Kids' radio tags spark outrage

Just some interesting development in schools in the US. Apparently, some schools are starting to require students to wear radio frequency identification badges that can track their movement(this was done without parental input. The tags rely on the same radio frequency and scanner technology that companies use to track livestock and product inventory. " Some parents see a system that can monitor their children's movements on campus as something straight out of George Orwell's book 1984, which features Big Brother, an all-knowing state."

Orwell, a social prophet?

Consider this, the red sash of the junior anti-sex league versus the red ribbon worn on world AIDS day. More importantly, orwell’s ‘1984’ depicted a dystopia where repression and surveillance with the Big Brother is always watching. In ‘1984’, the omnipresent influence of the state is reflected by the telescreens which are on 24/7. "It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away.” Surveillance cameras can be found in all government buildings, hidden cameras await unsuspecting drivers at every turn. (a tad exaggerated, but you get the picture.) The ez-link cards used by students, NRICs are all constant reminders of big brother. Undoubtedly, the 21st century now handles indoctrination with more finesse and in more subtle ways, but still the intense media focus on terrorism, disasters, i.e. the general state of the world have resulted in people living lives diminished by fear. People thus give up their freedom by allowing politicians to pass repressive laws as a result of these fears. An example would be the Information Security Management Act passed in 2002....

[this is half done,will follow up on this soon]

"I love you"

And so it begins, "A curious emotion stirred in Winston's heart. In front of him was an enemy who was trying to kill him: in front of him, also, was a human creature, in pain and perhaps with a broken bone. Already he had instinctively started forward to help her. In the moment when he had seen her fall on the bandaged arm, it had been as though he felt the pain in his own body."

Our protagonist, Winston, supposedly falls in love with Julia, and yet his thoughts while he was in his cell seem to prove otherwise “if I could save Julia by doubling my own pain, would I do it? Yes, I would. But that was merely an intellectual decision taken because he knew he ought to take it.” Why then did Winston use “ought.” The fact was that he felt compelled to do so, and not because he wanted to. When he was confronted with his darkest fear in room 101, he begged O’Brien to “Do it to Julia!”- Doesn’t really sound like a man in love does he!

Prior to Julia’s declaration of love, what Winston felt towards her was anger and hate, so much so that he wanted to rape her. Modern psychological theories support the belief that rape is motivated by power and control rather than sexual desire. Hence, it is plausible that winston never did love julia, but rather when she declared her love for him, this hatred transposed into misconstrued love. “Love”, which stemmed from the desire to feel that he was in control, and had power over his own destiny; rebelling against the Party. By sleeping with Julia, not for the purpose of procreation, he was in effect challenging the party. From a warped point of view, the fact that Julia had numerous bed partners probably heightened this “rebellion” for Winston. Perhaps the idea of possessing something that was considered desirable by other males "the more men you bed, the more i love you" was some sort of a boost for his ego.

Winston does not really love julia "their embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory. It was a blow struck against the Party. it was a political act", rather he loves the knowledge that he is rebelling against Big Brother. And sleeping with Julia is but one of the many physical acts of rebellion in the text.

‘Freedom is Slavery'

‘Legum servi sumus ut liberi esse possimus’-Cicero.

We are slaves of the laws in order that we may be able to be free. The slogan of the party ‘Freedom is Slavery.’ The way I see it, in order to be accorded freedom, one has to subscript to the Party’s orthodox, and in essence become a slave of the Party. It is perhaps true to say that freedom equates slavery and this extends beyond boundaries of ‘1984’. We too are shackled by the chains of society; abiding by laws and norms of society to procure our freedom. Freedom is an illusion, and there is conceivably, truth in the slogan of the Party.

sheep

will post something soon.