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1984, followed directly by Brave New World. Our world resembles a lot from each of these books. Much like in 1984, we have devices and companies constantly moni

1984, followed directly by Brave New World. Our world resembles a lot from each of these books. Much like in 1984, we have devices and companies constantly monitoring us (iOS, Android, Facebook, etc.), we have “news programs” and websites seemingly modeled after the “two minutes hate”, and we clearly have some Ministry of Truth-like misinformation getting spread around while accurate information gets lost or ignored. Much like in Brave New World, we have soma-like drugs, distractions and trivialities occupying people while they accept the world as it is and even shy away from wanting to change things. Really, we live in a world that blends together much of what was described in 1984 and Brave New World. Neither book predicted the future accurately, but together the picture these books painted is pretty damn accurate, and disturbing.

tio00 10y ago
Short mention of a new book related to 1984: 2084 the end of the world http://www.europaeditions.com/book/9781609453664/2084-the-end-of-the-world http://www.europaeditions.com/book/9781609453664/2084-the-en... Haven't read it yet, but it looks interesting
rvdm 10y ago
I've been doing the exact same in the last few weeks in the opposite order. I remember reading these as a young teen and liking the stories, but thinking the concepts were so far from ever being possible. This was the age where the brutality stories of my grandparents surviving WWII started sinking in. I was convinced mankind would never ever allow anything to happen again that could lead to what happened in the late 30s.
- infinite8s 10y ago
  Mankind has a historically short memory (unless stories are elevated to religious levels). Witness the recent Holocaust Remembrance statement from the White House.
eli_gottlieb 10y ago
>Much like in Brave New World, we have soma-like drugs, distractions and trivialities occupying people while they accept the world as it is and even shy away from wanting to change things. Now hold on. There are millions of people in the streets demonstrating on a regular basis these days. How many have to be trying to change things before we stop labeling them all distracted, sleeping, over-amused sheeple?
- merryandrew 10y ago
  Both you and pdog have made interesting observations, I suppose, but as I said, neither book described our reality accurately. Our reality is far more complicated. As you point out, millions have protested, but tens of millions haven’t. As pdog remarked, the world in 1984 might be described as a totalitarian hellscape, in part, but parts of our world can also be described as such; pdog needs to look outside his locale, I’m afraid. Our world really is like a combination of those two books, even if your neighborhoods aren’t. We haven’t matched the world portrayed in either book, obviously, but it feels to me like were transitioning to a world a lot like a combination of those books. Let’s review things in a decade or two and see what comes to be.
  - eli_gottlieb 10y ago
    >As you point out, millions have protested, but tens of millions haven’t. On both an absolute and per-capita level, those millions are actually record highs. These are historically large demonstrations. I'd have to check where I read this, but IIRC about 3% of a country's total population is typically the amount you need demonstrating in order to overthrow a government. We're possibly looking at a revolution in progress, and all you guys can say is, "Why aren't there more of them?"?
    - merryandrew 10y ago
      > "you guys" I don't know what group you're imagining me to be a part of, but you have no idea who I am, clearly. That's fine.
pdog 10y ago
> Our world resembles a lot from each of these books. Much like in 1984, we have devices and companies constantly monitoring us (iOS, Android, Facebook, etc.), we have “news programs” and websites seemingly modeled after the “two minutes hate”, and we clearly have some Ministry of Truth-like misinformation getting spread around while accurate information gets lost or ignored. Is this a joke? Having recently reread Orwell's 1984, you can't seriously believe our society resembles Oceania in the slightest. The world may have some problems today, but the world in 1984 is war-torn, totaliarian hellscape from which no one can escape.
- dijit 10y ago
  It certainly feels like we've always been at war with R̶u̶s̶s̶i̶a̶ the Middle East.
dominotw 10y ago
>we have soma-like drugs Having not read the book. Anyone know if that soma is based on vedic soma[1], seems like it. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(drink)#Vedic_soma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(drink)#Vedic_soma
- khedoros1 10y ago
  From what I can see, Vedic Soma makes someone immortal and invulnerable. Huxley's soma is some kind of narcotic haalucinogen. This is a list of quotes from the book that include the word "soma" in them, and it should give you an idea of the drug's effects and the characters' attitudes toward it: https://www.huxley.net/soma/somaquote.html https://www.huxley.net/soma/somaquote.html
  - dominotw 10y ago
    >From what I can see, Vedic Soma makes someone immortal and invulnerable. Rig veda describes Soma is a hallucinogenic used for intoxication. 1. Intoxication, though not addiction, is a central theme of the Veda, since the sacrificial offering of the hallucinogenic juice of the soma plant was an element of several important Vedic rituals. The poets who “saw” the poems were inspired both by their meditations and by drinking the soma juice. The poems draw upon a corpus of myths about a fiery plant that a bird brings down from heaven; soma is born in the mountains or in heaven, where it is closely guarded; an eagle brings soma to earth (4.26-7) or to Indra (4.18.13), or the eagle carries Indra to heaven to bring the somabo 2. we have seen a Vedic poem (10.119) in which someone exhilarated (or stoned) on soma says that the drinks have carried him up and away, “Like horses bolting with a chariot.” Source: Doniger, Wendy (2009-02-24). The Hindus: An Alternative History (p. 122).
    - khedoros1 10y ago
      That's interesting. Thank you for the clarification.
SmokyBourbon 10y ago
The Ministry of Truth could have hired a charismatic black guy to make everyone ignore the state of the world until 1992.

