1984 - Worth a (Re)Read

[ToddDubya]

I've been re-reading 1984 and I'll be damned if it doesn't make more sense to me now than it did when I was in high school. Go figure. While riding an aeroplane last week I bookmarked a few passages that I found interesting and relative to today's political climate. I won't bore you with all of them, but I paid particular attention to the parts where Orwell describes why "The Party" would succeed where other dictators failed. This passage says what I've been thinking: that there is a group ("The Party") in charge who selects our political candidates and lets us "choose" the best one. Whoever wins, "The Party" wins.

The essence of oligarchical rule is not father-to-son inheritance, but the persistence of a certain world-view and a certain way of life, imposed by the dead upon the living. A ruling group is a ruling group so long as it can nominate its successors. The Party is not concerned with perpetuating its blood but with perpetuating itself. Who wields power is not important, provided that the hierarchical structure remains always the same.

Tinfoil time: Palin was a ploy to guarantee O's victory. From there, White Guilt would allow O to do whatever The Party wants, because anyone not supporting him would be clearly a racist. Somewhere there are men smoking Cuban cigars, drinking Absynthe and laughing at all of us as we play right into their hands. "Muwahahahahaaa. Go make me a sammich, 'merikan"

I don't remember how to properly footnote, but the book is 1984 by George Orwell. Get you some.

 

[Eric H]

1984 is next on my list to read, right now I'm on Animal Farm by George Orwell. I'd recommend (re)-reading this one as well. It's almost shocking how many comparisons can be made today.

 

[MisterHappy]

Victory Gin for everyone.

"On the house."

 

[Lip]

Indeed such a sad portent of things to come..

 

[center442]

Most readers recoil from the future described in 1984. Some readers find it an instruction manual.

"Tell me," Winston said, "how soon will they shoot me?"

"It might be a long time," said O'Brien. "You are a difficult case. But don't give up hope. Everyone is cured sooner or later. In the end we shall shoot you."

Today's lesson: Why Winston couldn't shoot back. Brought to you by big statist governments and their followers everywhere.

 

[squatch413]

My father bought me this book out of a used book bin when I was around eight. I really liked it then although I didn't quite get everything. Definitely a book worth rereading.

 

[USMA-82]

"1984" is a glimpse towards a possible future. But it may be by way of the scenario in the second half of "Unintended Consequences" (John Ross, 1995).

 

[Zepp]

Check out brave new world as well, mandatory for tin foilers everywhere.

 

[RATTLESNAKE]

Listening to 1984 on audible now,such stark comparisons to today's technology,media spin,and government dependency,altough not quite so bleak(yet).George Orwell was well beyond his years, quite scary to be honest. Has society always been the same.? After all the book was published in 1949!

Big Brother is watching!!

 

[Infinite Jester]

One of the best things I've done, was to have my son read it two years ago, when he was 16. He views government through the filter of what he read now.

 

[SpaceCritter]

Holy crap! Just looked up Unintended Consequences on Amazon - cheapest they had was for $169.99, used! Glad I have a copy already.

 

[Spanz]

Orwell's ability to predict was way off. By some 29 years!

 

[SpaceCritter]

Y'know, 1984, Brave New World, Atlas Shrugged, ..., might make mighty fine karma items for someone to offer (hint hint). Good additions to anyone's library - or to rekarma when they've finished reading.

 

[GaryW]

1984 was one of my favorite books in school and I really enjoyed reading it. The starkness of that gritty future made me, as a young'un, think that this could never actually happen.

Now I read it and it sends chills up and down my spine. It's truly scary. It's so much more telling of where we are headed. Orwell got the date wrong, but the principles were (and are becoming more so) terrifyingly accurate.

 

[stinger35]

Holy crap! Just looked up Unintended Consequences on Amazon - cheapest they had was for $169.99, used! Glad I have a copy already.

Yeah, I've been looking to get my paws on one. This one I have still yet to read.

Why so expensive, is the Gov. Buying them all up?

 

[SpaceCritter]

Yeah, I've been looking to get my paws on one. This one I have still yet to read.

Why so expensive, is the Gov. Buying them all up?

It's out of print... and presently, um, timely. That's probably why.

 

[stinger35]

It's out of print... and presently, um, timely. That's probably why.

Shocked? Not so much.

 

[ToddDubya]

Y'know, 1984, Brave New World, Atlas Shrugged, ..., might make mighty fine karma items for someone to offer (hint hint). Good additions to anyone's library - or to rekarma when they've finished reading.

I'd karma 1984 but I have the Kindle version. Same for Brave New World. Stupid technology ruining my ability to give things away.

Check out brave new world as well, mandatory for tin foilers everywhere.

I just started this last night. So far I've only learned about the future of reproduction.

 

[SpaceCritter]

I'd karma 1984 but I have the Kindle version. Same for Brave New World. Stupid technology ruining my ability to give things away.

I'd do it - offer a freedom-lovers dystopian library karma, of sorts, to ship directly from Amazon - except I already have two karma items up, and, frankly, December and January were really shitty months for the business, so I'm kinda hurting for money right now.

 

[vipprimo]

1984 is next on my list to read, right now I'm on Animal Farm by George Orwell. I'd recommend (re)-reading this one as well. It's almost shocking how many comparisons can be made today.

Animal Farm and Johnny Got His Gun are probably my favorite books. I couldn't believe Animal Farm got a movie which was pretty good.

 

[xcom]

Even more shocking (as it is not fiction), and it's out of print but you may be able to get it at the library is "Communisim and the Conscience of the West." Written in '49 and describes how western Democratic-Republics can(will?) be disassembled by using examples in history. Really on point.[h=1][/h]

 

[Jude Thaddeus]

If anyone wants an e-copy of "Unintended Consequences" or "Atlas Shrugged", let me know via PM. I have both as a PDF.

 

[Jason Flare]

Every time I read these books and every time I listen to conservative radio show hosts and every time I read Northeastshooters I say,
What are we going to do about this?"

And then I think for a minute and I say, "What am I going to do about this?"

 

[Apathesis]

I just read 1984 this summer at my cottage on Lake Winnepesaukee--pretty scary. I started to read Brave New World shortly after but stopped. That said, it looks like the future will be a combination of things from these two books and some others.

 

[Cero]

I've been re-reading 1984 and I'll be damned if it doesn't make more sense to me now than it did when I was in high school. Go figure. While riding an aeroplane last week I bookmarked a few passages that I found interesting and relative to today's political climate. I won't bore you with all of them, but I paid particular attention to the parts where Orwell describes why "The Party" would succeed where other dictators failed. This passage says what I've been thinking: that there is a group ("The Party") in charge who selects our political candidates and lets us "choose" the best one. Whoever wins, "The Party" wins.



Tinfoil time: Palin was a ploy to guarantee O's victory. From there, White Guilt would allow O to do whatever The Party wants, because anyone not supporting him would be clearly a racist. Somewhere there are men smoking Cuban cigars, drinking Absynthe and laughing at all of us as we play right into their hands. "Muwahahahahaaa. Go make me a sammich, 'merikan"

I don't remember how to properly footnote, but the book is 1984 by George Orwell. Get you some.

A republican candidate chooses his running mate so that his enemy (McCain personally hates Obama) can win and push his agenda? That is Tin Foil.

Maybe though your quote has more to do with we should be not have a two party system. Third party candidates should be able to leverage technology to raise more money and spread their views to mount serious challenges. I think that the big obstacle right now is that current candidates don't fully understand how to leverage that technology.

We need better choices for our elected officials.