on the power of the media and how stories are controlled.

[teufelhunden75]

The past isn't as solid ans you make it seem, even if modern sources such as internet, television and cell phones, all it takes to really fool an entire country is simply making an event up, rarely are you ever given proof of something happening just whats fed to you in the news, maybe a picture or 2 of the incident. Say the local news tells us that a political figure today was killed, all someone would have to do is fake a photo of his death and spread the word (something that is done in the ministry of truth, infact there is a whole section dedicates to it) not only that but in 1984 Oceania is totally restricted from the outside world and there countries like that, he predicted mant things that manifest themselves in different ways.

[cafolini]

I believe this book is to long and soulless. It may be a prediction of a well descriptive future that never happened, i believe it couldn't happen due to all the media. For examplle if someone were to change the past someone would stick their nose into it and it would be uncovered. The Government has no control over the meida fortunatly, but it is also unfortunate that every paper/magzine has a main story about some idol or celeb. I would however recommend this to anyone who has alot of time on their hands and likes sort of unactioned sci-fi, sloppy romance, uninformative piece of literture. If they want to read a book by George Orwell pick Animal Farm not as long but covers the same meaning.:smilielol5:

Final analysis? I agree.
In particular "It may be a prediction of a well descriptive future that never happened" and could never happen worlwide, although it did happen already in Germany, Italy and Japan before 1945. But apart from the catastrophe, it did not transcend. And today things are setup in such a way that a return to that insane world is an impossibility. Orwell's machine works on mass paranoia. But there is no longer such thing with sufficient members, and there will never be again.

[teufelhunden75]

That is something I can agree with, Orwell most likely predicted this using knowledge of what happened in Germany, Italy and Japan along with expanding on that to fit a more global future, but we where able to stop this from happening by keeping our Democracy strong.

[cafolini]

The past isn't as solid ans you make it seem, even if modern sources such as internet, television and cell phones, all it takes to really fool an entire country is simply making an event up, rarely are you ever given proof of something happening just whats fed to you in the news, maybe a picture or 2 of the incident. Say the local news tells us that a political figure today was killed, all someone would have to do is fake a photo of his death and spread the word (something that is done in the ministry of truth, infact there is a whole section dedicates to it) not only that but in 1984 Oceania is totally restricted from the outside world and there countries like that, he predicted mant things that manifest themselves in different ways.

Of course there are countries like that. What do you think we are fighting? The question is how much power do these countries actually have to bring about 1984? Nil.
Also, the leaders wouldn't do it because we will hunt them down like we did with The Taliban, Saddam and Al-Qaeda. 1984 could never happen or had happen since 1945. The Germany of Hittler and Himmler was the last possible 1984. Orwell is museum.

[teufelhunden75]

Also 1984 should be taken as a warning, if we don't continue to hunt down oppressive governments, his predictions could become real.

[HDGDL]

I couldn't disagree more, although I understand this is your opinion. When you say this couldn't happen in future society, this is where I find fault. It has happened, with any dictatorships as well as some communist forces. I wouldn't doubt it will happen in the future, near or far. This novel is simply warning us of what we have seen, what we see right now, and what we will begin to see at some point.

[cafolini]

I couldn't disagree more, although I understand this is your opinion. When you say this couldn't happen in future society, this is where I find fault. It has happened, with any dictatorships as well as some communist forces. I wouldn't doubt it will happen in the future, near or far. This novel is simply warning us of what we have seen, what we see right now, and what we will begin to see at some point.

Ludicrous. They will attempt it and we will crash them. Of course, globalization of freedom is slow, and they will try it out of ignorance, but they wouldn't even get 1/10 into it. Those who will attempt it would have to be so primitive that to think they'll have the technology to do it would be ludicrous.

[cafolini]

Also 1984 should be taken as a warning, if we don't continue to hunt down oppressive governments, his predictions could become real.

I like Huxley a lot more in terms of warnings. Wallace inteviewed him several times and Huxley was always saying and claiming that all his stuff was just a warning. Orwell actually thought that 1984 could be implemented. Perhaps it was a warning, but it was no longer needed.

[Raskolnikov82]

1984 as described in the book is very unlikely to happen. But then again, any future utopian / distopian society is very unlikely to happen; however, over the future is a really long time, and to say that it it is impossible, is like saying that we'll never have a society that uses horses and carriages as a means of transoportation again. We never should, but if a nuclear war breaks out and fossil fuels get low, the government will be the only people allowed to use fuel (most likely). It will probably never happen in our lifetime... hopefully ever. But it could?

[Raskolnikov82]

BTW, my favorite distopian novel is Anthem by Ayn Rand. I like how well she is able to promote objectivism through her story and by implicitly making her points throughout the novel.

[cafolini]

1984 as described in the book is very unlikely to happen. But then again, any future utopian / distopian society is very unlikely to happen; however, over the future is a really long time, and to say that it it is impossible, is like saying that we'll never have a society that uses horses and carriages as a means of transoportation again. We never should, but if a nuclear war breaks out and fossil fuels get low, the government will be the only people allowed to use fuel (most likely). It will probably never happen in our lifetime... hopefully ever. But it could?

There an infinite number of things that are impossible, and 1984 is one of them. Nuclear war at worldwide level in another one. There are all kinds of alternative fuels and the economic possibilities for them to be used will be available as needed. You might as well imagine having dinner with the unicorn as far more possible than going back to use horses and carriages in USA.
"Anything is possible" or "nothing is impossible," are pricking screams from inside a museum wing; pure vestiges of obsolete cultures.

[cafolini]

BTW, my favorite distopian novel is Anthem by Ayn Rand. I like how well she is able to promote objectivism through her story and by implicitly making her points throughout the novel.

I would like to hear the details of how the objectivism and individualism of crazy, Aristotelian Ayn Rand is actually going to happen. In terms of possibilities, she was at least 100 years backwards when she wrote those books.