1984 and 2006: A Comparison

Orwell wrote a very prophetic novel in 1949, and that prophesy is becoming more true by the day. The novel 1984 is one of the most famous negative utopia novels written. In my opinion, Orwell's vision is now becoming a reality. He simply got the year wrong.
After the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center a bill was passed. The bill is known as The Patriot Act, and it is anything but patriotic. The bill is extremely long, but in summary it states that the Constitutional rights are insignificant as long as they are violated to keep people safe.
In 1984 the term doublespeak was used. It was where certain places or things were given an ironic name (e.g. The Ministry of Peace was used for war). The Patriot Act is also a form of doublespeak. And after all of these freedoms are taken away, the government buildings change the name of french fries to "freedom" fries. Irony plays a major role in doublespeak and doublethink (actually convincing yourself of something you know to be untrue). If this is not ironic enough, remember that all of this is being done "so that the terrorists don't threaten to take away our freedoms and our way of life."
In addition to doublespeak, we have been at a constant state of war for the past five years. I believe this will continue for many years to come. In 1984 there was something known simply as the book. It was the book of the brotherhood and explained why the society was set up as such. A constant state of war was necessary (in order to keep the standard of living constant and consume surplus goods). In our current situation, I believe that it is necessary in order to have people believe in a constant danger. The government claims to be constantly diffusing the danger, and is therefore doing an excellent job. This is almost like admiring Big Brother.
So we enter a war with Iraq after being attacked by people from Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. The government said that we had to enter the war because Iraq was holding "weapons of mass destruction." Because the full conversion to a nightmarish society has not occurred yet, reporters were able to find out that no such weapons existed. The government knew it had to stay at war, so the reason changed. Now we are at war with Iraq to bring them democracy. It was always our goal to bring them democracy. Oceania was always at war with Eurasia. It was never at war with Eastasia.
The Party in 1984 is also very similar to the Republican party here. The members of the Republican party care about other members of the party, and want to see the party continue to hold power. "The Party is not concerned with perpetuating blood but with perpetuating itself. Who wields power is not important, provided that the hierarchical structure remains always the same."
Although this is a comparison between the present time and 1984, there is also a similarity to Huxley's Brave New World that I would like to point out. In Huxley's book, the people were brainwashed and kept from thinking by the repitition of phrases such as "A gram is better than a damn." We have a similar problem. Throwing out phrases like "Freedom isn't free," "We will never forget," and the constant playing of God Bless America deteriorate an active mind. When I complained about the bag checks on subways, someone actually responded "Freedom isn't free." Despite the fact that it doesn't even make sense in that context, it goes to show that these brainwashing slogans are not being thrown out there in vain.
But getting back to 1984, we now have laws that prevent crime before it occurs. This is eerily similar to the thought police. In Texas, cops are entering bars and arresting people under the influence at the bar! This is done to prevent drunk driving (even though there is no way of knowing whether or not the person was going to drive). There is also talk of placing cameras on the subway cars. The pretext they are using for this is that it will prevent scratchiti. Since the people do not really have a say, I think it is very possible that Big Brother will be watching.
Preventing crime, by making things that may lead to crime illegal, opens up a huge can of worms. Socialists believe that the presence of crime in a society shows some flaw in the societal structure. This could not be farther from the truth. If you ever find yourself in a society where there is no crime, get the hell out! A society that is controlled and locked down to the point where there is no crime is a society of slaves. Although in doublespeak "Slavery is freedom."
And let us not forget the Ministry of Truth that distorts the past. Suddenly, evolution has never occurred. We were all created by intelligent design. The president also never set up illegal wire taps or checked the public library records to see what books people read. These are things that are glimpsed for a moment, and then forgotten by most. I was simply blessed (or perhaps cursed) with an excellent memory.
If there is no blog next week, you will know that they have taken me to The Ministry of Love. The only reason for them to not bother is simply because they don't have to. I have no power to stop the wheels from turning that have been set in motion. People reading this will not be able to change anything. That is the main reason why I am probably safe to write this. Hunting me down would be too much of a hassle and accomplish nothing. But in case I'm wrong, it has been a pleasure venting to all of you.