Brave New World

[Saint_]

Both George Orwell and Aldous Huxley wrote definitive dystopian (bad future) books. I read "1984" as a young man and was very afraid that the Orwellian future was coming true. He certainly nailed the surveillance society! But recently, I finished Huxley's "Brave New World."

And I'm much more concerned than before.

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. (Just this year, they removed my school's library. Just gave away the books to anyone who wanted them. Mostly that was all the teachers...)

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, egotism, and hedonism.

(Well, that pretty much described my weekend...)

Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with meaningless fascinations and pursuits. (I'm binge watching reality TV tonight...)

yeah, it's a Brave New World.

[LarsMac]

So, if Orwell and Huxley had bet on the future, I think it would be Orwell paying off the bet.