1984, Brave New World, etc. VS the Real World, page 2

Disclaimer, I have not read most of the responses on here, so if I repeat something that someone else already said, I apologize.

1984

Big brother really is here. We are caught on camera hundreds of times a day, while just trudging through our daily lives. The bank, any stores we enter, many public streets, walking past homes with security cameras... all of these places record our likeness and watch our movements on a daily basis.

Propaganda and Newspeak exists today. In fact, both of these are almost integral to our society. When support for the current war goes down, we suddenly start claiming victories. When support is up, we start losing a few troops here and there, getting people more riled up to go against the "enemy." The US government keeps publicly saying that "we're the best in everything." and tends to hide the notions that we're simply not the most advanced in other areas. In fact, challenging the government's word, in this day and age, can get you labelled un-American and a possible traitor or terrorist. Newspeak is simply political correctness. Orwell called this one perfectly. The terminology is a bit different, but the idea is the same - using kind euphamisms for terms that once existed in a harsh reality. A perfect example is the term "post traumatic stress disorder." That term sounds like a walk in the park on a sunny day. It describes a condition once known (in the WWII era) as shellshock. Shellshock has a harsh sound to it. It lets you know something is wrong. It let people know the seriousness of the condition. Other examples - short has become vertically challenged. Handicapped has become handicapable, disabled, or emotionally/mentally/physically challenged. These are just a few terms that have replaced the old language that more accurately described things, because people are willing to be blinded to the truth of a situation.

War, power, and force exist to keep the masses as sheep in a pasture. People no longer hold control over their lives. Force is all too commonly used by the government to quell situations that could attract public attention to issues that would counter the government's agenda. A perfect example of this is the use of tear gas against non-violent protesters in DC after the 2004 election. Wars seem to start when approval for the government has fallen. And power exists in the hands of the few, exactly as it did in the world of 1984.

Brave New World

Soma is becoming an increasingly significant metaphor for the allowance of drug abuse to run rampant in America. Has anyone ever noticed that every time they bring down a drug "kingpin" he's out working again 3 months later? Many conspiracy theorists have mentioned that the DEA is actually making more money by putting drugs back on the streets than they are by busting the dealers. Knowing a few people that have worked both sides of the coin, as dealers, and as DEA informants, they have only confirmed this. If an average schmoe like me can find any drug in existence (often without even asking) with a 5 minute walk around a known drug neighborhood, it should be pretty easy for an organization like the DEA to clean up much of the drugs in the country. Start at the bottom and work your way up. Hell, I've even known who the "kingpins" in Baltimore City were in the past, and I steer clear of illegal drugs. It's that easy to find out. This is further evidence that the various local and federal drug enforcement agencies have no intentions of lessening the drug flow into America. Soma was a means of controlling the society with drugs. It's happening.

Also in Brave New World, sexuality was a very important factor in the control of the people. No matter how much one group speaks out against sex, there's another one, equally as loud, promoting sex. Fact is, sex is very common among all people. Everyone enjoys the pleasure gleaned from sex. By promoting it through sex on TV, advocating birth control over abstinence, etc, the government is keeping people more informed about sex, and rarely saying it's wrong. As a result, people are having a lot of sex, and a sexually satiated person is a person that's less likely to cause trouble for the government (this isn't always the case, but it's often the case).

Genetic engineering is here, though in its infancy. By combining current genetic reprogramming technology with a more complete understanding of the human genome, we will be able to genetically engineer people for certain roles in life. On one hand, we'll be able to irradicate known diseases and prolong our lifespans, but on the other hand, we'll be able to create people with the genetic disposition to be a fast food worker, or a scientific genius. Very little will be left to chance once these technologies advance a little further.

I love both of these books, since they both portray a government that's wildly out of control, but with different means to their ends. I've given much thought to the pertinence of each, and this is but a sampling of my contemplation on the subject.