Short of an outright violent revolution, it's going to take time to turn this ship of state from the rocks, assuming there's anyone who realizes what dangerous waters we've been slipping into.
Orwell's state was pure socialist, with the government completely in charge, while our situation is messy and fascist, with both corporations and government abusing individual privacy and security. The huge bureaucracies in both public and private institutions are cesspools of incompetence and indifference, utterly callous to the damage they do.
When I think of the massive disruption necessary to institute constructive change in American society, I'm uncomfortably uncertain whether or not a violent revolution may be the only real solution. So long as the mass of self-promoting civil servants remain in place, the execution of any change directed from the top will be sluggish at best.
Sometimes, when given a false alternative, just do as Ayn Rand did with the "better red than dead" false alternative, by answering "better the reds dead". So do not even choose socialism as an alternative to IS and just choose "better IS dead".
Triple points if it was allowed. In the old days we used to say do the job and let God sort them out. I'd say the real statement but we have to many squirmish squeamish people and Micrsoft already makes enough money.
Getting out of the collective level, if a mugger demands your money or your life, your answer, if possible, should be a dead mugger or at least one who is hurting badly and after that the collective can decide what to do with it (just being politically correct, since the gender free 'he' no longer is wanted. When language is messed with, the end is getting near.) And, Americans, never sit with your backs facing the door and other hints about living free by Lazarus Long.
I'm not sure most folks know just how far down that rabbit hole we have travelled. I work in information security, the levels of surveillance and illusion of security on the Internet is almost mind blowing to the uninitiated. Sure most will agree that nothing is "secure", then pick up their phone and begin to hit up Facebook. The scary part isn't what can be hacked. The scary part is the power of their statistical modeling and their correlation engines. What started during the Vietnam war by DARPA under the Total Information Awareness program has grown to the point now where it is downright scary. As for selling us out, well a fine example of that is old Mitch putting fourth a bill to allow unlimited time and location military action to deal with a bogey man created by the US Government last Friday.
I was involved in a political fight here in Cali last year. We were fighting a very controversial law and our group had set up a private facebook page to trade thoughts and share research. Immediately after the signing of "net neutrality" many of the websites we would share with each other as sources of useful info literally started disappearing from the internet. I thought I was imagining it when, one day, I made the comment that they can't eliminate two very large websites (nationally-recognized organizations). Within 24 hours of me saying that, both sites were heavily edited to eliminate the information we were referencing. That was an enlightening experience... I knew we weren't "in Kansas" anymore.
Last week I ordered something on the internet. Within the time it took to complete the transaction I had ads appearing on my screen and otheer sites for the same type of items Stupid since I had already made the purchase but the time lapse to hack my order at least that part of it was in the range of less than 30 seconds.
I have concluded that nothing is safe now from government powers. They will control what they want and take what they want. The only safety is in hiding in plain sight and keeping below the government radar. The more money they get from us, the tighter their reign becomes. I resent giving government a penny. I stopped getting soda at the local CircleK because they raised the price 10c and thats another penny Las Vegas gets to run my life.
1984. It was written in 1948 and Orwell just reveresed the last two numbers. It has become the model for Dystopia. I wish it had never been written. It has become a shorthand that people use so that they don't need to bother to spell out an undesirable government. Spell it out, damn it! Every moment under control, your actions, your health, your very thoughts. All controlled by the state. Describe the lack of freedom, the lack of intimacy, the lack of movement. Instead of just 1984. But now, we may very well be raising a generation that looks upon that as desirable. The dissolution of mankind.
As long as they can text, the current generation has no need to waste time thinking. Being ruled is beyond their comprehension, it is all about to what they are "entitled". Rand's "Anthem" describes a world much like "1984" does, yet hits on the everyday, like the loss of "I", incandescent bulbs, and books. It is so simple and it is happening, almost done.
I am currently reading AJAshinoff's "Shadows Live Under Seashells". Good Lord it is a really plausible and frightening update to Orwell's 1984. Takes place in 2084, no less.
I have it and haven't made time to read it yet. My list is long but it sounds like I need to move this one forward. Going to finish DK Halling's "Trails of Injustice" first. It is a great book too.
So much interesting stuff to read, just not enough time. And then there is the moment when one book is finished. Which one next? The one on top of the stack? Or apply some other enticing criteria? I am all over the place.
I just finished the chapter where Eliot meets Thomas. He can't believe the old guy is quoting the founding fathers. Great portrayal of re-writing history in 2084!
If you have not read Jetmec before he knows a lot about Ukraine and Eastern Europe. An enjoyable and informative source of information. But he's not a native.
