1984 - Rebellion

Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.
~ from 1984 by George Orwell ~

Our narrator is speaking of the proles (proletariat) in the land of Oceania, but he could just as easily be referring to the American working class in 2011!

It is often amazing what average Americans concern themselves with. They can debate for hours as to which contestant should win on American Idol. They can rant and rave on Talk Radio about the verdict of the latest sensational trial. They can shoot or beat each other up at professional sporting events because they support different teams. And they go absolutely gaga over a politician who takes pictures of his own penis, tries to solicit a homosexual rendezvous, has an illicit affair with his chief of staff's wife, or engages in some monkey business with an intern.

But try to get them riled up -- to the point they might get off the couch and do something -- over illegal wars, bank bailouts, environmental degradation, legal bribery or corporate greed and all most of them will do is yawn. Oh, they might spout off something for a minute or two, but Survivor or The Real Housewives of Peoria will be on the telly soon and they can't tear themselves away.

This is what the dumbing down of America has led to!

This series of posts based on George Orwell's novel, 1984, will be rather avant-garde. My focus will not be to explain Orwell's premises or what HE meant -- it is more about what his prose stirs in me, often in relation to the way I view the world today. Some of my observations may fall in line with Orwell's intent, but others will go off in a wholly different direction. To read my intro to this series, go here.