As a non-American it just surprises me so much that Fox News can fool so many people, especially when “critical thinking” is touted as one of the things kids learn in school, as pictured in popular media like TV shows and movies. 🤷♂️ It’s just so obviously propaganda. You can tell by just the way they behave. You barely even have to listen to what they say. 😆 (But doing so surely makes it all the more crystal clear.)
I started 1984 last night. Very nice world building so far. Trying to pretend that the technology described so far is out of the ordinary and futuristic. 😅
If you do read Animal Farm, you’re gonna want to read the wiki or something first, since the entire story is an allegory for the Soviet revolution in Russia using talking farm animals. So if you’re not familiar with that history, you’re probably going to be confused.
It’s a good book (and short) when you understand the context, but I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone the same way that I recommend 1984.
The former is looking backwards at historical events, while the latter looks forward, and describes (with disturbing accuracy) a potential authoritarian future.
I’m approaching 10% finished, including the foreword about Orwell’s life etc. I keep imagining what the film(s) will do to picture all of it in their own unique way. Will be fun to watch those later with the Mrs. 😊
“There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always— do not forget this, Winston— always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face— forever. ”
When I was in school we read Animal Farm, but instead of 1984 they had us read Brave New World. It seemed like a more accurate commentary at the time. Just everyone blissfully unaware and high on “soma” and trivial entertainment. Bread and circuses as it were. Crazy to see what a sudden turn to 1984 we’ve taken in just a few months.
Yeah, conservatives found out long ago that the more education a person gets, the less likely they are to support conservative politicians. So they have literally sabotaged their own future by gutting education, and we’re now reaping the rewards.
It’s not just lack of good education either, they also found out long ago that misinformation is a powerful tool.
People nowadays have no idea how much support socialism had and was gaining in the first half of the 20th century. Then along came J. Edgar Hoover who used the violence of the state to label leftists as ‘subversives’ and infiltrated and destroy the movements from the inside, created the ‘Red Scare’ and the blacklists, and kicked off an anti-left propaganda campaign that Fox news is continuing to this very day. And to a lesser extent the mainstream media in general.
When I was a kid (I’m 51) none of us know what communism/socialism actually was, but one thing we all knew, it was very, very bad. People are just starting to wake up to the fact that socialism isn’t from the Devil actually, but I’ve seen a sickening amount of ‘leftist’ content creators confidently giving incorrect definitions to both just this month.
What we all have to realize that it’s now on US to do the educating. We have to tell our family, friends, children, and members of the community what those things actually mean and why they are good things. No one else is going to do it if we don’t.
I went to school in Sweden, where I live. “Critical thinking” was not taught as a subject per se, but I get the feeling the curriculum somehow managed to put in our heads regardless. Or maybe it’s only my own circle of peers, I suppose I don’t know for sure.
Is it really fooling anyone if the people watching Fox News already follow that hateful ideology before they even turn on the TV. It’s just confirmation bias and Fox News is happy to provide it. They watch it to feel righteous and not to learn anything.
Depends. For lots of my Southern family, oldschool racist and Confederate roots are deep, and tied to church culture. And I’ve seen examples outside of that where things are ‘learned,’ like a macho, sexist, homophobe jerk kinda ex-friend who’s Dad was the same.
Also, talk radio was like this long before Fox got so extreme. Rush Limbaugh was huge, people like him were a staple across the rural US and can still be heard if you tune in.
In the richer eschelons (like in my private school), libertarian-mindedness is more common, and extreme social conservatism bleeds in from there, as counterintuitive as that seems.
In other words, the Fox environment has been cooking for decades (if not a centuries), and I agree: they’re catering to (and stoking) the market that’s already there.
As a non-American it just surprises me so much that Fox News can fool so many people, especially when “critical thinking” is touted as one of the things kids learn in school, as pictured in popular media like TV shows and movies. 🤷♂️ It’s just so obviously propaganda. You can tell by just the way they behave. You barely even have to listen to what they say. 😆 (But doing so surely makes it all the more crystal clear.)
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
What is that quote from? Sounds interesting.
If you’re not being facetious, then you should 100% read 1984 like… right now.
Followed up with Animal Farm, also by Orwell
Got’em! Not sure if these are good editions but we’ll see. They were like $2 each.
Animal Farm is the easier read out of the 2.
Enjoy.
Easier read, but kind of meaningless without knowing the context of the Soviet revolution since it’s just an allegory.
