How George Orwell's 1984 Shaped the World We Know

Most of you probably have never read 1984 by George Orwell. I must admit, neither have I. I have started reading it twice but I can't get past the main characters Varicose Ulcer. Anyway, ulcers aside, 1984 is a brilliant and well written classic that has greatly influenced the modern world.

Basically 1984 is about the life of Winston Smith in the year 1984 after a global nuclear war. Winston lives in Airstrip 1 (Britain) where they are ruled by a mysterious and moustachioed Big Brother. It also features a romance between Winston and a lady called Julia and Winston's large and apparently rather annoying ulcer.

1984 influences us in more ways than I'm sure we think;

1. Since the release of 1984 words, terms and concepts from the book have been coined in modern language such as;
Big Brother: A dictator, especially one who tries to control people's private lives and thoughts.
Doublethink: The postulated ability to accept two contradictory facts simultaneously, especially as it is assumed to be demonstrated by politicians and businesspeople.
Thougthcrime: An illegal type of thought.
Newspeak: word or expression, especially one coined as the latest jargon of officialdom, which is usually euphemistic or attempting to put a gloss on an unpleasant fact, as in downsize for retrench.
Memory hole: A mechanism for the disposal of embarrassing or irrelevant documents or any other records.
Orwellian:  "Orwellian" describes the situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free society.

2. The TV show Big Brother which is heavily influenced by the character Big Brother in 1984. It is easy to tell this because of the nature and plot of the show. In Big Brother contestants are constantly watched by "big brother" as are the people in 1984.

3. Several bands have written songs or albums based around the ideas and concepts in 1984. Songs such as 2+2=5 by Radiohead, 1984 by The Kooks, Citizen Erased, Resistance and United States of Eurasia by Muse and Testify by Rage Against the Machine. Albums written about 1984 include Diamond Dogs by David Bowie, The Resistance by Muse and Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails.

4. Several other elements of popular culture feature idea and concepts from 1984 such as the films 1984 (1956) and Nineteen Eighty-four (1984). Several books such as 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami and 1985 by Anthony Burgess. Several television shows such as Room 101 and an Apple add called 1984. Several video games, comics, films and art pieces have also been influenced by 1984. Even to my surprise the popular computer game Sims Societies is ever so slightly based off 1984!

If you are interested in finding more out about how 1984 influenced the modern world and popular culture I would advise you visit this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four_in_popular_media and pick up a copy of the book.

Word of the Day

Discombobulate: (say diskuhm'bobyoohlayt)
verb (t) (discombobulated, discombobulating) Colloquial to upset, confuse (a person). [Mock-Latin formation.? from discompose or discomfort]

Thanks for reading