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 For Orwell, Life Imitated ArtPosted on Sep 4, 2007
It turns out that George Orwell, famed author of “1984” and originator of the term “Big Brother,” was spied on by his government for more than 10 years. Members of Britain’s MI5 suspected the writer of being a communist, until they bothered to read him, and were apparently baffled by his “bohemian” clothes.
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By P. T., September 4, 2007 at 7:42 pm #
Big Brother? Wasn’t that a rock band? Janis Joplin?
Report thisBy THOMAS BILLIS, September 4, 2007 at 12:05 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
I guess this is the history of freedom the western world wants to export to the rest of the world.You must fix your own house before you go and fix somebody elses.Thank God for George Orwell he gave us a glimpse into where we are headed and we continue to ignore it at our own peril.George Bush is already the foremost exponent of Newspeak.If you do not know too many words it makes it hard to think in many words.
Report thisBy Technodaoist, September 4, 2007 at 8:08 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Form over substance.
How one appears is more important than what someone actually does. It was that way then, and it is the way it is now.
Orwell knew it. Orwell wrote about it.
Read 1984. It’s double-good book.
Report thisBy felicity, September 4, 2007 at 7:46 am #
#98504
Yep. Control freaks, be they communists, joseph mccarthy’s, christian-rightists, bushies, neocons...pop up periodically.
As a college student in the early fifties I was required to sign a ‘loyalty oath’ (to the USA) if I wanted the state of California to pay me for my on-campus job.
Report thisI refused to sign and didn’t get paid. Not only was the requirement an insult, signing an ‘oath’ to anything may, some day, come back to bite you in the ass. Indeed..."you never know what will be considered ‘illegal’ in the future.”
By jfior, September 4, 2007 at 5:59 am #
It really is funny that this has just been posted on Truthdig...I literally just finished “listening” to his book, 1984, last night. For all of you who read the book in high school like I did, I suggest you reread it since you now undoubtedly have a better perspective of the world....what I found most fascinating is that I know he was insinuating that Big Brother was the creation and tool of communism, but reading the book today that is not all that apparent....he could just as easily be referring to the Christian right...the descriptions of the Party are not all that much different from what you hear from certain members of the Right these days..."you must live your life in Christ (read, the Party) etc....
For people who claim they don’t mind surveillance because they are not doing anything wrong/illegal, they should worry about putting the infrastructure in place now...because you never know what will be considered “illegal” in the future....need to fight the creation of the infrastructure at all costs so it can never be abused.
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