Could Big Brother of 1984, still be a possibility?

[miraclefan]

I don't want this to become a ''political' thread (because those get really heated really fast) and I would just like this to be as civil as possible. I have been reading 1984, have not finished it yet, but the idea of a ''big brother'' I thought was indeed very frightning. And I began to wonder, could a ''BIG BROTHER" under a fascist regime still be a possibility? Maybe even a ''World Wide One?

 

[Leroy]

Yes as long as people insist on giving into fear, whittling away civil liberties, and drafting garbage like the "patriot" act.

 

[Surefire]

I think we are already headed in this direction.

 

[miraclefan]

I think we are already headed in this direction.

Unfortunatly I agree with you.

 

[ancientone51]

I agree to the continued possibility.

Add in "Fahrenheit 451" and parts of "Brave New World" and you will want to hide in a closet.

 

[miraclefan]

I agree to the continued possibility.

Add in "Fahrenheit 451" and parts of "Brave New World" and you will want to hide in a closet.

Even there the GOV'MENT will get'ch ya! in the end there is no place to hide from the coming One World Order.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

No it can't happen. Simple reason is there is no market for it. No one wants to buy it and no one has any reason to sell it. People generally like living in more open countries that can provide them with an inflow of goodies and stimulation(contrary to what some people believe a thousand channels on the television actually leads to more freedom not less). Now that the ideas of Communism/Socialism have fallen out of favor there is little reason for rulers to want or justify being dictators. Western democratic leaders are far happier than the bitter schmucks who tend to run dictatorships.

 

[jkladis]

That's the funny thing about literature like 451, or even scripture like the bible or Koran. They are written by people that understand the general beat civilization will always drum to.

 

[RJDiogenes]

There have always been people who want to squash the Human spirit, and the Human spirit always triumphs eventually; this pattern will continue to repeat for quite some time.

 

[Hermiod]

^They just haven't found the right way to crush it yet, that's all.

 

[john titor]

As the world becomes more complex and anarchic elites will respond with an equivalent increase in surveillance.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I don't think they'll achieve the perfect totalitarianism of the book. I could see elements existing in modern societies (and elements certainly already do).

I'd say the hardest thing to happen would be for the world to unite into three superstates, since the trend right now is to subdivide into smaller ones.

 

[Ethros]

The way the fuckwits of this planet react to the oh so dreaded "Swine Flu" for example, then probably yes


Has anyone seen 1984/Fahrenheit 451 ripoff Equilibrium? Christian Bale will save us!

 

[John Picard]

I don't want this to become a ''political' thread (because those get really heated really fast) and I would just like this to be as civil as possible. I have been reading 1984, have not finished it yet, but the idea of a ''big brother'' I thought was indeed very frightning. And I began to wonder, could a ''BIG BROTHER" under a fascist regime still be a possibility? Maybe even a ''World Wide One?

What do you mean *could*? We're pretty much there.

 

[stoneroses]

Stop reading The Daily Mail, people!

 

[Danoz]

I don't want this to become a ''political' thread (because those get really heated really fast) and I would just like this to be as civil as possible. I have been reading 1984, have not finished it yet, but the idea of a ''big brother'' I thought was indeed very frightning. And I began to wonder, could a ''BIG BROTHER" under a fascist regime still be a possibility? Maybe even a ''World Wide One?

A possibility? Absolutely. In one form or another it already has existed (and still does in exist) in several nation-states with traces of this kind of "oversight" in the United States today. In North Korea you can be arrested because somebody rumored that you sang a South Korean song...

Please excuse me while I have some Victory Gin to keep my mind off the thought police .

 

[miraclefan]

A possibility? Absolutely. In one form or another it already has existed in several nation-states and there are traces of it in the U.S.

Please excuse me while I have some Victory Gin .

WOW! I feel better already!

 

[Danoz]

A possibility? Absolutely. In one form or another it already has existed in several nation-states and there are traces of it in the U.S.

Please excuse me while I have some Victory Gin .

WOW! I feel better already!

Apologies . I made some edits to my post to clarify... not sure I was trying to make you feel better, though...

Enjoy 1984, though. And well you're at it I recommend you pick up "Dune," "Ender's Game," and the entire DS9 relaunch.

 

[Triskelion]

It will not be like the book. The people will be bound by stealth surveillance and Ikea-style comforts. But the essentials will be the same: Yin Yang of polarized states, panoptical authority governing with false mandate, victims being called oppressors, parasites sucking producers. But instead of overt oppression and filth, there will be indoctrination and arrogance. It will look like peace - but at a cost of blood.

Unless people by and large start to realize that with freedom comes responsibility.

 

[Naira]

We are halfway there already...