RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/13/2013 9:22:13 PM

dcnovice

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quote:

For as deeply as the book has penetrated into our culture and language, I'm sometimes surprised how many people have never actually read it.

Definition of a classic —
something that everybody wants to have read
and nobody wants to read.

Mark Twain, citing a "Professor Winchester"

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/13/2013 9:53:23 PM

TheHeretic

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We could always steer them towards Animal Farm, I suppose.

I once thought that not having computers as part of his vision made the book less, but now, I think seeing the portrait he painted without them makes it even more terrifying, because modern generations can see just how easily such a nightmare could be realized.

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/13/2013 9:57:19 PM

RottenJohnny

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quote:

ORIGINAL: stef

quote:

ORIGINAL: Real0ne

The kids need to know they were sold into slavery by the parents who are trapped in hotel california. (once you check in you cant check out)

No, that's a Roach Motel. You can check out of Hotel California any time you like, but you can never leave.

quote:

ORIGINAL: wittynamehere

Another good one along similar (and perhaps even more accurate) lines was "Brave New World" (1932) by Aldous Huxley. He figured it would take about 600 years for it to get as bad as it was in the story. But we're pretty much there in 2013.

Just to throw this out there...

If you can stomach watching an old silent movie, I've found some parallels between the society portrayed in "Metropolis" and today's society as well.

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/13/2013 10:22:38 PM

MrRodgers

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quote:

ORIGINAL: pahunkboy

This was a profound book and everyone should have read it.

Orwell was killled or suicided after this book- pick one. I had a chat with a kid born in 1984 what things were like... he took the info in. No attitude- nice kid.

.....born in 84 is kinda late, isn't it ? The movie is still available but doesn't really do the book complete justice.

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/13/2013 10:24:08 PM

MrRodgers

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quote:

ORIGINAL: MarVet82

1984, War is a Racket, and Eisenhower's fair well address should all be required readings in this country. Hell, I'm a veteran and I don't trust our government.

I agree and most smart veterans...don't either.

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/14/2013 2:43:52 AM

kalikshama

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quote:

Hell, I'm a veteran and I don't trust our government.

What do you mean about not trusting the government?

I'm a veteran and I don't expect complete transparency from my government. I don't believe the Bush administration was involved in 9/11 and I believe the Benghazi furor is faux outrage designed to make political hay. I believe the government is comprised of people who do have personal and party agendas but is not Orwellian. Sure, there's surveillance, but not for the same reason as used by Airstrip One.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orwellian#Big_Brother

The most common sense of Orwellian is that of the all-controlling "Big Brother" state, used to negatively describe a situation in which a Big Brother authority figure — in concert with "thought police" — constantly monitors the population to detect betrayal via "improper" thoughts. Orwellian also describes oppressive political ideas and the use of euphemistic political language in public discourse to camouflage morally outrageous ideas and actions. In this latter sense, the term is often used as a means of attacking an opponent in political debate, by branding his or her policies as Orwellian. When used like this in political rhetoric if it is not sincere, it is interesting to note as it can be a case of a hypocritical Orwellian strategist denouncing Orwellian strategies.

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/14/2013 2:53:28 AM

kalikshama

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quote:

Orwell was killled or suicided after this book- pick one.

I pick # 3 - Tuberculosis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell#Final_months_and_death

Orwell's health had continued to decline since the diagnosis of tuberculosis in December 1947. In the summer of 1949, he courted Sonia Brownell, and they announced their marriage in September, shortly before he was removed to University College Hospital in London. Sonia took charge of Orwell's affairs and attended diligently in the hospital, causing concern to some old friends such as Muggeridge. In September 1949 Orwell invited his accountant Harrison to visit him in hospital, and Harrison claimed that Orwell then asked him to become director of GOP Ltd and to manage the company but there was no independent witness.[89] Orwell's wedding took place in the hospital room on 13 October 1949, with David Astor as best man.[92] Orwell was in decline and visited by an assortment of visitors including Muggeridge, Connolly, Lucian Freud, Stephen Spender, Evelyn Waugh, Paul Potts, Anthony Powell and his Eton tutor Anthony Gow.[10] Plans to go to the Swiss Alps were mooted. Further meetings were held with his accountant at which Harrison and Mr and Mrs Blair were confirmed as directors of the company and at which Harrison claimed that the "service agreement" was executed, giving copyright to the company.[89] Orwell's health was in decline again by Christmas. On the evening of 20 January 1950, Potts visited Orwell and slipped away on finding him asleep. However a later visit was made by Jack Harrison who claimed that Orwell gave him 25% of the company.[89] Early on the morning of 21 January, an artery burst in his lungs, killing him at age 46.[93]

