Okay, I'll start off my just agreeing: yes living in a world where you are free to do what you want is an inviting idea.
But is that what we have? Are we really much different than the society in Brave New World?
Look, most of the citizens in the book have no clue they are being controled; they BELIEVE they are FREE. We read the book and say wow that would suck living in a world where people contol you. But then a few minutes later we ourselves grab a magazine that declares "Must-Have Fashions for this Summer!" And we all rush to the stores to buy the exact same bathingsuit or T-shirt as twenty+ people in our school.
We say that we all want to be different but it looks to me like we all want to be alike so we don't feel left out.
I mean just our saying "Oh she(he) is not 'in'" just says we are very much like those contolled in Brave New World. we are controlled my media telling us we have to fit in but yet we still feel we are 'free' and 'individuals'.
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I agree that our society is very much like the I agree that this society is very much like the one in Brave New World. As a society we are manipulated by media companies to be different in the same way. Why? So that we can consume the latest trends or appliances. And those that are truly different and don’t conform are ostracized and/or ridiculed. It goes to show that media is a devious thing.
ReplyDeleteI must concur that sadly, our world is quite similar to that of Brave New World's society. By a quick glance, you would believe that their utopian society is perfect; however, dig deeper into this society and you will find that there are plenty of flaws. Drugs in both our world and theirs are readily available for anybody who needs it. Their drug is known as a soma, and it is not illegal in their world. The consumption of soma is well regulated so no one overdoses unless they are close to death. Any inhabitant of this new world who comes to be unhappy, are given this soma in order to maintain the stability within the society. Drugs in our world are not regulated which leads to overdose. Even though drugs are not required to be taken in our world, many people choose to for the reason that it generates a blissful and euphoric feeling in order for people to escape from their worries and dilemmas instead of dealing with them. I believe that if we don’t change soon, then our society will surely become that of Huxley’s Brave New World.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well. I will admit, when first reading I thought the same thing. That it would really suck to live in a world like that, but then I realized that our societies are very similar. The media manipulates us and that is where they benefit. Of course we feel that we are free, but we are not truly free. It seems that we are still limited in every thing we do and every choice we make, even though at times it doesn't appear that way.
ReplyDeleteThis is very frightening realizing that our own world is becoming to be the world Huxley imagined. As I continue to read Brave New World I see so many similarities to the socitey in the novel and our world today. How do we truly know that we are free? What if we are being controlled, but we are unaware of it because of all the new technology inventions, tv, money this list can go on forever. How are we sure that the government is on our side? There are many possibilities that can prove how similar our world is today to the world Huxley created. It is very chilling.
ReplyDeleteWe are controlled every day; or are we? It's not a question but an answer to another question that does not exist. It's necessary to have our own ideas and our own beliefs and in fact our country was founded on those principles. But those ideas are now being conformed and we are now the followers of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. In a way they are controlling us. But we are also meant to believe that they were the free thinkers and they are the ones to be trusted. So the more frightening question is, how do we not be uniform?
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to hop on this bandwagon too. We have caste systems, and soma imitating drugs. We may not have people walking around with giant letter A's on their chest, but its quite obvious who's allowed to talk to who, what those people wear. The scariest part is when, i watch Tv or something, (most likely a reality show where they all own several mansions and have the same high pitch voice)and they talk about not conforming. What is the world coming to?
ReplyDeleteWe’re extremely similar in that we label people as “antisocial” for not having the same values that are shared by the majority. In Brave New World, it’s wrong to have strong feelings for anyone or anything, while it’s just the opposite in our world. However, the consequences for not agreeing with society are the same. The individual who decides to be or is born different is cast out and ignored by the rest of the populace. Unless they find a way to turn their differences into something fit for TV. Then they can become a millionaire just by being on “Charm School” or some equally classy show. Americans do love to watch people who are different from them, as long as they stay in the TV and out of their neighborhood.
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