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The Orwellian State

Doctor Jimmy

Doctor Jimmy

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You know what I'm talking about. 1984. In case you haven't heard of it, it tells the story an evil government that watches all of its citizens, controls the population, and ruins the lives of ordinary people. Recently, Britain has been fulfilling its role as the future dystopian government by using CCTV (closed circuit television) to watch public areas. It should be no surprise when they decided to put CCTV cameras into private homes to watch children, repeating the "Think of the children!" cliche so popular in today's politics. They aim to make a "stable home life" for families, and to ensure the kids are doing their homework.

So, TCoD, what do you think of this? Is the government stepping out of line, or is spying on little children appropriate? Please discuss.
 
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Re: Orwell

I recently visited London and the CCTV cameras caught me off guard, but I don't think the UK is going to be entering an Orwellian state any time soon. Since that terrorist attack, they've been upping the security of everything. Do I think it's kind of weird? yeah. Do I think I'll be spending any time in Room 101 next time I cross the pond? Not really.
 
I don't think it'll become Orwellian, but governmental CCTV in homes breaks privacy, no? If they've agreed, then yeah s'fine, but if they're placing the cameras in homes without permission, then that's against human rights.

But anyway, I'm pretty suree most of that article is based on rumours. I mean, I'm guessing he got all the 'room 101' shit from the Daily Express or somesuch.

Of course, I don't object to CCTV in the streets. Anything you'd want to keep private, but still doing outside is bound to be illegal. So no, nothing wrong with that.
 
That sounds odd but I assure you, teaching discipline to children isn't bad. Wish they'd given me some.

Though in private areas seems a little overbearing to me.
 
Scyther said:
*Doesn't live in England and has no idea what you're talking about*
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...You don't have to live in England. The only way I can see not understanding is if you haven't read 1984, and he explains the reference...

And anyway, I think that's a horrible invasion of privacy. Stable home life. Yeah right, like watching people is going to make anything more stable except that government's bank accounts...
 
I wish more people would read Brave New World. Nineteen Eighty-Four is scary, sure, but I find Huxley's vision both scarier and more relevant.

That said, as long as everything is consensual... yeah, it feels odd, but I don't think it is cause for alarm. Yet. The Australian government's continuing attempts to censor the internet, for example, give me a lot more cause for concern.
 
I haven't read 1984, but I own BNW (have read it on multiple occasions, my IB oral exam was on that actually) and it is a frighteningly scary book yes.
 
When I read this, I thought that the government wanted to watch porn live. Though really, you would need about half the population watching the videos or something like that, which is kinda really impractical.

Every time I read this I think that of people installing cameras in bedrooms and yeah...
 
opaltiger said:
That said, as long as everything is consensual... yeah, it feels odd, but I don't think it is cause for alarm. Yet. The Australian government's continuing attempts to censor the internet, for example, give me a lot more cause for concern.
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More scary than the censorship legislation itself is the fact that hardly anybody here seems to know or even care about internet censorship. If it's any indication to go by, then it seems people are oblivious to the subtle controlling influence of government on their lives. Perhaps an Orwellian society isn't all that far off...
 
opaltiger said:
I wish more people would read Brave New World. Nineteen Eighty-Four is scary, sure, but I find Huxley's vision both scarier and more relevant.
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I agree, yes, but also I think that the usual stereotype of the two books - that is: pacifying people vs. scaring and torturing them - is overstated and getting hackneyed. It's better to see 1984 as the process by which the oppressors reach somewhere like the BNW. They are not alternatives. Orwell's ideas about controlling language to control thought, changing history, inventing a foe to hate and wars against them, could all easily have been Huxley's.
 
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I wish more people would read Brave New World. Nineteen Eighty-Four is scary, sure, but I find Huxley's vision both scarier and more relevant.
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I love this book.
 
I wanna read BNW. D:

I'm fine with bread and circuses if you ask me.~ As long as the bread isn't stale, that is. That would be a good reason to get angry.
 
Honestly? This doesn't really concern me that much. These families are the anti-social families, likely ones whose children have already had countless ASBOs and who are at risk of committing crimes, drug abuse etc.

If the families agreed to it, why not?
 
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