By Tyler Durden
As a young man, I voraciously
read George Orwell’s “1984”, Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and Alvin
Toffler's trilogy which included "Future Shock"', "The Third
Wave" and "Power Shift". During the era of the Vietnam War, I
wondered seriously about the future and how it was destined to unfold. Now
being considerably older, I have the vantage point to reflect back on my early
ruminations and expectations. Unfortunately, I am too old to alter the lessons
that are now so painfully obvious. Instead, I pass the gauntlet to those who
can understand and take action on what I have unavoidably come to expect for
America.
A FRAMEWORK OF UNDERSTANDING
THE 'HUXLEY-ORWELL' TRANSITION
I recently read a perceptive paper by Chris Hedges that would have
made any English Professor envious, powerfully philosophical but not something
an Economics department would pay much attention to. I found it both intriguing
and enlightening.
I have borrowed so heavily from it, that I am unsure where the
lines diverge. Therefore, below I give full credit to Chris Hedges and take
full credit for all the bad ideas.
Chris Hedges of
TruthDig.com wrote 2011: A Brave New Dystopia, from which the
following evolved.
The two
greatest visions of a future dystopia were George Orwell’s “1984” and Aldous
Huxley’s “Brave New World.” The debate, between those who watched our descent
towards corporate totalitarianism, was who was right. Would we be, as Orwell
wrote, dominated by a repressive surveillance and security state that used
crude and violent forms of control? Or would we be, as Huxley envisioned,
entranced by entertainment and spectacle, captivated by technology and seduced
by profligate consumption to embrace our own oppression? It
turns out Orwell and Huxley were both right. Huxley saw the first stage of our
enslavement. Orwell saw the second.
READ MORE (MUCH MORE)
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-03-15/orwellian-america
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