George Orwell's 1984 vs. U.S. Government?
108446
I am sure that Foxnews.com or Bill O'Reileys web sites try to dispute those claims.  Although with illegal secret surveillance and the government saying one thing then doing another, the resemblance to the government in the book can't simply be be labled as without merit.\n\nHere is a factoid that is not about the US government, but might be interesting to you.  I beleive it was the early 90's...but the democratically elected government of West Germany had a covert program operating for a year or so to secretly obtain DNA samples from all West German citizens.  They would do this by following people around and taking swabs of cups used at cafe's and hair samples and other methods.  I don't think it lasted very long, but it was thought of, approved, funded, and operated for at least a while.
289424
Orwell, G. (1949). [in italics] Nineteen Eighty-Four. [no italics] London: Plume.
1180048
Remember, George Orwell was a Socialist, but hated Communism.  The animals were represenative of his feeling toward governments.  Also, the other person who answered had a good point.  Do your own homework.  That's a great book
417668
I think governments and all persons on earth are controlled by the extremely wealthy elite. I believe they control election outcomes, economics, war between nations, food distribution and supply, and all things economic.\n\nI think the USA IS controlled by an elite government and decieves us daily.\n\nWould I investigate? No. What could I do anyway? If you stumbled on to anything incriminating you would just be killed, imprisoned, or publically decried.
603074
This is just step 40032 in our slow but gradual march to an Orwellian 1984 hell.  I'm waiting for the majority of Americans to wake up (they may have already) to this fact that every day this war on terror is costing us our freedoms that we enjoyed just a few short years ago.  You should see the video of the woman getting arrested for having a copy of the Constitution in her car (and a Michener novel, LOL), after being almost sickeningly polite to the officer questioning her.  I just see myself in the same situation having the same thing done, it scares the hell out of me.
110897
The government.And fear itself ofcourse
115715
I don't know if it changed it, but David Halberstam's "October 1964" might have been a reflection of American culture at that time of the book's setting. A friend of mine from a few years ago read it and enjoyed it, but I don't remember exactly what appealed to him.
1071757
You should read Karl Marx's book.  I read it in 9th grade, and was supprised by how differently it was portrayed.  The idea of communism in it's simplest is perfect.  Every one has food, clothing, and more than enough to thrive.  Communism would be the perfect government if we could find a ruler who wasn't self absorbed and greedy.  Unfortunately, that's not how most humans function.  (In enland, with the Monarch, Parliment was established to make sure that the King/ Queen wasn't abusing his/her powers, and I bet something similar would function well in a Communist community).  Communisim is only condsidered bad or evil because dictators in the past have proven to be bad or evil.
1162626
With massive data bases of information piling up in government and corporate computers as well as security cameras around every corner and on every cell phone, I often get the feeling Big Brother is watching.  However, I feel Huxley's "A Brave New World" is better example of the direction we have been moving as a society.  Everywhere people are seeking their own "Soma" to cover up our social flaws.  We are also pushing closer and closer to his predictions of class and family structures .
184332
The war on terror and the government's response to the threat of terrorism is, in my mind, the strongest echo of 1984 today. The limits on privacy and personal freedoms placed upon us by the Patriot act bring to mind the oppression imposed by Orwell's thought police. Furthermore, the doublespeak employed by the government is clearly an attempt at subtle propaganda. Political doublespeak has been prevalent for decades (if not centuries). This kind of "spin" doesn't just come from the government, but from corporations and the media as well.\n\nThe greatest difference between America today and the world of 1984, however, is the existence of vast communities of dissent that are openly flourishing today. Technology plays a large role in this, as independent viewpoints can be easily distributed to large audiences over the internet. The danger is that technology can be used by the government to increase oppression (NSA, anyone?), and if that happens, we would truly be heading toward an Orwellian world.
77950
It's a totalitarian government - i.e. the citizens have no voice in the government, the government controls everything the people do.  Much of what the government does is to brainwash the citizens into thinking that the what the government is telling them to do is really their choice.  \n\nI really suggest that you read "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley after this one.  Many writers have taken on the idea of how to portray a government that has removed people's abilities to make choices in their lives without it being apparent that it has happened.
