Back in 1985, critic and educator Neil Postman published "Amusing ourselves to death" an impassioned warning addressing our media, politicians, and political ways, to illuminate the dangers, he contrasted two pivotal works of dystopian fiction ; George Orwell's 1984, and Aldous Huxley's Brave new world. I'm copying some excerpt from this work.
In Orwell's vision, he notes, we are crushed by a merciless oppression imposed by others, whereby in Huxley's vision, we are seduced, sedated and satiated, we enslave ourselves. What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban books, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.
Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much information that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us, Huxley feared that the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared that we would become a captive culture, Huxley feared that we could become a trivial culture preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy and the centrifugal bumble puppy.
In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave new world, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us. Orwell who in 1984 was fixed on Nazi devastation and Soviet ascendancy, seemed to have nailed it, but 37 years later, Postman saw that in our time and place, it's unquestionably Huxley .
Postman portrayed a world that led inevitably and unavoidably to the election of Donald Trump and Netanyahu and others, Mr Trump's main rhetoric pumped out endless streams of comedy and melodrama, apocalypse and deliverance, bitterness and bullshit, to some it was thrillingly candid and glorifying, to others Trump's times did not merely subvert America's core values, it shattered their world view, and the way the world looks at us. Mr. Netanyahu like some other demagogues and dictators, managed to create a reality in Israel and all it's neighbors that will rival and surpass the worst tragedies of modern history.
Let's face it, all over, the laws of human nature do not allow the triumph of reason, history has demonstrated time after time that this notion is a false stereotype, it is a cold truth that stands against all codes and laws that rule the world and govern countries. James Cooper back in 1830 declared that "While the contest was for great principles, the press aided in elevating the common character and maintain the common interests.... but since the contest has ceased and the struggle has become one purely of selfishness and personal interests. It is employed generally for preparing the nation for some terrible reverses, and as the propaganda machine now exist, it seems to be expressly devised by great agents of mischief to depress and destroy all that is good, and to elevate and advance all that is evil in the nation."
The excerpt was gracefully inspired and in parts borrowed from an excellent book called "The trouble with reality" by journalist Brooke Gladstone, I owe him my many thanks. And as usual all my thanks to all my readers.
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