1984 and 2007

[eluminated]

My question/remark isn't necassarily about the book as a literary work but more about the countless, and evergrowing, obvious similarities between the "future" Orwell wrote about and our present day lives. I'll list a few basic parallels and hope for responses either to dispute my observations or to add some I have missed.
1. Much like the Telescreens, we have more and more CCTV cameras in public places to monitor our activities. In England the cameras have speakers on them so that the "authorities" can talk to (or yell at ) the people on the street to tell them to do things (i.e. "You there in the green shirt, Stop running!" -and soon-"You with the cigarette, you are smoking in an unauthorized zone! Please stand by as an officer will meet you shortly with your fine. Thank-you"
2. "We have always been at war with..." - *edit*
3. Thought Crimes are much like our hate speech and hate crime laws. *edit*
4. Our modern technology makes it possible for any would be "Big Brothers" to go well beyond what Orwell imagined. Implantable microchips that track your every move, paperless monetary systems where one's account can be erased and the individual made destitute in an instant, digital voting machines that can be extesively tampered with no oversite so as to only give the illusion of democracies to keep the masses docile, countless mood altering drugs overprescribed becoming the norm for both adults as well as children, etc. etc.

I'm very curious to see what any/all of you think about this subject

[Adudaewen]

I have always considered 1984 to be a brilliant book, mostly because it COULD happen! you're absolutly right! Scary, huh?

[manolia]

[QUOTE=eluminated;337433]
In England the cameras have speakers on them so that the "authorities" can talk to (or yell at ) the people on the street to tell them to do things (i.e. "You there in the green shirt, Stop running!" -and soon-"You with the cigarette, you are smoking in an unauthorized zone! Please stand by as an officer will meet you shortly with your fine. Thank-you"


Well i have never been in England (but i plan to visit this beautiful country soon) but what you relate is actually really scary!! I wonder how the majority of the people cope with that. Do they thing that this is for their safety?

[eluminated]

Yes manolia, unfortunately many of the people believe the idea that this is an essential tool for safety "in today's world". I even saw an interview where a local woman was asked whether she thought all these things were good and she replied " yes. I think it is a good idea to give up some freedoms in order to protect liberty" - absolute doublethink! the two words mean the exact same thing and she, like many others, are wilfully sacraficing their freedoms in order to protect themselves from a phantom enemy who they are told hates them and wants to destroy the very same freedoms that they are giving away! It's the same as burning down your own home so that it won't be robbed while your away on vacation!

[King of Frogs]

I live in Scotland and I haven't seen any signs of these microphones in CCTV cameras (though I have heared about them before), but I don't really think that most people are so passive as to allow it to happen, but when people start saying things like "it is a good idea to give up some freedoms in order to protect liberty" you've got to wonder.
Also, you've got to remember that these Holocaust Denial Laws have been in place in Austria and Germany since the end of the Second World War, they're nothing new and are there to make sure the fools don't become the majority. *edit*

What people need to do is keep books like 1984 (and The Handmaid's Tale) in mind and not take the Government's word for it.

[CatherineH/L/E]

I agree with all that everyone is saying but i think that we need to keep in might that we do need to give up some of our persnol freedoms for our own saftey. I think everyone needs to rember that having a government at all is giving up some of our persnol freedom. We don't all fend for ourselves when our enemies threaten us, we have an organized army. By having a president or prime minister of any kind we surrender some degree our autonomy for protection.

One thing that has been overlooked that is truly preventing government today from splipping into the ways of Oceania is that there are multi-party politics. In 1984 the Party dominated all politics and all atempts to think otherwise were immiatly quashed by the government. Clearly three branches of government cannot prevent it from what is demonstrated in 1984 but letting people vioce there opinions is the key to success for a true democracy.

[Big D]

I believe that big brother has more than a million message in it for us to disither as time goes on. (not deliberately placed messages) one of these messages being do not take your civil liberties for grantid and that we should fight back aginst any allthalitarean stae that oposis the poorer or less better off eg the poles.

[The Atheist]

I believe that big brother has more than a million message in it for us to disither as time goes on. (not deliberately placed messages) one of these messages being do not take your civil liberties for grantid and that we should fight back aginst any allthalitarean stae that oposis the poorer or less better off eg the poles.

Well said, mate!

I know this is a non-political place, but Poland has had a raw deal for a very long time. Fortunately, I think the internet will ensure that people everywhere know how to retain their liberties so that there are never any more Room 101s in the world.

Give us time.

[Dante Wodehouse]

I think you have a point, eluminated. *edit*You might also want to take note that those screens (unless I misunderstood you) are only on property that wants them to be there, much different from a channel forcibly inflicted on people in their own rooms.
Also, a state that opposes the poorer is only evil if it opposes the poorer because of their poverty.

[King of Frogs]

Also, a state that opposes the poorer is only evil if it opposes the poorer because of their poverty.

I'm not entirely sure of what you mean by this, but I would have thought that any state which opposes the poorer people is at least not very nice - if not evil.

[dorina]

,you are sharring the same ideeas as i do, for more informations i suggest you to read the Bible,especially Danile and Revelations.
it is all hapenning!!!

[Dante Wodehouse]

I'm not entirely sure of what you mean by this, but I would have thought that any state which opposes the poorer people is at least not very nice - if not evil.

I meant that any state that opposes the poor due to their poverty is evil and not nice. A state that opposes a poorer state because that poorer state has the nasty tendency of raising coups in border territories owned by the richer state has a legitimate complaint and right to oppose the poorer state.

[Lioness_Heart]

I think that it's really scary how everything in 1984 is coming true. And other books, like Animal Farm, too. I just hope that it doesn't all end like it does in those books.

[johnA.B.C.Smith]

is there really a class anymore?

[Lioness_Heart]

do you mean as in social clasees? or classes in school?