it's fascinating to see it coming true -- pretty much everything in the book is coming to fruition in real-time

how Orwell was able to predict the future so eloquently is incredible and the tale told in a succinct, allegorical format. he knew exactly what the communist MO was / is

stunning really. if you haven't read it -- you can read it in a day or two. it's eye opening.

1984 is next

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Animal Farm
1984
Fahrenheit 451
Atlas Shrugged

All need to be read and understood. All written decades before they started coming to fruition.

1984 scared the shit out of me. I read it before I knew what year it had been written and was shocked at his foresight.

Good reading list.

When you're done with 1984, maybe read (re-read?) this:

Not my picture, but that's one of my favorite mugs from the Obama years, getting dusted off now.

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

The best, succinct analysis of the current state of things.

Yep. I re-read Animal Farm and 1984 recently. But, I have read Atlas Shrugged twice and am not reading it again!

Another great read that is not as well known is Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler.

I understand Orwell was pro socialist until he saw the reality of Stalinism, which was a primary motivator of Animal Farm.

quote:

Originally posted by Scoutmaster:
I understand Orwell was pro socialist until he saw the reality of Stalinism, which was a primary motivator of Animal Farm.

He was with the commies in Spain and they were planning to execute him for not being commie enough.

We're living it daily, but chin up. Blue skies ahead.

The World is Curved tells you more than you want to know and the Creature of Jekyll Island tells you everything about $.

Fahrenheit 451 is here with the introduction of these "mirror" workout things that has the camera and interactive trainers.

Circa 1975-76 in high school, we were shown an animated film of Animal Farm, made in Britain in 1954. It had a more upbeat ending, with the animals, led by Benjamin the donkey, overthrowing the pigs, than the book.

Brave New Worlds needs to be added to the list as they used the media to shape political and social thought all the while revising history to reflect the current thinking.

quote:

Originally posted by low8option:
Brave New World

By far my favorite book, maybe tied with Catch-22.

I haven't read that one since I was in high school, back in the 80's, and yes how much of it is true now is so so scary!

quote:

Originally posted by low8option:
Brave New World

I c&p'd this some time ago, seems like a good place to drop it in --



In the introduction to his book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman wrote:

"Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But, in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture ..."

Sadly, we are ruled by Napoleon and Snowball.

Orwell was a Fabian and left the Society in disgust. The Fabians were the OG Globalists with the likes of HG Wells, his lover, Margaret Sanger, George Bernard Shaw. They included Leornard Woolfe, the architect of Wilson's League of Nations, and his wife, author Virginia Wolfe. Wolfe brought in John Maynard Keynes. Orwell was introduced to the Society by one of his professors, Aldous Huxley.

I believe Hilary Clinton belongs to the Fabians. They claim they are no longer involved in remaking the world to their heart's desire.