Happy birthday, Nineteen Eighty-Four
Today is the 64th anniversary of the publication of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, and with all the news that’s been occurring in the last few weeks (up to and including today), somehow it seems apropos.
We are not (yet) in the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four, and I’ve often thought the future more likely to resemble Huxley’s competing dystopia Brave New World than Orwell’s. Each work is brilliant and chilling, despite different styles and visions. Huxley’s is baroque and Orwell’s spare, but it was Orwell’s that troubled my sleep with nightmares and my waking hours with dread when I first read it, at the ripe old age of twelve.
It is a masterpiece of insight into the modern totalitarian power-driven mindset of the left, based on Orwell’s intimate knowledge of how that works. If you’ve never read it, I suggest you do so. If you have—well, then you know what I mean.
[NOTE: I’ve written many pieces with reflections on Nineteen Eighty-Four, but I refer you especially to this one.]
I recently re-read Atlas Shrugged and was shocked at Ayn Ran prescience. Time to find a copy of 1984 (which I read 30 yrs ago).
I still remember the IMO greatly under-appreciated Edmund O’Brian playing Winston Smith in the original 1956 movie version of 1984. I understand that critics consider the 1984 version with John Hurt and Richard Burton to be better, which I haven’t seen but I can’t imagine a more convincing portrayal than O’Brian’s.
And Orwell’s prescience with 1984 is chilling.
I’m going to mail the novel to my nieces and nephew.
Also, remembering D-Day–Ronald Reagan’s moving D-Day speech at Normandy:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/p7hv66
It really does not matter any longer which dystopian vision of two (two!) generations ago was the more prescient. The point is that dystopia has arrived.
We may squirm and struggle like a worm on a dystopian hook, but hooked we are, and hooked we shall stay.
We were warned, but we did not heed. It is too late. We threw it away. We sacrificed liberty for security, and we have neither.
Lizzy, 4:38 pm — “I recently re-read Atlas Shrugged . . . .”
For a teaser sample, I refer interested members of the neo-neocon community to the following brief excerpt from “Atlas Shrugged”: the monologue of the drunkard who’d worked at
“The Twentieth Century Motor Car Company”
http://thesnarkwhohuntsback.wordpress.com/favorite-passages-from-atlas-shrugged/the-story-of-the-twentieth-century-motor-company-atlas-shrugged-part-ii/
*OR*
http://tinyurl.com/kdnbhzq
I think we are in the world of 1984, and that we are in denial about that because it is an insult to our vanity about ourselves and what kind of beings we think we are.
Look at the News!!!! The Truth, as such, is illegal. Period. That is the fact of the matter.
We are spied on and controlled in every area possible already.
A plutocrat is now deciding who gets a transplant and who does not.
We are serfs and slaves and we will continue to be until we stand up, tell the truth, and deliver swift justice to our oppressors.
Mike,
Take a breath. Things are much worse than we would like but can indeed get much, much worse. The government can force many things upon us, but it cannot yet tell us where we must live, what career’s we must choose, whom we may marry and how many children we can have. It cannot yet tell us what we MUST believe nor what thoughts are crimes. While children cannot even talk about guns at school or on a school bus, it is not yet a crime to think of them.
Things can get much worse. Things will get worse, how much worse is yet to be determined.
We can still stand up and tell the truth, this blog is absolute proof of that. 1984 has not yet arrived.
As to how long swift justice must wait till it can be delivered to our oppressors, no man can say.
Geoffrey,
You are in denial.
The government actually does regulate marriage, and in ways unheard of now.
I stand by my statement that the truth, as such, is illegal for all effective purposes.
Speeding is illegal. Everyone does it but you only get stopped when they want to stop you. That can be anytime, anywhere, for any reason these vicious tyrants want.
The net draws tighter everyday. As in every totalitarian regime there ever was, people are in denial all the way to the end. Look it up. By the time they realize it is too late…it is too late.
Don’t misunderstand what I am saying. We can beat them. Every single day we are in denial is just another day where we tell ourselves the lie that maybe we won’t have to beat them…maybe they’ll just stop….maybe they won’t go “too” far.
Don’t argue with me. Pick up any decent history book covering the last 3000 years or so and argue with the book.
G.B. sez, in part, ” Things will get worse, how much worse is yet to be determined.”
That is small comfort, G.B., and it means we have essentially arrived at our terminus. Let’s be clear, the odds that we little ordinary people will be the determinators daily diminishes and is now asymptotic to nothingness.