Worth reading, but I don’t consider it required in the same way I view 1984.
Interesting take. I must say that I read it and did not have the background knowledge. I took it as a blueprint on how to seize power.
Yes, it got deeper when my history caught up, but I wouldn’t say it’s required.
Maybe agree to disagree
I started 1984 last night. Very nice world building so far. Trying to pretend that the technology described so far is out of the ordinary and futuristic. 😅
If you change the screens to cell phones and the newspapers for databases…
Thanks for the tip!
If you do read Animal Farm, you’re gonna want to read the wiki or something first, since the entire story is an allegory for the Soviet revolution in Russia using talking farm animals. So if you’re not familiar with that history, you’re probably going to be confused.
It’s a good book (and short) when you understand the context, but I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone the same way that I recommend 1984.
The former is looking backwards at historical events, while the latter looks forward, and describes (with disturbing accuracy) a potential authoritarian future.
Yeah I got the history and allegory part, thank you! 🙂👍
Not at all! I’ll check it out, thanks! Been eyeing it for a long time but I’m not really a book person. But maybe it could be an exception. 😁
It’s a very important book, and every adult should be required to read it.
I’m approaching 10% finished, including the foreword about Orwell’s life etc. I keep imagining what the film(s) will do to picture all of it in their own unique way. Will be fun to watch those later with the Mrs. 😊
Also from 1984:
When I was in school we read Animal Farm, but instead of 1984 they had us read Brave New World. It seemed like a more accurate commentary at the time. Just everyone blissfully unaware and high on “soma” and trivial entertainment. Bread and circuses as it were. Crazy to see what a sudden turn to 1984 we’ve taken in just a few months.
We ended up with the worst bits of both.
Good one. Yeesh. 🥶
That last sentence in particular…that’s indeed what it feels like the foreseeable future is in the US.
1984 / Orwell
Yeah, conservatives found out long ago that the more education a person gets, the less likely they are to support conservative politicians. So they have literally sabotaged their own future by gutting education, and we’re now reaping the rewards.
It’s not just lack of good education either, they also found out long ago that misinformation is a powerful tool.
People nowadays have no idea how much support socialism had and was gaining in the first half of the 20th century. Then along came J. Edgar Hoover who used the violence of the state to label leftists as ‘subversives’ and infiltrated and destroy the movements from the inside, created the ‘Red Scare’ and the blacklists, and kicked off an anti-left propaganda campaign that Fox news is continuing to this very day. And to a lesser extent the mainstream media in general.
When I was a kid (I’m 51) none of us know what communism/socialism actually was, but one thing we all knew, it was very, very bad. People are just starting to wake up to the fact that socialism isn’t from the Devil actually, but I’ve seen a sickening amount of ‘leftist’ content creators confidently giving incorrect definitions to both just this month.
What we all have to realize that it’s now on US to do the educating. We have to tell our family, friends, children, and members of the community what those things actually mean and why they are good things. No one else is going to do it if we don’t.
Where did you go to school? I went to school in Texas and critical thinking was not taught. I routinely got in trouble just for asking questions.
I went to school in Sweden, where I live. “Critical thinking” was not taught as a subject per se, but I get the feeling the curriculum somehow managed to put in our heads regardless. Or maybe it’s only my own circle of peers, I suppose I don’t know for sure.
Is it really fooling anyone if the people watching Fox News already follow that hateful ideology before they even turn on the TV. It’s just confirmation bias and Fox News is happy to provide it. They watch it to feel righteous and not to learn anything.
Where do they find these ideologies before they turn on the TV? Curious to know as an outsider.
Either way, if I believed something and my fellow peers within this belief spoke like this, I’d fucking start questioning my beliefs. 🤨
Depends. For lots of my Southern family, oldschool racist and Confederate roots are deep, and tied to church culture. And I’ve seen examples outside of that where things are ‘learned,’ like a macho, sexist, homophobe jerk kinda ex-friend who’s Dad was the same.
Also, talk radio was like this long before Fox got so extreme. Rush Limbaugh was huge, people like him were a staple across the rural US and can still be heard if you tune in.
In the richer eschelons (like in my private school), libertarian-mindedness is more common, and extreme social conservatism bleeds in from there, as counterintuitive as that seems.
In other words, the Fox environment has been cooking for decades (if not a centuries), and I agree: they’re catering to (and stoking) the market that’s already there.
Interesting, thanks for sharing your insights!