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Today’s American government mirrors the government in 1984, because in both societies the government violates one’s basic right to privacy, and misleads their citizens into supporting their war efforts. The governments of 1984 and America both violate the privacy of their citizens. In Rowel’s 1984, the government violates Its citizen’s privacy by monitoring them, using telecasters and the “thought police. ” Knowing that “at any rate they [the government] could plug In your wire whenever they wanted to,” one could never achieve peace of mind.
One has “to live-did live, from habit that became Instinct-Len he assumption that every sound they made was overheard… And every moment scrutinized. ” (49) The citizen’s right to privacy has been taken away, and furthermore, citizens in Oceania are not just being watched, but every one of their actions is studied closely. If one is suspected of a “thought-crime,” they are harshly punished. The people in each society are forced to bottle up their emotions and thoughts about their government, and suppress their urge to rebel against the Oceanic Party.
This creates a sense of uneasiness for the citizens and a need for a safe place to go where hey can freely express themselves without being watched. Likewise, the government today restricts the privacy of its citizens. Around every corner lay security cameras, often causing citizens discomfort. The cameras discourage citizens from expressing their pollens as they are being watched, and their reputations are at stake. Also, once someone Is seen committing a “crime,” or any other suspicious activity, they are certain to be caught by the police.
At this point, one may believe that the Orwellian government monitors its citizens to a much greater extent than America’s overspent, however, this is untrue. A recent news story covered by Fox News states that the average person is caught on camera 15-25 times a day- forcing American citizens to believe that their government’s tactics are closer than ever to those exhibited by sass government. Much like the Orwellian government uses telecasters to capture “thought criminals,” America uses security cameras to capture criminals In Its society.
Both governments of America and Oceania over-examine their citizens through their monitoring devices and cause their citizens to suppress their levels and emotions. As a result, both governments fall to create a sense of privacy for their citizens, where they can be secluded and not gazed upon at all times. Example, the U. S. Government has an agenda that it can force the media to promote, and as a result the citizens become believers of the government’s values.
A credible example of this is when President Bush was seen on an aircraft carrier essentially saying “mission accomplished,” referring to the war in Iraq. This statement greatly influenced the thoughts of the media and the public by creating a false sense of victory. Research and observation publicized by the Washington Post’s article ‘”Mission Accomplished’ Revisited” states that “the war is not over,” and that “the statement was unsubstantiated. ” Which further validates the point that the government misleadingly shapes the opinions of its citizens regarding war.
Likewise, the government in 1984 pulled Off large publicity stunt (a parade) in which Eurasian soldiers were held captive and put on display. Although Oceania never fought a battle against Eurasia, they brought home captives to create the false assumption that Oceania is succeeding in war. These soldiers are meant to represent Ocean’s success in war, and is a perfect example of the government cleverly manipulating its citizens into supporting its war efforts.
Today’s government deceives its citizens into believing that the war is Justified, and success has been achieved using the media- much in the way the government of Oceania uses psychological control to make people believe that Ocean’s war efforts are thriving. Through the actions of the government, one could say that George Orwell was very correct about the future of American government. The invasion of privacy and the overspent’ deceptive basis for war are excellent examples of how the two governments are directly related.