The Daily Blog Open Mic – 2nd July 2024

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/521087/why-parents-are-locking-themselves-in-cells-at-korean-happiness-factory
Koreans are deeper thinkers than we I think, also Japanese. What is happening to us all after our awful tech advances that grow exponentially.? Tech is taking us forward in some useful ways but at what cost? Every step forward matched by a net 1.01 steps back?

Summary of George Orwell’s book ‘1984’.
Nineteen Eighty-Four:
Published in 1949, and written while Orwell was seriously ill with tuberculosis, 1984 is perhaps Orwell’s most famous work. The story of Winston Smith, who rewrites Times editorials at the Ministry of Truth to suit the Party’s version of events, 1984 introduced ‘Big Brother’, ‘thought police’, ‘Room 101’, ‘doublethink’ and ‘newspeak’ to the English language. A satire on totalitarianism, 1984 is a testament to the potential power of modern political systems, and the dark side of human nature: as O’Brien tells Winston, ‘the object of power is power’. https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/books-by-orwell/nineteen-eighty-four/

Are we getting more like the end of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World?
A comment from Reddit has thought about the various drives of the main actor John.
https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/n4f8j8/brave_new_worlds_ending/
I just finished the book and am trying to piece together the ending as well. I think responding to this thread will help make sense of my thoughts.

In a society where everyone’s urges are immediately satisfied and there is no solitude, John swings the complete opposite way on the pendulum. He subjects himself to total ascetisim. He overcompensates and instead of enjoying what he claims to want in life in the previous chapter, he rejects all of it: “I want God, I want poetry. I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness, I want sin.” Yet, as soon as he starts singing as he gardens or thinking of Lenina, he is disgusted with himself and tries to “kill” this very human impulse. Whereas the rest of society satisfies their every impulse with immediacy and precision, John rejects his impulses and tries to rid himself of them. Noble effort, but is seemingly impossible and ends up in tragedy.

The inner anarchist in me also loved the chant from all the visitors at the lighthouse. “We want the whip!” It’s almost an acknolwedgement to this unconscious feeling deep within them – a desire to feel pain. “Pain was a fascinating horror.” One might argue that the inclination toward pain is as human as the draw toward pleasure. When you think of it this way, John’s self-flagellation is as egoic, self-centric, and satisfying as his peers’ constant indulgence. Interesting, too, that there is a whole island of people where Hemholtz and Marx go where people who have transcended their conditioning of ceaseless pleasure go, suggesting that it is somewhat normal to get tired of easy satisfaction…

The last thing I’ll say is how what might be the most human impulse – the desire to procreate – which can easily take the form of lust or love and assigned the labels of “good” or “bad” is ultimately what drove John to suicide. It seems to be a recurring theme. Linda with Popé, John with Lenina. These things signify lustful, sinful activity to John and make him angry and violent. He cannot reconcile his temptuous thoughts of Lenina with the ethereal beauty of Shakespeare, specifically Romeo and Juliet. His fierce rejection of his own impulses and eventual capitulation to his desires for community, love, even temporary escape is embodied by the final Orgy Porgy. When he wakes up, he can’t accept what he’s done and takes his own life.

3 COMMENTS

Richard Christie July 2, 2024 At 1:00 pm

USA has now a King.

So, can the new king prosecute the old king and claim it’s an official act, and if so, be immune from prosecution?

USA can send that question back to its idiotic SCOTUS to consider for 9 months.

Is it still valid to define immunity as immunity from prosecution for committing CRIMINAL acts?
Greywarbler July 2, 2024 At 6:06 pm

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/521087/why-parents-are-locking-themselves-in-cells-at-korean-happiness-factory
Koreans are deeper thinkers than we I think, also Japanese. What is happening to us all after our awful tech advances that grow exponentially.? Tech is taking us forward in some useful ways but at what cost? Every step forward matched by a net 1.01 steps back?

Summary of George Orwell’s book ‘1984’.
Nineteen Eighty-Four:
Published in 1949, and written while Orwell was seriously ill with tuberculosis, 1984 is perhaps Orwell’s most famous work. The story of Winston Smith, who rewrites Times editorials at the Ministry of Truth to suit the Party’s version of events, 1984 introduced ‘Big Brother’, ‘thought police’, ‘Room 101’, ‘doublethink’ and ‘newspeak’ to the English language. A satire on totalitarianism, 1984 is a testament to the potential power of modern political systems, and the dark side of human nature: as O’Brien tells Winston, ‘the object of power is power’. https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/books-by-orwell/nineteen-eighty-four/

Are we getting more like the end of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World?
A comment from Reddit has thought about the various drives of the main actor John.
https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/n4f8j8/brave_new_worlds_ending/
I just finished the book and am trying to piece together the ending as well. I think responding to this thread will help make sense of my thoughts.

In a society where everyone’s urges are immediately satisfied and there is no solitude, John swings the complete opposite way on the pendulum. He subjects himself to total ascetisim. He overcompensates and instead of enjoying what he claims to want in life in the previous chapter, he rejects all of it: “I want God, I want poetry. I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness, I want sin.” Yet, as soon as he starts singing as he gardens or thinking of Lenina, he is disgusted with himself and tries to “kill” this very human impulse. Whereas the rest of society satisfies their every impulse with immediacy and precision, John rejects his impulses and tries to rid himself of them. Noble effort, but is seemingly impossible and ends up in tragedy.

The inner anarchist in me also loved the chant from all the visitors at the lighthouse. “We want the whip!” It’s almost an acknolwedgement to this unconscious feeling deep within them – a desire to feel pain. “Pain was a fascinating horror.” One might argue that the inclination toward pain is as human as the draw toward pleasure. When you think of it this way, John’s self-flagellation is as egoic, self-centric, and satisfying as his peers’ constant indulgence. Interesting, too, that there is a whole island of people where Hemholtz and Marx go where people who have transcended their conditioning of ceaseless pleasure go, suggesting that it is somewhat normal to get tired of easy satisfaction…

The last thing I’ll say is how what might be the most human impulse – the desire to procreate – which can easily take the form of lust or love and assigned the labels of “good” or “bad” is ultimately what drove John to suicide. It seems to be a recurring theme. Linda with Popé, John with Lenina. These things signify lustful, sinful activity to John and make him angry and violent. He cannot reconcile his temptuous thoughts of Lenina with the ethereal beauty of Shakespeare, specifically Romeo and Juliet. His fierce rejection of his own impulses and eventual capitulation to his desires for community, love, even temporary escape is embodied by the final Orgy Porgy. When he wakes up, he can’t accept what he’s done and takes his own life.
Greywarbler July 2, 2024 At 6:44 pm

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/audio/2018944629/why-is-george-orwell-s-nineteen-eighty-four-still-relevant-75-years-later
Okay why? Is our Tardis going back in time?

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