Big brother is indeed watching you.

[Faulkner]

While reading through the WikiLeaks thread I was reminded how I didn't really see the point in having to read George Orwell's "1984" (written in 1949) when I was in high school literary class, in about 1979. Now, it seems ole' George was pretty prophetic in his thinking. Here's some quotes from the book that seem applicable today;

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”
― George Orwell, 1984

“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.”
― George Orwell, 1984

“Perhaps a lunatic was simply a minority of one.”
― George Orwell, 1984

Here's probably the most famous quote from the book . . .

“Big Brother is Watching You.”
― George Orwell, 1984

 

[billwill]

Scary for sure. Maybe old George had a time machine!

 

[bigwheelzip]

"Big Brother" snooping does not surprise me as much as people putting comments and material in the public domain that is criminal and/or threatening to their future livelihood.

 

[Rustyt1953]

I had to do a book report on it in '65.

1984+CliffsNotes=A-. (I thought it was a good read)

(Catcher in the Rye was next)

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I had a lit class in 1972 and we went through it. 4 legs good, 2 legs bad, said the sheep! Oops, that Animal Farm! 1984 was and is just as prophetic. However, the Bible foretold that in the last days the truth would be a lie, ect! George Orwell was very astute at interpreting it for us is all!

Ivan

 

[armadillo]

In 1966 we debated with our high school English Lit teacher over having to read "Silas Marner." I said we should be able to read "1984" instead.

Now my grandchildren are reading "1984" for English Lit.

If you never had to read "Silas Marner" count yourself lucky.

 

[swsig]

If you never had to read "Silas Marner" count yourself lucky.

Absolutely agree! I had to read "Silas Marner" along with "The Scarlet Letter", which explains why nearly 60 years later, I still only read non-fiction.

 

[vonn]

Big brother discussion will get me in trouble for sure! I am not sure any of the kids in my local schools can read anything longer than what fits on the screen of their phone.

 

[CScott]

Even Orwell never foresaw "microwave ovens that can turn into cameras".
Scott

 

[ParadiseRoad]

...Big Brother wants to know what you are reading...

 

[vt_shooter]

I want to know where to go to get copies and recordings of past telephone conversations, emails, documents deleted from my PC, Internet sites I visited, even what TV shows I watched last year, its all there, somewhere, in some database. The same database probably stores information from the nation's automated plate readers that recorded where my car was last April 5th.

 

[rog8732]

I know I'm being watched on computer.

Evidenced by the constant "pop-ups" every time I turn it on.....geez ! a guy looks at just one "Victoria's Secret" underwear models ad and his monitor constantly reminds him of it.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

"If you want to picture the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face-forever!" O'Brien to Winston Smith. Orwell described what was already in existence, today we have the technology he sort of imagined. IMHO a big part of what he warned about was a "Surveillance and Snooping" society. The youth organization was called "The Spies". Think of Pavel Morozov in the USSR.

 

[zzzippper]

I loaned a girlfriend from (communist) China the Orwell book Animal Farm. She laughed and laughed when she read, "All animals are created equal but some are more equal than others." I thought that was an interesting reaction based on where she was from.

 

[tops]

We had to read it and do an outline. The class and teacher worked together on the outline and our final exam was the outline from memory. Larry

 

[blues7]

Kurt Vonnegut also had his eye on the ball..."Harrison Bergeron"

 

[Onomea]

Ah, yes. Silly A** Marner! Introduced me to Cliff Notes as a freshman in high school.

 

[Krell1]

When I went to high school I tried using cliff notes but didn't get very far. The teachers had a way of asking test questions that only dealt with material you could only get from reading the entire book. They knew what we were doing.

 

[JSR III]

What I have to laugh about is the couple that posts all over social media about their upcoming trip to Cabo or Hawaii and then is shocked to come home and find out that their home was robbed while they were gone. Really?

Luckily if Big Brother is watching me there isn't really much to see.....

 

[Roadtrash]

I hope he's not watching this morning. Sitting here in my undies having my coffee, no one wants to see a fat old man in his undies.