Cruising towards an Orwellian Reality
Cruising towards an Orwellian Reality “I was wondering what would break first: your spirit, or your body?” -Bane (The Dark Knight Rises, 2012) To facilitate a better understanding of the theme, certain clarifications are in order. What exactly entails an ‘Orwellian Reality’? Well, the term was coined by political commentators to describe dystopian realities characterised by tyrannical totalitarian governments, with nearly zero individual liberty ascribed to citizens, and near-total thought control and manipulation by the state. The word ‘Orwellian’ is used because such a reality was first imagined by the great author-political thinker, George Orwell, most notably in his novel 1984 . Now, a brief commentary about the status quo, the run-up to the status quo, and what may likely follow the status quo. One could likely argue that the conditions relevant to this theme began from 1917 onwards. For the purpose of this article, I shall divide the time from 1917 ...