Bookworm

I read this book in August / September or something but I needed some time to think about it before commenting on it.

Most people have probably read this book or heard about it. I guess most people have actually not read it, but only heard about it, and been forced by their teacher to read a chapter or so...

But it is written shortly after the second world war and describes life in 1984 as the author imagines the world might be.

Did he guess completely wrong or did he hit spot on? Well first of all 1984 is a long time ago and I shall compare the book scenario to now, not to 1984. In 1984 I was in school and the world was a much simpler place, even if definitely not better...

He has not foreseen the Internet. OK nobody had. He has not foreseen the level of welfare / living standard in the West. He imagines having to force people to have the TV on always while in real life, they do it happily of their own accord. He imagines a lot of monitoring of peoples lives, like in the old east Germany, with people from the Party actually having the time to look at all the information.

He does not predict total information overload.

However, he does predict one thing very sadly and very accurately: Newspeak, doublespeak. Having to pretend all through your work day and even your school day that what ever management bull they come up with is true and you never thought otherwise, and no other truth exists. TV news showing only what we are supposed to see, critical journalism dead. Reality TV to serve as pacifiers. Semi-religious entertainers as well as "old" religions trying desperately to convince young people that their fantasies are much truer than science, and succeeding to an alarming extend. We don't need a ministry of Truth. Are we pretty brain washed to put up with this? Yes, we are. Somebody ought to write a book about it...