Posted on 11/10/2018 4:29:22 PM PST by pcottraux
Huge fan of Christian Bale, but that’s one I’ve missed. I have heard of it, though.
Indeed.
The full text of the book for anyone interested:
https://www.secret-satire-society.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Ray-Bradbury-Fahrenheit-451.pdf
The 1966 Movie:
https://www1.1movies.is/movie/fahrenheit-451/2901-watch-online-free.html
That's what happens in the book, too. When Montag escapes by jumping in the river, the news choppers that have been following him realize that everyone is watching and they need an arrest to give the sensational report a "happy ending," so they track down a poor random innocent guy and proudly proclaim "Montag has been arrested!" Very cynical, but I can't believe that was written in the ''50s, years before 24/hour cable news was a thing...
I think that's because Huxley covered more bases. 1984 was purely about rule-through-terror and Fahrenheit primarily focuses on media censorship. Brave New World goes way further into genetic breeding (crafting human beings without a desire for freedom), a government that keeps people in line by getting them addicted and dependent on feel-good drugs, unlimited sex, mindless entertainment...
The hopelessness of today's society is, how could this generation fight in a war or lead a revolution against tyranny? Just threaten to take their Facebook away and they'll obey whatever you order.
Maybe we weren’t meant to know what some guy in China instantly thinks about the new Star Wars in real time, much less our family and friends.
Our technological advancements have certainly far outpaced what our minds were designed to handle. How long it's sustainable is unclear.
“The hopelessness of today’s society is, how could this generation fight in a war or lead a revolution against tyranny?”
Our poorest are the most likely to be obese, and are the most entertained poor people ever. These are things that have never happened before... We are living a science fiction dystopian future. How can there ever be any sort of civil unrest when that is the case? I guess there could be a first time.
“...a government that keeps people in line by getting them addicted and dependent on feel-good drugs, unlimited sex, mindless entertainment...
Imagine where we will be in 50 years. We are pretty far down the slope in 2018, in my opinion. Maybe something uncontrollable will stop the slide. But I suspect it just slowly gets worse year by year, just never enough so anyone wants to risk what they have to fight it.
Freegards
Thank you for this.
. (I had an extensive reply, but my computer is acting up, and erased it. Ironic, no?)
It seems to me that a lot of us will have to be Orwelled so the sheeple can be Huxleyed, and we who still remain must be Bradburied to perfect the Brave New World.
It also seems that both the Orwelling and the Bradburying are coming along quite well.
Molon labe!
pcottraux, thanks for this and the others. Much appreciated.
If I found a story in the magazine I would seek out other stories from the author. I suspect that is the way that it always worked.
Now every story must have its Progressive tokens at the forefront. I am trying to remember a story that did not have climate change as an antagonist or a gay couple as the hero.
The fire battalions controlled social acceptance through controlling thought by controlling media to the masses.
Is it even possible to sell an article to Analog or to win a Hugo Award without genuflecting to the new g_ds of climate alarmism or LGBTQ politics?
We know the answer about the Hugos, and just reading any Analog issue gives us the answer about the largest print version SF magazine.
pcottraux: Our technological advancements have certainly far outpaced what our minds were designed to handle. How long it's sustainable is unclear.
Should we instead have perhaps some govt. agency that "protects" us against the unsolicited opinions of "guys in China?"
Or do we attempt to "put the genie back into the bottle?"
Regards,
Ping
>>In 2018, controversy is to be avoided at all costs. Everything has to be safe. No minorities can be offended by anything in media; of course, the definition of “minorites” has been expanded not just to include race, but has gone down a rabbit hole of cisgendered munchkins or Muslims who identify as dolphins. What would be considered a joke five years ago is now fascist reality, because it’s impossible to produce anything without offending someone, even an ethnic group you didn’t even know existed. The outrage culture can never be appeased; and the ultimate goal is power, not equality.
it’s all down the memory hole as statues are torn down by angry communist mobs, adaptations of comic books-novels-history are recast as ethnically diverse in the name of diversity over accuracy, and every city is leveled to look the same with new stadiums designed by the same contracting firms. Memories? What are those?
>>As a side note, I think it’s an atrocity that Michael Moore named his stupid anti-Bush movie after this book.
Mr. Bradbury thought so as well and called Michael Moore
“a perfect a$$hole”
This has a lot of conservative or at least not unhinged writers of new sci-fi, lots to explore here:
He is a good writer of sci-fi/fantasy:
And yeah, the old mags and awards are now pretty much meaningless to anyone with any sense.
Freegards
I don’t think there’s any way to go back now, much less force people to. I feel bad for the people that have only ever known passive entertainment from screens. It makes me think that a lot of folks could just go nuts, or get even nuttier ha, if their electronic devices ever quit working. It makes me imagine giant landwhales lumbering in the streets howling for their smartphones to work again.
Freegards
Another classic very prophetic book is “That Hideous Strength” by CS Lewis. I read it a few years ago and was amazed at how spot on it was concerning modern higher education bureaucracy.
Freegards
On that note, look into the story of Richard Jewel and the Olympic Park Bombing during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Jewel almost was that guy.
I'm from Atlanta...I 12 during the Olympics. I remember that whole thing very vividly.
It was very disturbing how look it took to catch Rudolph.
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