775021
of couse it depends on who gains the upper hand , like at current America is probably the most powerful country ( not to mention the most ignorant ,fat & stupid). I would hate to imagine what a one world government would be like under the backers of a neo-facist , pro-life , racist bastard like George Bush.\n\n And then you have this wonderful crap called human nature which is too easily enticed by greed and corruption , anyone with Half a brain knows communism is a wonderful system in pure theory but combine it with human nature and it has become one of the most oppressive systems ever known, no system of government can operate free from this influence and as a result this NWO would fail like all the empires before them.\n\nMy third point is it's already happened, its been slowly intergarted into our lives since the late 70's early 80's.....The UN , the WTO , the fact that every currency in the world is set to the U.S dollar , Lies and government policy to encouragr disharmony between ethnic groups  and take away our rights to potect ourselves I could go on all day .\n\nDon't get me wrong i love the theoretical concept but the reality of it sucks, You'll probaly find the 'secret socities' that have that type of agenda have their foundations within the governing parties of a counrty .... a classic recent example of this is the influence a right wing fanatical group known as "the Brethren" has on Australian Politics. So really they are just part of the internal structure of these governments who push for these changes there is no differentiation
504119
Well, I think you have to make a lot of the comparisons yourself, because some people may see things differently. The totalitarian government, especially Chancellor Sutler, have been compared to the current American government and President Bush. Not so much that the government in V for Vendetta is an accurate depiction of what's happening today, but it seems like more of a critique of the way that the administration is running the country and policing the world. With the recent wiring tapping admissions and the war on terror, it seems that many are willing to give up their individual liberties to feel safe. Some would say that the way that the government in the film scared the people into thinking they needed protection from terrorists is the same justification the American government is using to go to war. The ruling government in the film didn't come to power until the outbreak of the virus (that it turned out, the gov did itself). \n\nThere is also the social element. The government of the film persecuted those who were different and spoke out against them. The film especially highlighted the homosexual aspect of this idea. Today, homosexuals are refused the same rights as other citizens, for no other reason than their sexual preference. This has to be a direct critique of the current situation.\n\nTo an extent, people who speak out against the government today are persecuted, although not physically or to the extent shown in the film. Many who criticize the President or the actions that America takes are considered unpatriotic. Most Americans today love America like a 4 yr old love his mommy, without questioning or seeing fault in anything.\n\nThis was my take on the film, but the filmmakers explicitly said that there is no right way to interpret the film. Some view V as a terrorist; others see him as a hero. The film is not a piece of propaganda. \n\nI hope this helps a bit!
661656
YES...\n In every aspect of your life!\nremote viewing was an excellent answer, but just the very tip of the overall picture.\n Think back a few years to such things as LSD and the Cold War...the government has a proven record of mind control against the rest of the world and at home...\n it may not be with ray guns or anything obvious, but just the fact that so many jump up and say "NO WAY" shows, it's already working.\n Everything we see influences us in some way ,and how "they" choose to use it against us should be the real conversation here.\n if your really interested in more documentation ,feel free to contact me anytime about the subject.\n www.killthegovernment.com
1120363
Fear of the US government.\n\nThey don' support it.
985565
As I remember, it's about a world that has become poisoned by pollution, over populated and underfed. It is a police state where information is forbidden and those sources are illegal. At least that world gave you the right to die in dignity but you weren't supposed to know you were about to become food. I'd have thought that Heston's politics would have different because of that movie. You might try seeing 1984 and Logan's Run as well. I still think we may well be headed in that direction if we don't do something about our own state of affairs very soon.
782371
You bring up a good point.\n\nAs I began to educate myself concerning 20th century USA history, a compelling question leaped out at me, '..since all the wars evolved around stopping the spread of communism, WHY or HOW did communism threaten our way of life or our capitalist structure?"\n\nI mean seriously... our leaders felt so threatened by the spread of communism that they literally went to war REPEATEDLY and sacrificed American lives to stop it. Why? If communism is so bad and capitalism is so grand then what is the threat? Wouldn't the ppl themselves reject it?\n\nI honestly think the answer to that question is that when ppl truly do understand the fairness and equality of communism they tend to choose that over the class system of capitalism... that is what we feared. That is my opinion.\n\nBtw, your 80s data is a little off. We didn't have an encounter with Iran in the 80s. There was the Iran/Contra scandal in 1979 but that didn't result in military action. Gulf War 1, involving Iraq, was in 1989.