M J R Says:
June 6th, 2013 at 7:42 pm
It’s been over 20 years since I read Atlas Shrugged.
Thank you for that.
If there is a better description of the modern American welfare state, I have not seen it.
It may even serve as an epitaph for America.
Geoffrey Britain Says:
June 6th, 2013 at 4:52 pm
Geoffrey, I haven’t seen the 1956 version. But if you haven’t seen the 1984 version, you are in for a treat because it is absolutely brilliant. John Hurt as Winston Smith, Richard Burton as O’Brien (his last role), and Suzanna Hamilton as Julia are all perfect.
I had to look up Suzanna Hamilton, because I couldn’t remember her name. But she is exactly how I pictured Julia when I read the book at around age 13 or 14. It was almost uncanny.
One striking thing about the way 1984 could play out is that the governments don’t need to construct wiretaps and put telescreens everywhere as Orwell thought–all they need to do is co-opt the existing digital infrastructure with spyware.
Mike,
I don’t know about the U.S.A., but it sure seems like Britain is already at that point. The fact that hordes of Muslim colonists can hatch terror plots on British soil with impunity while the police (which mostly doesn’t even have guns) can arrest those who publish tweets disparaging Islam is simply shocking.
MJR, from “Of Plymouth Plantation” by Gov. William Bradford, his history of the Pilgrims from England to the Massachusetts. The transcrption is terrible, but you’ll get the idea. Note especially his distain for Plato, the original socialist.
—— about 1622 or 1623
All this whille no supply was heard of, neither knew they when they might expecte any. So they begane to thinke how they might raise as much torne as they could, and obtaine a beter crope then they had done, that they might not still thus languish in miserie. At length, after much debate of things, the Govr (with the advise of the cheefest amongest them) gave way that they should set corve every man for his owne perticuler, and in that regard trust to them selves; in all other things to goe on in the generall way as before. And so assigned to every family a parcell of land, according to the proportion of their number for that end, only for present use (but made no devission for inheritance), and ranged all boys and youth under some familie. This had very good success; for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more torne was planted then other waise would have bene by any means the Govr or any other could use, and saved him a great deall of trouble, and gave farr better contente. The women now wente willingly into the feild, and tooke their litle-ons with them to set torne, which before would aledg weaknes, and inabilitie; whom to have compelled would have bene thought great tiranie and oppression.216.
The experience that was had in this commone course and condition, tried sundrie years, and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanitie of that conceite of Platos and other.ancients, applauded by some of aater times; -that the taking away of propertie, and bringing in communitie into a comone wealth, would make them happy and $orishing; as if they were wiser then God. For this comunitie (so farr as it was) was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much imployment that would have been to their benefite and comforte. For the yong-men that were most able and fitte for labour and servise did repine that they should spend their time and streingth to worke for other mens wives and children, with out any recompence. The strong, or man of parts, had no more in devission of victails and cloaths, then he that was weake and not able to doe a quarter the other could; this was thought injuestice. The aged and graver men to be ranked and equalised in labours, and victails, cloaths, etc., with the meaner and yonger sorte, thought it some indignite and disrespect unto them. And for mens wives to be commanded to doe servise for other men, as dresing their meate, washing their cloaths, etc., they deemd it a kind of slaverie, neither could many husbands well brooke it. Upon the poynte all being to have alike, and all to doe alike, they thought them selves in the like condition, and ove as good as another; and so, if it did not cut of those relations that God hath set amongest men, yet it did at least much diminish and take of the mutuall respects that should be preserved amongst them. And would have bene worse if they had been men of another condition. Let pone objecte this is mens corruption, and nothing to the course it selfe. I answer, seeing all men have this corruption in them, God in his wisdome saw another course fiter for them.
I wouldn’t dream of arguing with you Mike. I also stand by my perceptions, both of your mental state and of the current state of our servitude. Denial and all.
Must be that famed British wit.
It’s amazingly cutting when you see it in person.
Demented Mike simply points again to the weight of his evidence being today’s headlines and the record of history.
Now we have revelations about data mining on U.S. citizens – an almost unthinkable wickedness (up until a few days ago that is) that almost made me forget about the previous 5 unthinkable tyrannies which themselves were preceded by 4 solid years of tearing up the Constitution in our faces.
But everything is fine and only a freak would think otherwise.
Wow.