tio00 10y ago

Short mention of a new book related to 1984: 2084 the end of the world http://www.europaeditions.com/book/9781609453664/2084-the-end-of-the-world http://www.europaeditions.com/book/9781609453664/2084-the-en... Haven't read it yet, but it looks interesting

rvdm 10y ago

I've been doing the exact same in the last few weeks in the opposite order. I remember reading these as a young teen and liking the stories, but thinking the concepts were so far from ever being possible. This was the age where the brutality stories of my grandparents surviving WWII started sinking in. I was convinced mankind would never ever allow anything to happen again that could lead to what happened in the late 30s.

infinite8s 10y ago
Mankind has a historically short memory (unless stories are elevated to religious levels). Witness the recent Holocaust Remembrance statement from the White House.

eli_gottlieb 10y ago

>Much like in Brave New World, we have soma-like drugs, distractions and trivialities occupying people while they accept the world as it is and even shy away from wanting to change things. Now hold on. There are millions of people in the streets demonstrating on a regular basis these days. How many have to be trying to change things before we stop labeling them all distracted, sleeping, over-amused sheeple?

merryandrew 10y ago
Both you and pdog have made interesting observations, I suppose, but as I said, neither book described our reality accurately. Our reality is far more complicated. As you point out, millions have protested, but tens of millions haven’t. As pdog remarked, the world in 1984 might be described as a totalitarian hellscape, in part, but parts of our world can also be described as such; pdog needs to look outside his locale, I’m afraid. Our world really is like a combination of those two books, even if your neighborhoods aren’t. We haven’t matched the world portrayed in either book, obviously, but it feels to me like were transitioning to a world a lot like a combination of those books. Let’s review things in a decade or two and see what comes to be.
- eli_gottlieb 10y ago
  >As you point out, millions have protested, but tens of millions haven’t. On both an absolute and per-capita level, those millions are actually record highs. These are historically large demonstrations. I'd have to check where I read this, but IIRC about 3% of a country's total population is typically the amount you need demonstrating in order to overthrow a government. We're possibly looking at a revolution in progress, and all you guys can say is, "Why aren't there more of them?"?
  - merryandrew 10y ago
    > "you guys" I don't know what group you're imagining me to be a part of, but you have no idea who I am, clearly. That's fine.

pdog 10y ago

> Our world resembles a lot from each of these books. Much like in 1984, we have devices and companies constantly monitoring us (iOS, Android, Facebook, etc.), we have “news programs” and websites seemingly modeled after the “two minutes hate”, and we clearly have some Ministry of Truth-like misinformation getting spread around while accurate information gets lost or ignored. Is this a joke? Having recently reread Orwell's 1984, you can't seriously believe our society resembles Oceania in the slightest. The world may have some problems today, but the world in 1984 is war-torn, totaliarian hellscape from which no one can escape.

dijit 10y ago
It certainly feels like we've always been at war with R̶u̶s̶s̶i̶a̶ the Middle East.

dominotw 10y ago

>we have soma-like drugs Having not read the book. Anyone know if that soma is based on vedic soma[1], seems like it. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(drink)#Vedic_soma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(drink)#Vedic_soma

khedoros1 10y ago
From what I can see, Vedic Soma makes someone immortal and invulnerable. Huxley's soma is some kind of narcotic haalucinogen. This is a list of quotes from the book that include the word "soma" in them, and it should give you an idea of the drug's effects and the characters' attitudes toward it: https://www.huxley.net/soma/somaquote.html https://www.huxley.net/soma/somaquote.html
- dominotw 10y ago
  >From what I can see, Vedic Soma makes someone immortal and invulnerable. Rig veda describes Soma is a hallucinogenic used for intoxication. 1. Intoxication, though not addiction, is a central theme of the Veda, since the sacrificial offering of the hallucinogenic juice of the soma plant was an element of several important Vedic rituals. The poets who “saw” the poems were inspired both by their meditations and by drinking the soma juice. The poems draw upon a corpus of myths about a fiery plant that a bird brings down from heaven; soma is born in the mountains or in heaven, where it is closely guarded; an eagle brings soma to earth (4.26-7) or to Indra (4.18.13), or the eagle carries Indra to heaven to bring the somabo 2. we have seen a Vedic poem (10.119) in which someone exhilarated (or stoned) on soma says that the drinks have carried him up and away, “Like horses bolting with a chariot.” Source: Doniger, Wendy (2009-02-24). The Hindus: An Alternative History (p. 122).
  - khedoros1 10y ago
    That's interesting. Thank you for the clarification.

SmokyBourbon 10y ago

The Ministry of Truth could have hired a charismatic black guy to make everyone ignore the state of the world until 1992.