I love Orwell and all, but Sinclair Lewis deconstructed American populism before 1984 saw print.
I love Orwell and all, but Sinclair Lewis deconstructed American populism before 1984 saw print.
- Christopher HitchensPopulists (and "national socialists") look at the supposedly secret deals that run the world "behind the scenes". Child's play. Except that childishness is sinister in adults.
Effective alternative marketing for books about alternative futures. An alternative success.
1984 is not some grim future scenario, it is something that actually happened in many countries in the world. Living in Russia, Ukraine and rest of Soviet Union 1920-1950 was exactly like this (like word to word, of course minus TV in every room ;P). I dare to say that living in USSR (no matter in Lenin or Stalin years) was actually far worse that it is portraited in Orwell book. Nazi German created mass terror during WWII, but it pales in comparison what Soviets and communism in general did to human kind.
Don't want to be involved in politics on this forum, but some people here and in USA in general are really pathetic. You think sky (and democracy) is falling just because election is won by candidate that you don't like. I don't want to upset you, but I know what will happen next - it is EXACTLY the same scenario that happened in Poland last year (and by the way, I'm no pro Trump or current polish goverment):
1) Current goverment is very confident, conservative opposition seems to be weak.
2) All celebrities tell us to vote for establishment and goverment cantidate won in every poll - but if in media you are 'cool' when you say that vote for Clinton and you are ostracized if you want to vote for Trump, what do you think polls will show? Of course many Trump voters will say: "Go fuck yourself" to the pollsters or simply lie about their choice
3) It completely not match with general feeling "on the street" - many more people go to meetings with opposite candidate and are more passionate - of course 80% of TV don't show that.
4) Right-wing candidate won, TV is in shock and show us how detached from reality they really are (I remember how I laugh when I saw somewhere: "Why didn't Hillary won? She had Lady Gaga and Jay-Z on their side, she must won!" or sth like that).
5) Mass protests against new elected candidate, long before he even make any decision.
6) Protesters calls new goverment "totalitarian" <- you are here right know.
Believe me or knot, it was almost exactly the same way in Poland last year. After right-winged party won the election, almost week or so after that opposition created
"Committee of defense of democracy". They acted like communism is back, created protest after protest, sang songs from 1980-89 etc. This was happened after that:
1) Less and less people go to every next demonstration (and there were A LOT of them - even when goverment farted in wrong direction, there were a protest next day).
2) Still many people, especially on TV and social media supported protests and mocked current goverment - country was almost divide by a half.
3) Poland were (and still sometimes is) ostracized in foreign media and some public forum (like EU Parliament) - especially in Germany - former goverment was loyal to them just like current is loyal to US.
4) "Total opposition" strategy didn't work at all - polls are poiting at current goverment and even going higher. People are just tired on this.
5) In December opposition blocked polish parliament for whole Christmas period and there were few "spontanic" protests on the street at the same time. Funny thing, I don't remember where it was, but some west media show pictures from pro-goverment demonstration to show how many Poles are against current goverment ;P).
6) Leaders of the opposition totally compromitated themselves almost at the same time (one went with mistress on vacation to Portugal while protest were still going on, and turned out leader of "Committee of defense of democracy" didn't work for free like he claimed).
7) Right know, protest end with knowing, left-wing opposition is in horrible state and their polls going down every day.
So, anti Trump people - if you don't want Trump to lead your country for 8 years, BE CONSTRUCTIVE. People will be tired of contant protest some day. Comparing Trump to Hitler and his vision of America to Orwell is so stupid that you only make clown of yourselves. And nobody will listen to clown.
Orwell vision of world still happens RIGHT KNOW - in North Korea for example. But you don't really give a shit about Korea, don't you? Unless it's funny meme with Kim Jon Un, of course.
Basically...
hey voters and politicians, the book was a warning not a manual!
its nothing surprising - most of world population have beta type mentality of slaves - as long as they have their illusion of freedom via having home with tv / car / iphone they are happy
its a myth that ALL people hated living in communism in former ZSRR republicks - there were milions of people perfeckly happy with their life back then . most people dont need much for living as long os they have stable work and stable life - its sad but its truth - same happened now US - people with shit jobs stoped beling in american dream and want their version of comunism .
you can see it now perfeckly in EU in Poland and Hungary where the ones who rule are people who promise simple recpies and new version of communism - just like trump
Last edited by kamuimac; 2017-01-25 at 09:26 AM.
Orwellian tactics from the establishment is not something that just popped up with Trump, Obama was one of the biggest violators of privacy and infringement upon your (and mine infact) rights, in modern western history.
You americans need to tell your leaders to stop, entirely not just when it's not your party being despots.
Last edited by mmocbf3af6dcb2; 2017-01-25 at 10:07 AM.
Big difference between Trump and 1984 is everyone believed Big Brother. Also we're not big on strapping rats to people's faces here in the US.
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"This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can."
-- Capt. Copeland
All right, gentleperchildren, let's review. The year is 2024 - that's two-zero-two-four, as in the 21st Century's perfect vision - and I am sorry to say the world has become a pussy-whipped, Brady Bunch version of itself, run by a bunch of still-masked clots ridden infertile senile sissies who want the Last Ukrainian to die so they can get on with the War on China, with some middle-eastern genocide on the side
Only exaggeration in the book is the scale - totalitarism didn't take all the earth in real world. And in totalitarian country there was no TV in every apartment ;P. Other than that it all happened, Orwell saw sample of this in Spain, but I don't think he even imagined that reality in Soviet Union can be actually even worse.
Last edited by Dracullus; 2017-01-25 at 10:50 AM.
wouldnt realy surpise me if he didnt - most adoults in EU read 1-2 books a year majority - and i somehow highly doubt that those are highly sophisticated books like Orwell's or that US has much higher yearly average book reading statistics.
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satire that is quickly becoming a reality.
And at some point the relantionship between Trump and his supporters will resemble that of Animal Farm
Your source is "MSN" how about stop falling for fake news.
Also buying books isn't a bad thing but claiming "1984" heavy reading is because of Trump just makes them and you look like a fool.
1984 is the tactic the left have been using for sometime now.
How about you go read it or watch the movie version if you are lazy and take yourself out of the propaganda mind set and have a look back at the past eight years.
It's really ironic, considering how the whole Tumblr / Politically Correct culture is literally the embodiment of 1984. War is Peace (Islam and Unesco), Freedom is Slavery (Capitalism/Free market vs Socialism, taxation and welfare), Ignorance is Strength (free spaces, facts = 'hate speech', etc)
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Animal farm is literally the description of any socialistic regime. Even Orwell himself didn't even try to hide it.
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...are you for real?
You DO realize, that national-socialism is the leftest left there can possibly be, right? Or are you one of those people who claims that REAL SOCIALISM/COMMUNISM WERE NEVER TRIED?
Non-discipline 2006-2019, not supporting the company any longer. Also: fails.
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1984 awareness surged even more during the first two years of Obama's first term.
Last edited by Hammerfest; 2017-01-25 at 01:40 PM.