Amusing ourselves to death: Huxley vs Orwell. Huxley’s “Brave New World” vs. Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty Four”: which dystopian society are we becoming? Looks like we have a winner.
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Amusing ourselves to death: Huxley vs Orwell. Huxley’s “Brave New World” vs. Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty Four”: which dystopian society are we becoming? Looks like we have a winner.
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I've always suspected that pleasure was more destructive than violence.
The other villain to watch out for is convenience. What we've traded in for the ability to fulfill our impulses and whims are things we'll never get back.
Homer got that right with the sirens. Pleasure can be lethal.
And don't forget the Land of the Lotus-Eaters.
The creep's hometown!
America right now is more Huxley than Orwell, we're amusing ourselves to death while our freedoms are quietly being taking away. Let's all talk about gay marriage and Beonce while Mayor Bloomberg talks about New Yorkers getting used to being spied on by drones and many in Congress and the media want to take away our guns, increase our taxes and manage our health care. Got a problem with that? Take some soma. In Orwell's world Big Brother is watching you but in Huxley's world Big Brother is partying with you.
The end result is the same.
I've read a number of dystopias over the years including the two mentioned here. And the one I think is coming closest to the mark is Atlas Shrugged. At least in the short run.
Definitely a combination of the writings of all three authors. Although as things continue to spiral down the slope of totalitarianism, It's looking like Orwell is going to win out in the end, unfortunately for the common man that it.
Worse still the dumbest among us will never realize it.
Most don't even realize that it was Corporate Greed that stole their gold.
Mr EDITOR? PLEASE can we censor him? I am so tired of hearing about Ron Paul, corporate greed and stolen gold I could puke. Can't you ban him for repitition or something?
My dearest Ms. Rose, while I fully agree with you in theory, I am afraid I still cannot advocate banning him for being an annoying, moronic, repetitive a$$wipe.
The 1st amendment applies even to him.
However, I would certainly NOT use my 2nd amendment right to protect him.
Awww hell, who am I kidding? I would fight to uphold his right to be an annoying, moronic, repetitive a$$wipe. Much as it would pain me to do so.
I might just shoot him.
TD,...................MO.
Nothing to see here.
As crowley moves toward perfection: dumb, dumber, dumbest.
Guess who I had in mind when I posted that last comment?
You're as prophetic as Orwell!
BTW, is there any reason Animal Farm was left out of the mix here? I believe it fits in as well as the other 3.
I don't disagree. Especially if you compare the BHO regime to the pigs. All animals are equal but some are more equal than others.
Having read Animal Farm and 1984 back to back, I noticed that they seemed to be pretty much the same basic theme, but Animal Farm was geared more to a younger, less sophisticated audience. Sort of like a life lesson for kids.
That but it is an allegory of the Russian Revolution. Each main character represents or group from the Bolsheviks. The pigs represented Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky, the horse represented the loyal proletariat, the crows were the NKVD...
My major. What can I say? Forgive the botched word order up there.
Just shows I never studied much on Russia. I never knew that.
I think it's a combination of both plus "Atlas Shrugged". All three got certain parts completely right.
Yes, they all got a lot right. I first read BNW in HS. It was the nineties and at the time it really really felt that Huxley was the one that would win out. But these days Orwell is looking pretty prophetic as well. Especially when the credit cow runs dry and scarcity could ensue.
As for AS . . .wow . . . some of the villains from that novel say the exact things that the cronies and bureaucrats are saying now. And that is chilling.
The prophesy of each is based on who one is and how he fits into society. For those that still bother to think and conitunally seek to know more, they are living in Oceania but for those easily distracted or satisfied with bread and circus Huxley has it right. Rand nails the corporatists and as you said, what our elected officials say everyday is chilling.