1984/2006

[fourisfive]

Theres a real irony here, one im sure alot of you may have picked up on, with all these comparisons between orwellian 1984 and the present day.

Whilst some of the similarities are haunting, i find it ironic that Orwell was staunchly anti-socialist yet some of his warnings have come true in such a different way to what he would have thought possible.

"War is important for consuming the products of human labour. If this work would be used to increase the standard of living, the control of the party over the people would decrease. War is the economy basis for a hierarchical society." (http://www.gerenser.com/1984/analysis.html)

Of course 1984 was based on fact as much as fiction but even Orwell couldnt have predicted how much technology could later be misused by governments to spy on its people. I think I would love nothing more than to bring Orwell into present and let him take it all on board. I think he'd have a field day, and quickly forget about the threat of socialism!

[Ingenieur]

You are absolutely correct. For any fan of the book, one can see many parallels between Nineteen Eighty Four and the society we live in today. I think, if alive today, Orwell would concur that his vision of the future has come true. Definitely not to the totalitarian extreme in the book, but many concepts within are present today. Big Brother is watching...

[bugmasta]

Just because we don't have the totaliarian extreme today doesn't mean it's not coming. Since the attacks on 9-11-01 our liberties in the US have been quickly disapearing and I truely believe we are on our way to a society that will more closely resemble Orwell's 1984.

[SueNH]

It's well on it's way to happening here. Real ID., NAIS, RFID, the marking of the beast.
The USDA is attempting to register every farm or potential farm and microchip everybody's animals. Even Grandma with her 3 pet chickens isn't exempt. Any property that has the potential to earn over $1,000 is technically considered a farm according their plan.

For more information on this scarey thing visit www.nonais.org and www.spychips.com.

Real ID licensing tags people. Companies are starting to implant some of their workers.

Our constitutional rights are being taken away and the average person has no idea.

[oak_jam]

I am 45 years old, and read 1984 in the mid 70s when people said we were heading to 1984-like world under the Labour governement. After the Tories gained power in 1979, everyone said were were heading for 1984 - and how accurate Irwell was with the date. In the mid to late 80s, technology became the worry, and everyone said that, with computeres and DNA testng, etc, we were haeding for 1984.

Then in the 90s..well, I could go on, but the point is: every decade since 1984 was published, people have said that we are on the brink of the book coming true. Yet, with the internet and more freedom of information, and the ability for people to move around more, we are moving further away.

[Turk]

How can you feel sure it's not just a simulacrum? Since it's a world which controlled by money, mass-media and secret organizations.