George Orwell's 1984 - is this a possible future?

Question

Big Brother is watching you ... sends chills really ... how would a society get to that point, would you personally allow it to (ie go with the flow to avoid trouble) and what is the likelihood of a similar system taking over like that in our future?

Answer 1

Yes, without us knowing it, many of the aspects of that book are with us today.
Video surveillance
Continual war
mind warping entertainment
manipulative media
loss of personal freedoms
Influence of big corporations on government

It's been so long since I've read it I seem to recall that the gov't was trying to regulate who could & couldn't get married.

The modern day influence of the christian right seems quite Orwellian also

Answer 2

I loved this book, when I read it, many years ago, now.
I think that some of Orwell's predictions are already in place.
For example, CCTV camera's watching our every move.
I work as a tutor, for a small independent company (although we get a grant from the government) - a Work-based learning centre, and all our rooms have CCTV camera's which record our every move in each room - students and teachers alike. In some ways, this can act as a protection, but it is also an intrusion.
The government. is now telling us what we should and shouldn't eat, and I find that annoying and insulting.
Protest and strikes have been restricted - much of our freedom has been taken away.
We have had phone-tapping done by the police and other government and international agencies.

I hope this helps:>)

Answer 3

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. It seems like today, we are openly willing to give away more and more of these freedoms for "security". It is a slow but sure slide, as our government keeps us in a constant fear of some sort of bogeyman (yes, how long was it between the time the Berlin Wall fell and Sadam became the new bad guy to hate. Axis of Evil?). I'm not saying we are even close to being there yet, but what about in a hundred years?

Just remember this one thing: Everyone loves watching the old world war II films where the overly officious and prying german officials ask for someone's papers. The old nazi government would be salivating at knowing the amount of information they get off you when you show your license, goto the bank, buy a house.

Answer 4

I don't think it will ever go quite that far, I find it hard to believe here in the United States the masses would allow themselves to be quite so shunted from society.

However, you can see some of the war justifications already taking place. The failure of the economy, loss of personal freedoms, failing government expectations are all being justified under the guise of the War in Iraq.

With quickly advancing technology it will be very important to ensure that laws are passed to make sure rights and freedoms are preserved...already there are indications that Big Brother is watching. Things like warrant less wiretaps could quickly lead to a slippery slope if not kept in check.

Answer 5

I think it could be argued that a lot of the controls Orwell wrote about are already in place!

Big Brother IS watching! Cash a cheque, use the internet, use an ATM, get married, move house, buy a car, do anything and someone, somewhere, knows about it.

We are told what to do by television. What we buy, what we wear, even how we look is governed by television. One minute we are told to hate a particular country, the next, they are our allies.

Just try to drop out of the rat race. You can't. You'll be noted and tagged wherever you go, whatever you do.

I think Orwell portrayed a society controlled by the authorities. That's what we have now.

Grim isn't it?

Answer 6

there are quite a few things that we take for granted about our world that are very similar to some of the things found in 1984, e-mail and texting, cctv , interactive tv and pc's in every home and office, the advances in communication make us aware that all written and visual information can not be relied on for authenticity as it can so easily be altered even moving images, right through to the fear of war that leads to polarisation from other 'races' or ethnic groups and changing alliances, no it is not the identical state that we saw in the book but there are some similarities and that of course is the warning that orwell was getting at, that the power to manipulate is there, say you are trying to solve all the problems in the world and you find you only let in the opportunity for oppression and dehumanisation.....don't lose your grip on right and wrong and don't stop being vigilant about freedom

Answer 7

Wait...I've never seen it but doesn't that dumba** show "Big Brother" indicate Orwell's 1984 is the future is now?

Also let me add,I have never wasted even 30 seconds watching any of these so called "reality shows". Why do people waste their life watching others wasting theirs?

I can't imagine people actually obsessing over who will be the next idol, super model, survivor, dance rand what ever other idiotic shows are out there. And yes, I know ton's people watch these shows otherwise they wouldn't be on the air.

What ever happened to reading a good book....heck, even a bad book vs. watching one o these want-to-be TV shows.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

I think 1984 wasn't really a prediction about how the world was going to turn out. I'd say he was using the novel form to show why we need to be vigilant against attempts of the few to impose their will on the rest of us. In many ways I think it is a similar message to Animal Farm.

We have seen pretty close approximations to this society in dictatorships around the world. North Korea seems to be a pretty close match. But it is also relevant to us in the West whether it is governments trying to gain control over increasing areas of our lives or large corporations brainwashing us into thinking we need their latest products.

Answer 10

Were there already brother. If you go to the shopping centre in any city you are recorded on CCTV over 400 times, your medical details are held by the state, your financial details are on government computers as is your residential status who you live with etc. Your bank could tell us how much a week you spend on booze and fags if they wanted (if like most you use cash cards) even you mobile phone could be used as tracking device to let the state follow your every move and your worried it might happen! It hear and its now