“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.
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.