I've often wondered just how close George Orwell's vision of the future was. I last read the book a long time ago and can't remember much of it So after the ID card thread I just had a quick search for 1984 comparisons and found this link which analyses the whole book http://www.orwelltoday.com/ Maybe he was 20 years out but if we look at this country today there seems to be some frightening comparisons: In the book England was called Airstrip One, as it had become a huge military base for a never ending war against an unseen enemy. Other terms used in the book such as The ministry of truth, Doublespeak, telescreens and even a mention of the lottery all seem to echo today's world in so many ways. WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
I read it the other day. yeah... it is scary, seems as though we're hurtling full pelt into Orwells vision of the future, and no-one realises. Or if they do, they're ignoring it.
I think it was a warning more than a prediction, of the dangers of totalitarianism. And if we forget the warning, then it may well become a prediction of what is to come....
i actually had nightmares after reading that book. dreams of me hating big brother, dreams of seeing god, but he was acutally big brother, it was the horriblest, craziest thing ever. i will be the first to die if it all turns into 1984, i dont like it
I just bought '1984' at the weekend and started reading it yesterday morning. The similarities between Big Brother and 'the western world' today have already freaked me out a bit! Especially on the unseen enemies and neverending war front. I really did think when reading that this could be the Bush Administration's idiology! I can't even imagine what's to come next in it. I wonder what's in 'the book' and also who todays champion anarchist would be too?
If anyone remembers the miners strike of 1984 and lived in a mining area then they will remember how parts of Britain came very close to being a totalitarian state. For example road blocks were set up on motorways and other roads by police to stop flying pickets travelling to other collieries. There were mass battles at picket lines, which were usually provoked or started by the police. The massive battle of Orgreave being the best example, where Arthur Scargill was injured and described the police violence on the day as being similar to what one would expect in a totalitarian state like Chile rather than Britain. The miners strike also led to phone tapping and spying on activists by the Special Branch. It was later acknowledged by the government years after that most of the police action during the strike had been nothing to do with law and order and had been purely political. Then there was the anouncement that CND protesters could be shot on sight if they entered MOD property as there was no way of knowing whether people entering MOD property were peaceful protesters of terrorists.
So... a bit like those kids in Palestine that you were saying it was OK for the Israelis to shoot, eh?
It's a virus that has spread to Canada: the governement department in charge of the annual seal pup hunt (a swift smack across the skull with a plank of wood) is called The Seal Protection agency!!
