Contradicting their famous commercial prior to the release of the Macintosh, Apple is now the establishment, dominating the smartphone market with an unrelenting monotony. While they once claimed to have brought on a revolution, now Apple is the same tyrant that IBM was at one point, and George Orwell’s vision has been repeated once again.e Orwell’s famous novel, 1984, despite being over 60 years old, still maintains timeless relevance in its evaluation of fear, privacy, and, most vitally, what makes a person human. While technology then and now may have changed wildly, the inner makings of ourselves haven’t changed nearly as much. Firstly, George Orwell’s description of fear still rings true, possibly even more valid today than it was in
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Nowadays, as propaganda and censorship continues to encroach into our personal lives, this message rings true more than ever; generation after generation of people are becoming less and less independent, sharing only the collective mind of the modern media. Beauty and conformity are becoming interchangeable in a way which is brainwashing the masses. One such example is the modern prevalence of political euphemisms. Doublethink, or the act of simultaneously holding and accepting two contradictory beliefs (Orwell 214), is now at the forefront of modern politics. Many of the horrors our government commits, such as dropping atom bombs on Japan, are defensible, but only by arguments that are too brutal for the masses to face. In other words, euphemisms are needed to name things too terrible to put candidly (Article C). One such example of such untruthful political language is the modern American term, “surgical drone strike”, which calls to mind a picture of a laser- precise missile wiping out a specific target in the Middle East, causing a minimal impact on the nearby surroundings. However, this is not nearly the truth. Instead, 15 percent of people killed in drone strikes are unidentified and likely innocents, which as of now tallies up to around 170 people (Article C). Killing 170 innocent men, women, …show more content…
As the government learns more and more about the masses, it also learns more and more about how to keep them in their place, meaning at the bottom of the hierarchy of power. The wonderfully convenient life predicted in The Jetsons or Back to the Future most definitely isn’t here yet, and while the masses believe modern technology serves them so well, it is also serving another source-- the government. One such example is at school, where the modern surveillance state is making sure students stay in line. Many school districts are now authorizing and incorporating surveillance cameras into their schools, willing to sacrifice the privacy and freedom of their students in in the interest of greater control. One such school district is Fairfax County, where the decision to allow cameras in schools provoked much controversy. One opponent of the cameras explained that rather than creating an atmosphere of respect and trust, the cameras tell students that they are being watched, and that bad behavior is expected of them (Article A). Student’s daily lives are now being constantly monitored, their every actions analyzed for anything that could oppose the legitimacy of their superiors. This system of surveillance is frighteningly similar to the telescreens Orwell depicts in 1984, which constantly monitor members of the Party, making sure that they are no threat to
Nowadays, as propaganda and censorship continues to encroach into our personal lives, this message rings true more than ever; generation after generation of people are becoming less and less independent, sharing only the collective mind of the modern media. Beauty and conformity are becoming interchangeable in a way which is brainwashing the masses. One such example is the modern prevalence of political euphemisms. Doublethink, or the act of simultaneously holding and accepting two contradictory beliefs (Orwell 214), is now at the forefront of modern politics. Many of the horrors our government commits, such as dropping atom bombs on Japan, are defensible, but only by arguments that are too brutal for the masses to face. In other words, euphemisms are needed to name things too terrible to put candidly (Article C). One such example of such untruthful political language is the modern American term, “surgical drone strike”, which calls to mind a picture of a laser- precise missile wiping out a specific target in the Middle East, causing a minimal impact on the nearby surroundings. However, this is not nearly the truth. Instead, 15 percent of people killed in drone strikes are unidentified and likely innocents, which as of now tallies up to around 170 people (Article C). Killing 170 innocent men, women, …show more content…
As the government learns more and more about the masses, it also learns more and more about how to keep them in their place, meaning at the bottom of the hierarchy of power. The wonderfully convenient life predicted in The Jetsons or Back to the Future most definitely isn’t here yet, and while the masses believe modern technology serves them so well, it is also serving another source-- the government. One such example is at school, where the modern surveillance state is making sure students stay in line. Many school districts are now authorizing and incorporating surveillance cameras into their schools, willing to sacrifice the privacy and freedom of their students in in the interest of greater control. One such school district is Fairfax County, where the decision to allow cameras in schools provoked much controversy. One opponent of the cameras explained that rather than creating an atmosphere of respect and trust, the cameras tell students that they are being watched, and that bad behavior is expected of them (Article A). Student’s daily lives are now being constantly monitored, their every actions analyzed for anything that could oppose the legitimacy of their superiors. This system of surveillance is frighteningly similar to the telescreens Orwell depicts in 1984, which constantly monitor members of the Party, making sure that they are no threat to