1984

[timalkin]

I just finished reading the book "1984" by George Orwell. If you haven't read it yet, I highly suggest that you do. It's very strange how our world is moving towards what is outlined in the book.

Anybody else read it?

[Antagony]

It ties for my Favorite Book of All-Time. (The tying text being the Sun Tzu [aka The Art of War]).

[Sho Nuff]

Its one of the books my father forced me to read when I was 12 and grew to love as an adult.

If you havent seen Equilibrium I highly recommend it after reading 1984. They took the scenario, added some Farenheit 451 and gun battles that make the Matrix look weak. Check it out.

[grassygnoll]

I love the 1984!

Funniest 1984 joke I've seen lately is that the editor of the little hax0r mag 2600 choose Emanuel Goldstein as his handle... I'm pretty sure it has even made it in court documents.

Your Honor, the MPAA would like to present the case against Eric Corley aka Emanuel Goldstein.

Nows thats comedy

[Redlemon]

I read a bunch of distopia books, I think the best was "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Give that one a try and see what you think.

[Bob Biter]

Antagony, Sun Tzu was the author of "The Art of War", not the name of the book itself.

Sho Nuff mentioned "Fahrenheit 451", which I think is on par with what "1984" delivers. Of course, "Animal Farm" is another must-read by Orwell.

[Sleepyjack]

Yes
Also read Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. It's also related to the conditioning of species and utopia/distopia (hmmmm, which one was it?). Good stuff.

[viper11885]

Read this book in English 12 class ..

Pretty cool story. Very interesting viewpoint that Orwell has.

Ending was pretty sad though. But tied into the story really well.

[Antagony]

Originally posted by Bob Biter
Antagony, Sun Tzu was the author of "The Art of War", not the name of the book itself.

This is an incorrect statement. I do thank Bob Biter for trying to help me out, though.

[Conclamo Ludus]

All good books, also check out
Anthem by Ayn Rand
and
Naked Lunch by William S Burroughs for some more mind-bending distopian fun.

Some good movies too:

12 Monkeys and Brazil, both directed by Terry Gilliam.

Good stuff.

[Bob Biter]

Originally posted by Antagony
This is an incorrect statement. I do thank Bob Biter for trying to help me out, though.

And I thank Antagony for his clarification via PM.

[sherpahigh]

1984 is definitly one of my favorite books. I had to read it in school and I loved it, read it a few times since then too. A Brave New World is also another great book.

I think that both should be required reading in todays society. Big Brother is watching.

Scary stuff.

[Wax_off]

Scary stuff is right. We're definitly moving in that direction.

From a book summary.
1. War is important for consuming the products of human labour. If this work would be used to increase the standard of living, the control of the party over the people would decrease. War is the economy basis for a hierarchical society.
2. There is an emotional need to believe in the ultimate victory of Big Brother.
3. In becoming continuous, war has ceased to exist. The continuity of the war guarantees the permanence of the current order. In other words "War is Peace."
4. There have always been three main grades of society; the High, the Middle and the Low, and no change has brought human equality an inch nearer.
5. Collectivism doesn't lead to socialism. Wealth belongs to the new "high-class", the bureaucrats and administrators. Collectivism has ensured the permanence of economic inequality.
6. Wealth is not inherited from person to person, but it is kept within the ruling group.
7. The masses (proles) are given freedom of thought, because supposedly they don't think. A Party member is not allowed the slightest deviation of thought, and there is an elaborate mental training to ensure this, a training that can be summarised in the concept of doublethink.

The war could be the war on terrorism or the war on drugs. Big brother is GWB for sure. Emmanuel Goldstein is Osama. Yikes!

[Flesh]

yes a good book. so is catcher in the rye

[almostaugust]

Yeah, scary stuff.

[anti fishstick]

ahhh 1984 is my favorite book, next to the catcher in the rye as well

i envision reality tv to be somewhat utopian to 1984. the producers control the environment in the same way big brother controls 1984. that's why i thought it was great when they actually made a reality tv series entitled "big brother". never watched it though.

in reality tv, nothing is ever truly REAL because these people are aware of the camera, and how they have to project a certain image to "win" or just get air play. it becomes a postmodernist game unlike that of real life, which is also a game in itself at times..

[Kaos]

I think our world is moving towards "Soylent Green" personally

[Bill O'Rights]

1984 is my favorite book. I've owned several copies, since I first read it in 1976, as I reread it every couple of years or so.

[Strange Famous]

Bend Sinister - Vladimir Nabakov is one I would add to the lists of dystopian literature.

[~springrain]

i feel so old... -people are JUST reading 1984?? *soft laugh*

great book... big brother is indeed among us...

[Dilbert1234567]

dystopian novels are the best, they are the only novels i read,

"1984" is great

so is "brave new world" by huxley (i like 1984 better though)

Anthem by Ayn Rand

and i am currently reading "We" by yevgeny zamtatin

all are good

and as for big brother its chaney or ashcroft

[Strange Famous]

Yo, has no one else read Bend Sinister?

[thingstodo]

All of the above. The Bible ranks right in there in terms of control of the masses. Just think about it.