Thread: 1984 vs. Brave new world

which of these books do you think is a more accurate prediction of where the world is going?( ignoring the fact that 1984 has already passed with out a totalitarian government)

*shrugs*

84.

both two of my favourite works of fiction.

Well, accurate is kind of misleading. I do not believe the world is heading in the direction of either. Generally, the world seems to be moving more toward freedom and self rule.

I would have to say that 1984 is probably LESS accurate than Brave New World since it portrays mankind being controlled by observation and force. BNW on the otherhand invokes peer pressure and conformity as the controlling force. It's much easier to get people to do what you want by requiring confirmity rather than using fear of being locked up and tortured.

Well there are accurate parts of both. For instance 1984's main means of control was removing the hope from the lowest caste, most of the hard forms of oppression were for the middle caste, the one the main character was in. In the lower form though, they just kept them at an inescapable level of far below the poverty line, keeping them alive, making them think it was always hopless, making them think their government was protecting them, making them in a constant state of fear, controlling the media and lying through it to sustain that state of fear and hopelessness.

That sounds pretty accurate. That's why Goldstein thought the way toward revolution was to restore hope in the lower caste.

Look at the world, the hegemonic powers remove hope from third world countries, they make those people believe that their situation is inescapable, that they just have to deal. Then, for the people in the hegemonic countries, they just have to work the media into imposing a constant state of fear and into constantly making them think their government is doing all this to protect them.

Of course I believe you, the world is more moving toward self-rulership, and if it does hit any sort of dystopia it would be more like an aristocracy than a totalitarian government.