Brave New 1984
Jun. 21st, 2008 12:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pasitheaFinished reading Brave New World and I must say I was rather disappointed. I can overlook and forgive the limited understanding of technology and ecology. The book was written in 1930 after all, and for a book that has WWII, the atomic age, and the computer between it and us, there's quite a bit that he got pretty close. There are parts of this country where Ford is a religion and more generally speaking, brands and corporations have in many ways ascended to the power of gods.
On thing that perplexes me. In both BNW and 1984, the writers seem to assume that doing away with religion will lead to the most totalitarian state whereas, it seems to me that religion is a required part of complete control and while part of that can be funneled off into nationalism or brand loyalty, those are limited to the here and now. Our primitive little monkey brains fear death. For most of us, it's inconceivable to imagine what the world would be like without us. The idea that we stop, end of story, nothing more, you don't get to turn the page, see what happens next, is unfathomable. Even the most witless dullard will wonder what happens next. We can't help it. As such, religion will always be around in some form or another, and any iron fist that wishes to rule will find it much easier if they put god on their side.
To that end, Christianity and its ilk are perfectly suited to the totalitarian regime. Religions wholly divorced from nature, promising eternal pleasure or eternal torment and with vaguely defined castes so that it's possible to look down on everyone around you and believe yourself higher in the order. Organized religion is a great con. The left hand of any dictator.
On the whole, I found Brave New World lacking. It's both more gruesome in the details and less gruesome in the overall than our current world. We're much closer to Orwell's 1984 but neither really suffices in that both took a method of control and pushed it to the end of the dial. BNW fixates completely on the reward end and 1984 is firmly stuck at the punishment end with the knob broken off for good measure. That gives the middle a false sense of security, but we can achieve a stagnant society via the middle road just as easily as by taking either end.
We have the police state of 1984 with the vapid distractions of BNW thrown in. Most people hate and fear their government, but a balance has been struck. It's a necessary evil and you're too small to upturn things. You'd just get crushed. Not to mention, it's inconvenient. You could lose your job and end up homeless. Overpopulation is definitely a factor in this control. There's no where you could go. Just wander out in the woods and start new. It'd be a park or someone's private property and you'd be arrested and dragged back to society for your punishment. There's no place for outlaws these days. Robin Hood is dead.
No. Better to stay in our places. Maybe we can donate to a non-profit organization that will do the work for us. If you're really upset, perhaps join and organization and work passionately for your cause... Until you're burned up by the apathy of the rest of the world or you find your own comforts and settle back in your seat. The sheer population, the absolute and permeating power of carefully controlled media has made rebellion impossible. We're well and truly stuck and slowly, ever slowly, sinking into a morass which is every bit at bad as BNW or 1984.
So... What then is the answer? ....
Don't listen to a word I just said. It's crap. The oppressive hopelessness of a world you can't change impairs you from making change but if you realize it's quicksand, you might just make it out. Change is slow, often imperceptible, but if you find your own balance and you keep moving slowly towards the shore, it will happen. We're impatient creatures. We want things right now or not at all but... it just doesn't usually happen that way. You just have to remember that is IS happening and not waste all your energy struggling. 50 years ago, the idea of a black man becoming president was unheard of. A woman as his main competition would be equally laughable. Homosexuality was a felony in most states in the country and seen as a mental disease and electro-shock torture was the rule of the day for 'curing' us. Things are changing and, despite our most backwards leaders, edging slowly closer and closer to real freedom. We can make it.
On thing that perplexes me. In both BNW and 1984, the writers seem to assume that doing away with religion will lead to the most totalitarian state whereas, it seems to me that religion is a required part of complete control and while part of that can be funneled off into nationalism or brand loyalty, those are limited to the here and now. Our primitive little monkey brains fear death. For most of us, it's inconceivable to imagine what the world would be like without us. The idea that we stop, end of story, nothing more, you don't get to turn the page, see what happens next, is unfathomable. Even the most witless dullard will wonder what happens next. We can't help it. As such, religion will always be around in some form or another, and any iron fist that wishes to rule will find it much easier if they put god on their side.
To that end, Christianity and its ilk are perfectly suited to the totalitarian regime. Religions wholly divorced from nature, promising eternal pleasure or eternal torment and with vaguely defined castes so that it's possible to look down on everyone around you and believe yourself higher in the order. Organized religion is a great con. The left hand of any dictator.
On the whole, I found Brave New World lacking. It's both more gruesome in the details and less gruesome in the overall than our current world. We're much closer to Orwell's 1984 but neither really suffices in that both took a method of control and pushed it to the end of the dial. BNW fixates completely on the reward end and 1984 is firmly stuck at the punishment end with the knob broken off for good measure. That gives the middle a false sense of security, but we can achieve a stagnant society via the middle road just as easily as by taking either end.
We have the police state of 1984 with the vapid distractions of BNW thrown in. Most people hate and fear their government, but a balance has been struck. It's a necessary evil and you're too small to upturn things. You'd just get crushed. Not to mention, it's inconvenient. You could lose your job and end up homeless. Overpopulation is definitely a factor in this control. There's no where you could go. Just wander out in the woods and start new. It'd be a park or someone's private property and you'd be arrested and dragged back to society for your punishment. There's no place for outlaws these days. Robin Hood is dead.
No. Better to stay in our places. Maybe we can donate to a non-profit organization that will do the work for us. If you're really upset, perhaps join and organization and work passionately for your cause... Until you're burned up by the apathy of the rest of the world or you find your own comforts and settle back in your seat. The sheer population, the absolute and permeating power of carefully controlled media has made rebellion impossible. We're well and truly stuck and slowly, ever slowly, sinking into a morass which is every bit at bad as BNW or 1984.
So... What then is the answer? ....
Don't listen to a word I just said. It's crap. The oppressive hopelessness of a world you can't change impairs you from making change but if you realize it's quicksand, you might just make it out. Change is slow, often imperceptible, but if you find your own balance and you keep moving slowly towards the shore, it will happen. We're impatient creatures. We want things right now or not at all but... it just doesn't usually happen that way. You just have to remember that is IS happening and not waste all your energy struggling. 50 years ago, the idea of a black man becoming president was unheard of. A woman as his main competition would be equally laughable. Homosexuality was a felony in most states in the country and seen as a mental disease and electro-shock torture was the rule of the day for 'curing' us. Things are changing and, despite our most backwards leaders, edging slowly closer and closer to real freedom. We can make it.
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(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-26 08:44 pm (UTC)I think the religion thing is a time deal. You couldn't dare say religion was bad when either book was written. Even though at the time various Christian organizations had gleefully played along with the Nazis, been behind a batch of horrendous stuff in the USA, and were about to be part of McCarthyism and so on. Nope. Then as now you're supposed to say religion is this wonderful good thing.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-26 09:05 pm (UTC)