[sspadowsky]

I've been thinking off-and-on about how many parallels I've been able to draw between 1984 and the current state of affairs. I wonder what you all think of this, if you see similarities, etc. It's not intended to be a conspiracy theory rant, so I hope it doesn't come across that way. But it's pretty damn fascinating, in a viewing-a-car-accident kind of sense, to see how a book written over fifty years ago describes a lot of things that are transpiring today.

And for those of you who have never read 1984, do it. It's a very important book.

Telescreens- In the book, these are literally everywhere, both broadcasting propaganda and watching our every move simultaneously. Today, we have televisions almost virtually everywhere. Even at the gas station near my house, they have small LCD screens at the pump, so you can watch *gag* Fox News while you fill your tank. Add that to video cameras, the new cell phones with built-in cameras, and surveillance cameras nearly everywhere- on streets, at intersections, and in most places of business. Some companies monitor all of their employees on cameras 100% of the time, and even broadcast the footage on the comany's website. We're pretty much under one kind of surveillance or another almost constantly.

Newspeak- This is the mode of the English language that is being implemented in the book. It's a stripping-down of the language into something without color. By that I mean adjectives, any words that could be construed as even remotely controversial. Instead of "bad," there is "ungood." Rather than "horrible," they have "doubleplus ungood." You have to read the book for a more thorough explanation of it, but this is what I'm getting at: I liken it to our current discourse. For instance, no one says a top administration official lied. They say he "misspoke," or "issued a statement that contained factual inaccuracies." Even such a simple word as "lie" has now been raped (I'm sorry, "sexually assaulted") by the Political Correctness movement.

The Proles- The Proletariat, the working class folks. They are not interested in politics, know nothing about those in power, believe what they are told by the media, and are interested in little more than the football scores and the size of the lottery jackpot. Sound like any public you know?

The Thought Police and Unpersons- In the book, all laws have been abolished, except thoughtcrime, i.e. speech or literature which goes against The Party, or even going into a neighborhood where you don't belong, or associating with the wrong group of people. People simply disappear and are never heard from again. All record of their existence is erased. While we're not at that point, I certainly liken our government's recent detention of people who have done nothing wrong, who were never charged with a crime, but were stripped of their civil liberties, and sometimes even deported, to this sort of behavior. In other words, we're quite a way off from that, but we're headed in that direction. The proposed expansion of the Patriot Act calls for the DOJ to be able to conduct secret arrests without court order, evidence, or any oversight or accountability whatsoever.

Constant war- The world has been divided into three "superstates:" Eurasia, Eastasia, and Oceania. London, which is a part of Oceania, is the setting for the book. Oceania is constantly at war. Winston comes into possession of a book which explains the purpose of constant war, how it keeps the military-industrial complex in business, keeps the people nationalistic and unquestioning of their government, etc. There's more to it than that, but it's been a while since I read the book. Sounds an awful lot like the very open-ended war on terror, doesn't it?

That's what I can think of off the top of my head. I must do some actual work now. Your thoughts are welcome.