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/14/2013 1:17:43 PM

leonine

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quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

quote:

ORIGINAL: wittynamehere

Great book, yeah.
Another good one along similar (and perhaps even more accurate) lines was "Brave New World" (1932) by Aldous Huxley. He figured it would take about 600 years for it to get as bad as it was in the story. But we're pretty much there in 2013.

I must have missed some changes
When did we start altering people to be dumb and servile so as to fill jobs requiring little skill?

Have you looked at the public school system these days?

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/14/2013 1:20:03 PM

leonine

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quote:

ORIGINAL: TheHeretic

For as deeply as the book has penetrated into our culture and language, I'm sometimes surprised how many people have never actually read it.

The wife was one of those, and I think she was a bit miffed at me, when she did. I noticed it sitting in the same place for a couple days, and asked her about it. She said she'd get back to it, but it was very dark. Proving once again that I'm not just a sadistic smart-ass on the internet, I told her it was ok - Winston found love in the end.

That was in Terry Gilliam's "Brazil."

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/14/2013 6:14:13 PM

TheHeretic

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quote:

ORIGINAL: leonine
That was in Terry Gilliam's "Brazil."

No, that was 1984. Gilliam's film was an excellent, and very densely packed, dystopian vision, but it doesn't seem that you are very well acquainted with either of them.

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/14/2013 7:25:43 PM

dcnovice

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quote:

Have you looked at the public school system these days?

I have, and I've seen some great things happening.

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/14/2013 7:45:58 PM

TheHeretic

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quote:

ORIGINAL: dcnovice

quote:

Have you looked at the public school system these days?

I have, and I've seen some great things happening.

There really are wonderful things happening at the high end, DC. My youngest brother was part of a team that travelled nationwide and competed with the robot they had built, for example, but on the other end of the spectrum, graduation from the public school system means nothing more than that someone met the minimum attendance requirements.

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/14/2013 7:48:58 PM

dcnovice

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quote:

There really are wonderful things happening at the high end, DC. My youngest brother was part of a team that travelled nationwide and competed with the robot they had built, for example, but on the other end of the spectrum, graduation from the public school system means nothing more than that someone met the minimum attendance requirements.

True.

But as the son of a teacher, it riles me when people assume that the entire public school system is a disaster.

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/14/2013 8:11:03 PM

FelineRanger

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quote:

ORIGINAL: TNDommeK

I have that book but advent read it yet.

I read it in high school back to back with Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Between the two of them, those books pretty much have the whole world covered. Neither one is really long, but they are deep and will stay with you long after you read them. For the record, I graduated high school 25 years ago and I still remember those books.

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/14/2013 8:26:41 PM

FelineRanger

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quote:

ORIGINAL: dcnovice

quote:

There really are wonderful things happening at the high end, DC. My youngest brother was part of a team that travelled nationwide and competed with the robot they had built, for example, but on the other end of the spectrum, graduation from the public school system means nothing more than that someone met the minimum attendance requirements.

True.

But as the son of a teacher, it riles me when people assume that the entire public school system is a disaster.

I'm also the son of a teacher and often heard my father complain of the deterioration of my high school during the last few years of his career. He started teaching at the same high school I attended as a student. When i was a student between 1984 and 1988, the school was literally a multiple award winner from the state and our extracurricular clubs even competed on national levels. By the time he retired, all of the other teachers who he respected so highly had been replaced by by people who weren't even trying. He often said he felt like the last teacher in the building who still had a passion to teach and, more importantly, to see the light go on in a student's eyes. I realize that his 20 years spent in that school is a long time, but that deterioration couldn't have happened without neglect from the school administration and from the district as well. It's that deterioration of passion and the legal efforts to remove authority from the teacher that are at the heart of the claims that America's schools are a disaster. Yes, I avoided the enormous can of worms that comprise inner city schools. I'd be writing War and Peace if I even began to address those!

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RE: Orwell's 1984 on the bestseller list - 6/14/2013 8:31:31 PM

cloudboy