Orwell's 1984 Today

Do you believe any aspects of Orwell's 1984 are present in today's America, particularly with regard to the media?  What examples can you think of?

Comments

[Aiken Hamilton]

I think there are definitely some aspects of the government being like Big Brother in 1984. There was the ban on coffin viewing, of course, which might have been to make Americans not realize how many Americans were being killed in the war, even though this was not said. There are also examples of people being manipulated by word choice used by the media. Take, for example, in Luntz's playbook where he talks about using certain words in place of others because people prefer those words better. It's manipulation and in a way, dishonesty.

[Whitney Everhart]

I completely agree that many aspects of our government are like Big Brother. I believe that the government and media are to blame for the lack of true information being passed to us. I also feel that the American people are to blame for the lack of standards when it comes to news.

[Maureen Danaher]

I agree as well, our government is obviously playing a key role in regulating how the news media is portrayed. Media consolodation also reminds me of 1984, in a sense that people are manipulated by these corporate giants to believe or well watch only what they wish to portray. It is sickening really. I saw the movie Watchmen yesterday and in many of the scenes I was reminded of 1984. One scene where Ozymandias is watching a screen filled with many tv sets broadcasting facets of media on different stations. One of the tv sets was actually playing 1984! There were also many great quotes taken directly from the graphic novel, some of which caught my attention due to the relative nature it had to our study on media consolidation, news coverage for profit and entertainment, human nature and brainwashing of the "higher power" whatever or whomever that may be:

-Laurie Juspeczyk: "Is that what you are? The most powerful thing in the universe and you're just a puppet following a script?"
Doctor Manhattan - "We're all puppets, Laurie. I'm just a puppet who can see the strings."
-Dan Dreiberg: "But the country's disintegrating. What's happened to America? What's happened to the American dream?"
-Rorschach: "Other people, down in cells. Behavior more extreme than mine. You don't spend any time with them...but then, they're not famous. Won't get your name in the journals. You don't want to make me well. Just want to know what makes me sick. You'll find out. Have patience, Doctor. You'll find out."
-Doctor Manhattan: "You sound bitter. You're a strange man, Blake. You have strange attitudes to life and war."
The Comedian: "Strange? Listen... once you figure out what a joke everything is, being the Comedian's the only thing that makes sense."
Doctor Manhattan: "The charred villages, the boys with necklaces of human ears... these are part of the joke?"
The Comedian: "Hey... I never said it was a good joke! I'm just playing along with the gag..."
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