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DvChWi
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« on: July 01, 2003, 04:42:22 PM » |
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Who here has read George Orwell's 1984? I found it very interesting, and slighty prophetic on some points, such as the way people tend to forget things so soon(WMDs, Bin Laden, space shuttle Columbia, for instance) and are influenced easily by the media(or Big Brother, in the case of the book.) Share your thoughts. :D
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Fun facts about Chuck Norris:
Newton's Third Law is wrong: Although it states that for each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, there is no force equal in reaction to a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick.
Chuck Norris can divide by zero.
Chuck Norris CAN believe it's not butter.
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Josh
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« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2003, 04:45:49 PM » |
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It's on my to-read list. I've been thinking about picking it up for a long time now, but the Orwellian imagery on the last Radiohead disc finally pushed me over, so I'll be starting it sometime this summer.
Isn't it unsettling how older political satires are still so relevant today? Catch-22, for example, is eerily applicable to our current world, even though it was written a few decades ago.
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Vlad!
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« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2003, 06:13:41 PM » |
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I have read it. I didn't really find it to be all that 'scary,' in the way that most people mean it when they say it with a shudder. I thought the discussion about language (specifically how we cannot even conceive of something if we have no way to express it) to be interesting if ultimately (in my opinion) incorrect. But I thought it was worth my time reading it, even if I didn't agree with it all that much.
Those who loved 1984 may also like Robert A. Heinlen's Beyond This Horizon and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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DvChWi
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« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2003, 06:58:00 PM » |
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Those who loved 1984 may also like Robert A. Heinlen's Beyond This Horizon and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World And Eugene Zamiatin's We, which is definatly worth reading right after 1984 to see the influence it must have had on Orwell. |
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Logged
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Fun facts about Chuck Norris:
Newton's Third Law is wrong: Although it states that for each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, there is no force equal in reaction to a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick.
Chuck Norris can divide by zero.
Chuck Norris CAN believe it's not butter.
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Vlad!
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« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2003, 09:08:35 PM » |
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Possibly Ayn Rand's Anthem too, now that I think about it. That's a great novel (novella, maybe...)
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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standman87
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« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2003, 10:00:38 PM » |
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I've read the book. I thought it was quite unbelievable. But it certainly made you think beyond the normal realm.
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I tried to say the right things in the right way, but simple silence is the only way to conclude my attempt.
Ponderings and then restatements from both sides will cause more of the same.
So remember: Stan, yes, this man, gave his best and is leaving it up to you and Him to do the rest.
Farewell
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BigBird
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« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2003, 01:39:26 PM » |
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I have also read it just this summer. I really enjoyed it, as it was a nice brain spinner. Though I doubt that all of this stuff could actually happen, I do find it very interesting and applicable to our times. Since we're in the appocalypse and everything...
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Vlad!
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« Reply #7 on: July 03, 2003, 11:28:15 AM » |
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Yes, we are in the apocalypse...the battle of Gog and Magog is going on as we speak, and the stars are falling out of the sky...
Ok, anyway, I do think it's pretty implausible. Orwell seems to have had a fairly dim view of humanity, and especially of collectivism. Not a bad read, though.
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« Last Edit: July 03, 2003, 11:28:52 AM by Vlad! »
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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polka_dot
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« Reply #8 on: July 03, 2003, 07:38:43 PM » |
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Unfortunately, my enjoyment of this novel was severely hampered by the fact that my grade 12 English teacher was kinda weird. I might have enjoyed it more if I didn't have to answer a set of questions after every chapter... It was still pretty good, but I enjoyed Animal Farm more.
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OUT! OUT! You demons of stupidity! - Dogbert
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smartash
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« Reply #9 on: July 11, 2003, 09:52:12 PM » |
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mmmmm, i LOVED 1984. i read it after we read brave new world in highschool. i did a report comparing the two. they're facinating studies in the power of control and the methods of such, be it through pain and fear, or the complete opposite, pleasure and luxury. LOVED them, as well as animal farm. i never was the most politically-minded but i love classic books and these three were fabulous.
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\"I haven't come for only you, but for my people to pursue. you cannot care for Me with no regard for Her; if you love Me you will love the Church.\"
\"i am a whore i do confess, i put You on just like a wedding dress and i run down the aisle, run down the aisle. i'm a prodical with no way home, i put You on just like a ring of gold and i run down the aisle, i run down the aisle to You.\"
-- Derek Webb, She must and Shall Go Free
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Vlad!
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« Reply #10 on: July 11, 2003, 11:19:53 PM » |
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mmmmm, i LOVED 1984. i read it after we read brave new world in highschool. i did a report comparing the two. they're facinating studies in the power of control and the methods of such, be it through pain and fear, or the complete opposite, pleasure and luxury. LOVED them, as well as animal farm. i never was the most politically-minded but i love classic books and these three were fabulous. Yeah, the methods of control thing is pretty cool. The eugenics aspect was fairly interesting too; as I said above, Heinlen's Beyond This Horizon is another good one if you adored those books  |
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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smartash
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« Reply #11 on: July 13, 2003, 11:19:29 PM » |
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thanks vlad. i'll add that to my ever-increasing list of "must read books for ash"
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\"I haven't come for only you, but for my people to pursue. you cannot care for Me with no regard for Her; if you love Me you will love the Church.\"
\"i am a whore i do confess, i put You on just like a wedding dress and i run down the aisle, run down the aisle. i'm a prodical with no way home, i put You on just like a ring of gold and i run down the aisle, i run down the aisle to You.\"
-- Derek Webb, She must and Shall Go Free
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Emcee
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« Reply #12 on: July 14, 2003, 09:51:35 PM » |
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George Orwell...one of my favorites. I have Animal Farm (my sister's borrowing it right now) and have read 1984. Great reads. As unbelievable as they might seem, there are some serious threats we will have to face in coming years with possible Orwellian effects. Well, that's just my opinion anyway. Though, it was interesting..machines made music for the prols. I dunno guys, but I've often wondered if that was why all the songs on the radio sound the same. --MC |
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Josh
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« Reply #13 on: July 14, 2003, 09:57:49 PM » |
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Animal Farm is good political commentary. Orwell was a strong intellect.
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Vlad!
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« Reply #14 on: July 15, 2003, 08:14:46 AM » |
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George Orwell...one of my favorites. I have Animal Farm (my sister's borrowing it right now) and have read 1984. Great reads. As unbelievable as they might seem, there are some serious threats we will have to face in coming years with possible Orwellian effects. Well, that's just my opinion anyway. Though, it was interesting..machines made music for the prols. I dunno guys, but I've often wondered if that was why all the songs on the radio sound the same. --MC My history teacher likes to quote Plato when he said "let me control the music of a nation and I care not who makes its laws." Maybe in Marx' day religion was the opiate of the masses, but popular entertainment is our astimulant of choice. I think you make a good point, but I doubt the government uses the media to keep us subdued. We do a good enough job of that on our own. I actually think the government wishes we would get more riled up occasionally |
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If you don’t have freedom as a principle, you can never see a reason not to make an exception. There are constantly going to be times when for one reason or another there’s some practical convenience in making an exception.
rms
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