The term Orwellian originated from George Orwell’s novel notably Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm. Both novels had a common theme, the attempt to become a utopia society but result in a dystopia society. Utopia is the opposite of dystopia where utopia is the idea of the best possible society, whereas a dystopia society can be described as a human-created hell (Geeraert, March 21). An Orwellian society is a result of an attempted utopia society gone badly. The term Orwellian implies characteristics in Nineteen Eighty-Four the make it Orwellian; propaganda, surveillance, and manipulation by the government.
Notably in the past 20 years’ society has become more and more Orwellian. In George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and in today’s contemporary society we can analyze a wide variety of topics that are considered Orwellian. This essay will compose an analysis from the term Orwellian, and provide examples of surveillance, Thought Police, and Newspeak in contemporary society. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell depicts a main theme of surveillance. Surveillance includes Big Brother, where Big Brother uses the technology of telescreens in people’s homes.
The telescreens would pick up audio and a live stream video from citizen’s homes by the Thought Police. The concept of Thought Police will be analyzed further in this essay. Winston mentions, “There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment” (Orwell, p. ). These telescreens have formed the idea, “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (Orwell, p. ) as well has propaganda with these words on large posters. This idea is a form of psychological manipulation, where citizens in Nineteen Eighty-Four are continuously reminded that Big Brother is watching them.
The constant surveillance of Big Brother results in citizens unconsciously and consciously being aware of their behaviors, actions, and thoughts. The thought that these telescreens might not have actually been turned on and/or being watched by “Big Brother” crosses my mind as Winston also was never able to determine whether or not Big Brother actually exists. The idea that Big Brother or someone/Thought Police is watching you can have an unconscious psychological impact opposed to the actual action of someone watching. Mind control may have a large impact than the actual action of watching every citizen.
In contemporary society, there is no doubt citizens are being watched, this including surveillance cameras, bar codes, computer spy wear, credit cards, airports searches, computer and cell phone history, iPhone tracking and any other daily behaviors that take account of personal information. Notably, iPhone tracking has been a major and recent function, this function records exactly where you’ve been and for how long you spent there. This function can benefit the user, for example, suggesting and telling the user when they should leave their house to go to work, yet this could be a hazardous and dangerous function for iPhone user’s safety.
As well has benefits to the user and possible dangerous GPS tracking can propose, the idea that this technology is invading the United States Fourth Amendment is a controversial idea. Susan Freiwald a law professor at the University of San Francisco had been working on a case in which she related the modern technology has turned law enforcement into Big Brother. “The Jones case requires the Supreme Court to decide whether modern technology has turned law enforcement into Big Brother, able to monitor and record every move we make outside our homes” (Liptak, 2011).
These actions and modes of surveillance are small steps to an Orwellian society that occur in today’s contemporary society. With Freiwald’s view that GPS tracking could be directly associated with Big Brother, provides evidence that contemporary society might indeed be Orwellian. Some people claim and view that constant surveillance in contemporary society is to be feared, and can include feelings of a betrayal of one’s privacy. Regardless of personal claims of fear and loss of privacy, a majority if not all policies of surveillance are put in place for overall safety and protection of homes, stores, property, and individuals.
Surveillance as a method of protection could be a stepping stone into an Orwellian society. An Orwellian society forms when the attempt to become Utopia results in dystopia. The protection that comes with surveillance methods and the overall surveillance either by Big Brother or by general surveillance of our everyday habits might be a small stepping stone in the making of an Orwellian society. Another main theme in Nineteen Eighty-Four is the idea of the Thought Police. The Thought Police monitor thoughts, as citizens commit “Thoughtcrime. ” Thoughtcrime includes merely thinking something against Big Brother/law.
The Thought Police keep a constant watch on whether Thoughtcrime is being committed; surveillance as previously mentioned is used in monitoring Thoughtcrime. A large majority of Winston’s thoughts are considered Thoughtcrimes; Winston begins by writing “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” in his diary (Orwell, p. ). Another example includes, “To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone – to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone: From the age of uniformity, from the age of solitude, from the age of BIG BROTHER, from the age of doublethink – greetings! (Orwell, p. ).
This statement dictates Winston is interested in a large-scale rebellion in which to overthrow Big Brother/government. This is a major Thoughtcrime committed by Winston. In contemporary society, the government uses a form of surveillance to seek a form of Thoughtcrime which can help fight terrorism. Thoughtcrime includes going against current laws. In the United States, there is a Patriot Act, which stands for Uniting and Strengthening American by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism.
The Patriot Act was quickly put in place after September 11, 2001. Viet Dihn mentions “Section 215 allows the government to act as Big Brother, snooping on innocent citizens in a manner reminiscent of George Orwell’s “1984” (Dihn, p. 463) This statement is part of a debate in which Dihn concludes that “The Patriot Act is far from being the executive grab for power and extension of government that many portray it as” (Dihn, p. 467).
This act is similar to Orwell’s totalitarian government where the government has the ability to search telephone calls, emails, medical records or any person who is suspected of terrorism, and in Nineteen Eighty-Four two-way telescreens and the Thought Police who track citizens. Today’s government can detect and fight terrorism through a similar notion of Thought Police the Patriot Act and the concept and method of surveillance; as a result, contemporary society is in the making of becoming an Orwellian society.
In Nineteen Eighty-Four the government used Newspeak as a tool to limit thought by eliminating rebellious terms with the purpose of shortening the society’s range of thoughts and word choices, for citizens to be easier to control. This also contributes to the idea that being told you are being watched by Big Brother through the two-way telescreens is a form of mind control. Newspeak is also able to reduce Thoughtcrime suggests the government in Nineteen Eighty-Four. “Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?
In the end, we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. ” (Orwell, Ch. 5? ) This quote is key in identifying contemporary examples of Newspeak. For example, political jargon is a major contemporary form of Newspeak and doublethink. Doublethink often obscures, alters and reverses the meaning of words. Recently the United States President, Donald Trump has provided several examples of political Jargon. Side note, many of Trumps supports enjoy has blunt and “tell it like it is” attitude, which is humours/dangerous when you understand his use of contemporary Newspeak.
In Nineteen Eighty-Four, doublethink is used when something means the opposite. For example, Donald Trump saying, “For those here illegally today, who are seeking legal status, they will have one route and one route only: To return home and apply for re-entry like everybody else, under the rules of the new legal immigration system that I have outline” (Peysha, 2016), and then proceeds in doublethink, “We will be in a position to consider the appropriate disposition of those individuals who remain” (Peysha, 2016).
In this example, Trump has taken two or more different stands on an issue, resulting in a contemporary form of Newspeak/Doublethink. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, the government began using Newspeak and doublethink to gain control over citizens and in today’s contemporary society, politicians and presidents continue to use this Orwellian notion of Newspeak. In conclusion, through surveillance, Thought Police, and Newspeak examples in Nineteen Eighty-Four and contemporary society have aspects of being Orwellian.
This essay discussed surveillance and the protection it can provide, the Thought Police and how it can identify a terrorist, and now contemporary politicians use political jargon which is a form of Newspeak. Surveillance, Thought Police and Newspeak have the ability and the stepping stones to convert and create an Orwellian society if the idea of becoming a better future/Utopia converts into a human-created hell/dystopia.
