2010: They were both right
Okay, so maybe Arthur C. Clarke was wrong as Jupiter hasn't turned into a star, but Aldous Huxley and George Orwell were on the money. (Funny coincidence: 2010 the movie was released in 1984)
Its an easy comparison to see George Orwell's idea of the Big Brother future from 1984 having already happened. Surveillance is everywhere, our information is heavily censored and much of the American population are ruled by the fear of many things including Terrorism, Swine Flu and Rosie O'Donnell naked. Books are banned, deliberations about filtering our internet on top of monitoring our activity has been on record for years (thankfully not in force yet), and the government thinks that it can do just about anything for our "safety".
Aldous Huxley's vision of the future in Brave New World has occurred just as easily. Think of how many times a day we are on the internet for entertainment, what we do in our spare time, and how many average citizens have watched Twilight. Opiates for the masses are hardly just in pill form; consider how many people you know who do not read books (despite the fact that reading is a form of entertainment) or how often you see an item bought because of a brand name listed in a commercial? We aren't quite to the level of decanting our young rather than having them birthed naturally, as fiscally it isn't quite in reach to genetically engineer entire generations of humans. The one thing I think Huxley may have not taken into consideration are those who enjoy pain, humiliation and/or learning as a source of amusement. Lets face it folks, if we weren't amused by it on some level, we wouldn't be doing it and all of the statements otherwise are lying to ourselves.
So, here we are: a culture where the government and media have collided to keep the people in check. Imagine if they started seamlessly working together? Cannabis becoming legal as the government finally understands that the use of the stuff makes its people more pliable as they're getting what they want (medical purposes aside, of course). Prostitution becoming legal, so every girl or guy out there who does not possess the social acumen can find a way to release their sexual frustrations without payment direct now do not have to be labeled the "living in mom's basement virgin". Meanwhile, the corporations can monitor your progress by the sites you visit, the products you buy, the places you go and the people with whom you associate to better serve in keeping you docile.
I realize this appears to be a conspiratorial rant, however this is not the case. Its obvious and moreover sickening. I cannot claim to answer for other countries, however this is the state of the United States of America. No wonder there are so many End of the World movies, games about post apocalypse, books about zombies and the like: The human race in this country could do with the end of the world if this is our future.
What sparked this entire rant? www.egodialogues.com/words-language/huxley-orwell.php
Its an easy comparison to see George Orwell's idea of the Big Brother future from 1984 having already happened. Surveillance is everywhere, our information is heavily censored and much of the American population are ruled by the fear of many things including Terrorism, Swine Flu and Rosie O'Donnell naked. Books are banned, deliberations about filtering our internet on top of monitoring our activity has been on record for years (thankfully not in force yet), and the government thinks that it can do just about anything for our "safety".
Aldous Huxley's vision of the future in Brave New World has occurred just as easily. Think of how many times a day we are on the internet for entertainment, what we do in our spare time, and how many average citizens have watched Twilight. Opiates for the masses are hardly just in pill form; consider how many people you know who do not read books (despite the fact that reading is a form of entertainment) or how often you see an item bought because of a brand name listed in a commercial? We aren't quite to the level of decanting our young rather than having them birthed naturally, as fiscally it isn't quite in reach to genetically engineer entire generations of humans. The one thing I think Huxley may have not taken into consideration are those who enjoy pain, humiliation and/or learning as a source of amusement. Lets face it folks, if we weren't amused by it on some level, we wouldn't be doing it and all of the statements otherwise are lying to ourselves.
So, here we are: a culture where the government and media have collided to keep the people in check. Imagine if they started seamlessly working together? Cannabis becoming legal as the government finally understands that the use of the stuff makes its people more pliable as they're getting what they want (medical purposes aside, of course). Prostitution becoming legal, so every girl or guy out there who does not possess the social acumen can find a way to release their sexual frustrations without payment direct now do not have to be labeled the "living in mom's basement virgin". Meanwhile, the corporations can monitor your progress by the sites you visit, the products you buy, the places you go and the people with whom you associate to better serve in keeping you docile.
I realize this appears to be a conspiratorial rant, however this is not the case. Its obvious and moreover sickening. I cannot claim to answer for other countries, however this is the state of the United States of America. No wonder there are so many End of the World movies, games about post apocalypse, books about zombies and the like: The human race in this country could do with the end of the world if this is our future.
What sparked this entire rant? www.egodialogues.com/words-language/huxley-orwell.php