Hello Contrarian 33, Little Brother. You ask an interesting question: Who is Big Brother? Admittedly, it has been many years since I read Mr. Orwell's dystopian novel; or seen one of the many film adaptations. I recall the image of Big Brother's Big Eye overlooking the controlled citizens of 1984, yes. And now looking at Wikipedia (yet another media outlet controlled by a mysterious "Big Brother") I see George Orwell uncannily predicted my life today. In his story 1984, war ravaged the world like it does today - and one must admit, the world is now closer to a nuclear conflagration than ever before, while nation states, like Oceania, spend billions and (some) trillions each year on more weapons, more soldiers, more drones and bombs to destroy and kill human populations. And like Big Brother in 1984, we are subject to "Thought Police", disguised now under private corporations like YouTube, or Twitter, or Wikipedia - who stamp out and ban anyone who does not "conform" to "The Party" ideology (Ingsoc) - mainly that being economic subjugation of the masses, and continuous wars for profit and greed.
But who is Big Brother? O'Brien a Thought Police Agent in "1984", tells the imprisoned (soon to be re-educated) Winston Smith - that he will never know if the Brotherhood exists, or who "The Party" members really are. As Winston is tortured (much like Julian Assange today) O'Brien reveals the Party "seeks power for its own sake."
And much like Winston Smith, the ordinary faceless citizen finds themselves helpless to fight "The Party" - as any resistance can be met with one becoming an unperson or even disappeared, such as a Jeffrey Epstein or a Seth Rich or a John Kennedy.
Perhaps Big Brother is not one person or even a few multi-billionaire sociopaths who have bought our Western politicians (cheaply it appears) and have even bought the esteemed US Supreme Court. Maybe Big Brother instead, lurks as a psychological phenomena of the ordinary human psyche. Where rooted in an existential belief that reality is just a random event, and one is spit out unto the universe to only exist for a flashbulb moment, and then be put away forever - only power and subjugation becomes a meaningful end to those lucky enough to find their way to the gruesome top of the heap. And like Shelley's Frankenstein, there is no moral compass left when one finds oneself outcast in a hideous temporary body of random existence.
Or as John Milton once asked in Paradise Lost: "Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay to mould me man? Did I solicit thee from Darkness to promote me?"
Hello Contrarian 33, Little Brother. You ask an interesting question: Who is Big Brother? Admittedly, it has been many years since I read Mr. Orwell's dystopian novel; or seen one of the many film adaptations. I recall the image of Big Brother's Big Eye overlooking the controlled citizens of 1984, yes. And now looking at Wikipedia (yet another media outlet controlled by a mysterious "Big Brother") I see George Orwell uncannily predicted my life today. In his story 1984, war ravaged the world like it does today - and one must admit, the world is now closer to a nuclear conflagration than ever before, while nation states, like Oceania, spend billions and (some) trillions each year on more weapons, more soldiers, more drones and bombs to destroy and kill human populations. And like Big Brother in 1984, we are subject to "Thought Police", disguised now under private corporations like YouTube, or Twitter, or Wikipedia - who stamp out and ban anyone who does not "conform" to "The Party" ideology (Ingsoc) - mainly that being economic subjugation of the masses, and continuous wars for profit and greed.
But who is Big Brother? O'Brien a Thought Police Agent in "1984", tells the imprisoned (soon to be re-educated) Winston Smith - that he will never know if the Brotherhood exists, or who "The Party" members really are. As Winston is tortured (much like Julian Assange today) O'Brien reveals the Party "seeks power for its own sake."
And much like Winston Smith, the ordinary faceless citizen finds themselves helpless to fight "The Party" - as any resistance can be met with one becoming an unperson or even disappeared, such as a Jeffrey Epstein or a Seth Rich or a John Kennedy.
Perhaps Big Brother is not one person or even a few multi-billionaire sociopaths who have bought our Western politicians (cheaply it appears) and have even bought the esteemed US Supreme Court. Maybe Big Brother instead, lurks as a psychological phenomena of the ordinary human psyche. Where rooted in an existential belief that reality is just a random event, and one is spit out unto the universe to only exist for a flashbulb moment, and then be put away forever - only power and subjugation becomes a meaningful end to those lucky enough to find their way to the gruesome top of the heap. And like Shelley's Frankenstein, there is no moral compass left when one finds oneself outcast in a hideous temporary body of random existence.
Or as John Milton once asked in Paradise Lost: "Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay to mould me man? Did I solicit thee from Darkness to promote me?"