I consider myself a Winston Smith. I'm sure a lot of you can relate especially if you read the dystopian novel 1984 by George Orwell. In this fantastic and eerily ahead of its time book, Winston is the protagonist, alone in a sea of zombies in a world where everything is upside down (sound familiar)?
I won't give away the ending if you haven't read it...all I'll say it is well...not exactly a happy one.
But there are reasons why so many people refer to this book in today's time and I'll cover several here:
Telescreens - One of the main proponents of 1984 is the fact that every single area in Oceania is covered, without exception, with telescreens. Now, keep in mind this book was written in 1948, so televisions were just beginning to get even remotely widespread in black and white. In the movie, the telescreens not only watch everything that everyone would do, but they were a form of surveillance that was constantly assessing every aspect of the person it was watching. It would analyze the person's words, actions, facial expressions and any mannerisms. If these didn't coincide with direct obedience to The Party aka the government then that person would become under suspicion and most likely be detained, tortured and killed by the Thought Police.
Huxley was so ahead of his time in terms of the surveillance state. Now adays, we have "smart devices" that hear everything you say, televisions that watch you while you watch it, phones carrying facial recognition, and more. And that's just what we have now.
Have you noticed that no matter what public building you go into, especially any well-travelled one such as an airport, you have the same propaganda blaring? Without fail, you will see CNN, FOX, NBC or some other useless drivel. Its just like 1984. Facial scans are routinely used to "combat crime"...aka precrime.
The telescreens of 1984 also directed propaganda...blaring music and "news" to everyone, everywhere, at all times. This news would always be about the fabricated "war" to keep everyone on edge.
When's the last time you didn't hear about some sort of conflict or war on the "television" screens that are everywhere? And have you noticed how the propaganda ALWAYS seems to deem wherever you are the good guy, while whoever else they speak of is the "bad guy"?
Thought Police - The eeriest and most mysterious part of 1984 is the thought police, who seem to lurk in the shadows. The only people that ever identify them never tell anyone because they are dead, insane or in a forced labor camp.
This is strangely similar to how social media and their cronies at the mainstream media operate in today's world. Consider for a minute how the terminology that the troglodytes in politics are starting to talk about their own citizens. Slowly they are calling people "terrorists" for having the wrong opinions or thoughts. If you don't like a certain vaccine for instance you are a "danger to the public" and there have been more than enough talks of covid quarantine camps globally.
Also the events of January 6th in the U.S., one of the most overblown piles of propaganda in recent history, gives a chilling showing of just how the government feels when you REALLY use your rights and get to close to the actual politicians themselves.
In the book, the thought police simply show up and abduct you and you vanish. Where you go, nobody knows. And then you are "unpersoned".
Unpersoning - Its a popular term these days for a reason. One of the tenants of 1984 is that history and events and people are simply erased from all history books and basically everything at any given moment. Once the thought police get you, you are simply erased from ever existing as far as anyone goes. Even talking about a person that has been "unpersoned" is enough to get you a knock on the door from the thought police.
In today's world this happens in the ways of being banned from social media sites, but even worse, denied basic services. There are many, many instances of people haven't their bank accounts and money accepting tools shut down because of wrong-think (another 1984 term).
And what's truly horrific in the REAL world is how many people support such action...and that is also a main premise of the book. Most of the people in the book, basically all of them, are brainwashed zombies that go along with everything that "The Party" tells them...that the telescreen tells them. They support it and they love it and they actively rat out their friends and family for it.
Another example of this is how the social justice lunatic education system operates in the U.S. in terms of teaching history. Designing the curriculum, many events are included for propaganistic purposes, while others are conveniently omitted. That's for another article.
Doublethink - This is a staple of the book, and sadly our current society. Its a form of cognitive dissonance, where you can have two ideas that directly oppose each other in your head at the same time, and the one that is not true is forced over into your brain.
Need I say more. Men are women now. Vaccines are health now. Freedom is dangerous now. Critical thinking is bad now.
In the book this is demonstrated by the fact that they rewrite events even that would have been true five minutes prior and then dutifully the population buys into it. Oceania is at war with Eurasia (from the book) and then the telescreen blares out that Oceania is allies with Eurasia and it always has been...and Winston Smith and the hordes of propagandists instantly rewrite everything and change every news article to match the point.
People know that its not true but they believe it because everyone around them does. This is the herd mentality. Nobody wants to be the guy who thinks differently because they're afraid, because they've been bred and programmed to be afraid of such things.
In our real world, we KNOW...I mean any sentient human knows, that health comes from within, from the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. We know sickness is from toxins and poor diet and poor thinking and poor habits in general. But the television has convinced so many people that only vaccines and drugs, taken as much as possible, along with mind altering substances (Ritalin, SSRIs) are the key to health...and that is why so many people are sick. Its doublethink. Its overpowering propaganda.
We know that most people are good and would leave each other alone if unprovoked. But the telescreens tell us that Russia Russia Russia. As if Russian citizens give a tin shit about American citizens or anyone else for that matter...but the propaganda works so deeply that people believe it.
We know that men cannot become women, or vice versa...
Big Brother - In the book, Big Brother is "everywhere" yet there is no single person that actually exists, even though the picture of him is shown on screen and on posters, literally everywhere.
The entire premise of the book, as in the case, is based off of this fictional character. Even in the book itself Winston realizes that there are million of people and a small amount of "The Party" and even smaller numbers in the "Inner Party"...i.e. the goons we see at the top of the power pyramid.
There has to be a fictional upside-down reality presented to the public to keep them in line. Its a culmination of all of the aspects of the book itself. Deception by the few to rule the many by keeping them separate and unable to unite.
Winston's one key question later in the book, that he is never given an answer to is "who is Big Brother?". Nobody can answer it because its a phantom...just like the power that our "government" holds over us is a ghost that we bring to life. We pay them our taxes (theft), stay in line, go along with ridiculous narratives out of fear and uncertainty (doublethink)...and are simply brainwashed into thinking that we need to follow this group of absolute psychopaths.
In the book, Winston finds out the motives from O'Brien the hard way. He finds out that the entire point of control is simply unyielding power. Just like today's world.
People are so confused and the operation is so large and looming that people cannot fathom that there is actually a hidden structure behind it all that wants nothing but the complete subservience of humanity...the extinction of humans themselves either through death or enslavement or transhumanism.
People would do well to read and pay careful attention to 1984 and the allegory to this world. Its not to be afraid its just to be able to understand that the system is in place and therefore find ways to skirt it and be a truly human being.