I've been predicting that 2084 will have Orwellian 1984 slavery firmly locked in place with our history rearranged to suit the mind control by whatever Big Brother is in power.
it won't take that long at all. Things are already being edited by automated process across the internet. it is a real time censorship. I could give hours of lecture on the how's, what's and why's. I work in infosecurity in the advertising realm. The manipulation of the masses using "Big Data" is in full swing. industry is just now getting the reigns on what they have been collecting and databasing for 30 years in a near real time capability. Unstructured queries across meta-data equals near perfect predictive analysis today. When the government knows the outcome of decisions by way of accurate models fed by our little "smart" phones and social media, they can easily create the propaganda needed to head things off before its a problem. Here is an example: Further up the thread I brought up Mitch McConell's war powers bill. That is a step towards further war in the middle east for sure. Because we are losing our appetite for conflicts, the main stream media has been hammering home the "Muslim gang rape" stories in Europe like crazy, imho, to whip up anti-muslim sentiment among the population here. I say that because, the MSM is fairly liberal in their bias, and the liberals tend to want to defend Muslims under the guise of cultural subjectivity, so why now is the media whipping up a fervor?
If you listen to the politicians of both parties, there is no strain of either right or left wing politics (except maybe libertarianism, but that has no real power) that does not embrace the state or fight back against its influence in state or local issues. Even the GOP in this election talks about tax cuts and trivial things like this, but there's no meaningful talk of reform. This just speaks to the pervasive nature of the state. Big Brother is watching.
And it's scary how far they've come in such a short amount of time. We've gone from "Obamacare is bad because it's a government takeover of the largest sector of the economy" to "repeal and replace" in less than 8 years.
Funny you should ask that... This morning I was reading the Reason Magazine cover article about Hillary Clinton (next month's issue... I wish I could put a link here right now...) and her war against us through censorship (among other means) and that exact thought crossed my mind: Maybe we should be promoting 1984 as The Book To Read for youngsters not quite ready for Atlas Shrugged? The article was eye-opening and scary... especially in the sense that so many people actually support and Believe In Hillary!
They have rewritten history, as in "1984", but kids will never read it, as they don't do history anyway. They have no use for what went before, they have been brainwashed into thinking they know technology, and are smarter than their elders. Yes, the Internet spies on us, has for years. As in the novel, the TV spies on us, might as well tell it what you are thinking about crappy shows and advertising. Store cameras record our choices, some stores track your cell phone. Cars are wired to track us, even keep track of our speed history - all for our own good we are told. Oh yeah, we are in "1984", but now no one has read iit, "Manchurian Candidate", "Anthem" or "Brave New World". Yet, as "Brave" controlled its citizens with happy Somma" pills, the big drug companies work in harmony with big government to over-medicate and control from cradle to grave.
I'm staring at 24 stacked by the galley table. I checked the books to read on Kindle that is over twenty Then I loooked in the Ayn Rand cuipboard and counted those left to read and that means keep reading ...studyiing is more like it that's five plus the other writings already read once or fifty times. i think I need to move to little bay with no wife for a month to catch up...LMAO I sleep six hours a day in two three hour segments though Aside from maintenance and cleaning and household stuff and shopping it gives me 12 hours a day for reading and studying More than I needed in University. it isn't enough but. It's more than I had before I retired. I forget.l final edit on Republic In Name Only ( is 30% and going fast.) I was forced to 'objectively' insert material provided by the Gulch. which saved me from a few whopping errors of the I didn't that variety. I guess I should have read a few more books....
Orwell's state was pure socialist, with the government completely in charge, while our situation is messy and fascist, with both corporations and government abusing individual privacy and security. The huge bureaucracies in both public and private institutions are cesspools of incompetence and indifference, utterly callous to the damage they do.
When I think of the massive disruption necessary to institute constructive change in American society, I'm uncomfortably uncertain whether or not a violent revolution may be the only real solution. So long as the mass of self-promoting civil servants remain in place, the execution of any change directed from the top will be sluggish at best.
down with democracy...long live the republic...
It was written in 1948 and Orwell just reveresed the last two numbers. It has become the model for Dystopia. I wish it had never been written. It has become a shorthand that people use so that they don't need to bother to spell out an undesirable government. Spell it out, damn it! Every moment under control, your actions, your health, your very thoughts. All controlled by the state. Describe the lack of freedom, the lack of intimacy, the lack of movement. Instead of just 1984.
But now, we may very well be raising a generation that looks upon that as desirable. The dissolution of mankind.
Rand's "Anthem" describes a world much like "1984" does, yet hits on the everyday, like the loss of "I", incandescent bulbs, and books. It is so simple and it is happening, almost done.
rearranged to suit the mind control by whatever Big Brother is in power.
And, you're right about the GOP. They've fully camped in the dark side now.
The article was eye-opening and scary... especially in the sense that so many people actually support and Believe In Hillary!
Yes, the Internet spies on us, has for years. As in the novel, the TV spies on us, might as well tell it what you are thinking about crappy shows and advertising. Store cameras record our choices, some stores track your cell phone. Cars are wired to track us, even keep track of our speed history - all for our own good we are told. Oh yeah, we are in "1984", but now no one has read iit, "Manchurian Candidate", "Anthem" or "Brave New World". Yet, as "Brave" controlled its citizens with happy Somma" pills, the big drug companies work in harmony with big government to over-medicate and control from cradle to grave.