Exactly. If one is to compare their works to today, there's a clear mix. Most people seem dull-witted but discontent; they feel like something is wrong but they don't know how to say it and they can't (don't) concentrate long enough to figure it out. We don't have Orwellian newspeak, but we do have panels who decide what is and is not acceptable in our textbooks ("Language Police" by Diane Ravitch is a great book on the subject.) which ultimately reduces the quality of thought. Distraction, then, becomes more attractive because those without rich inner lives (a result of limited thinking) tend to lack discipline, and those who lack discipline are inclined to restless boredom.
Is it positive, in this case, to say everyone is right in their own way? It's all a bit silly, isn't it? I look forward to the time more people cast off such silly things.
Interesting, though I actually think Huxley and Orwell were putting voice to an aspect of the human condition that has always been with us. The ability to actually reason and think seems rare; schools regard it as less important than rote memorization. Then there are the periods of "off with their heads", then it's back to.........
It isn't an "either/or" situation.
ReplyDeleteExactly. If one is to compare their works to today, there's a clear mix. Most people seem dull-witted but discontent; they feel like something is wrong but they don't know how to say it and they can't (don't) concentrate long enough to figure it out. We don't have Orwellian newspeak, but we do have panels who decide what is and is not acceptable in our textbooks ("Language Police" by Diane Ravitch is a great book on the subject.) which ultimately reduces the quality of thought. Distraction, then, becomes more attractive because those without rich inner lives (a result of limited thinking) tend to lack discipline, and those who lack discipline are inclined to restless boredom.
ReplyDeleteIs it positive, in this case, to say everyone is right in their own way? It's all a bit silly, isn't it? I look forward to the time more people cast off such silly things.
Interesting, though I actually think Huxley and Orwell were putting voice to an aspect of the human condition that has always been with us. The ability to actually reason and think seems rare; schools regard it as less important than rote memorization.
ReplyDeleteThen there are the periods of "off with their heads", then it's back to.........
ooohhhhh......, shiny things.....
I'm a fan with the whole "off with their heads!" thing. When do we get to do that?
ReplyDelete