Which of these "Dystopian Society" stories did you read/study in school, or for pleasure; and which might reflect on U.S. Society today? (1 Viewer)

[Captain Adverse]

I was watching a video regarding guest reactions to Social Media being held accountable for disinformation, misinformation, and shadow banning tactics in light of Elon Musks purchase of Twitter.

One guest commented on how our society is reflective of some of the dystopian societies written about by authors like Kurt Vonnegut, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Ray Bradbury, etc.

So I wondered, how many members of our Forum have read one or more of the most famous of these stories, which one(s), and how closely (if at all) our society is coming to reflect them in reality.

Here is the list:

1. "1984," George Orwell.

2. "Brave New World," Aldous Huxley.

3. "Harrison Bergeron," Kurt Vonnegut.

4. "Fahrenheit 451," Ray Bradbury.

5. "Lord of the Flies," William Golding.

6. "Animal Farm," George Orwell.

7. Other, your Title and Author

8. None.

This is a multiple choice list, meaning you can select each one if you have read more than one.

If you pick #7, provide the title(s) and author(s), and why you've added to the list.

Please discuss why you picked the one(s) selected, and how it reflects (if at all) on current trends in US Politics and Society.

NOTE: The POLL itself is asking which you read/studied.

The question for response in discussion is: "Which if any reflect on US Society today?"

 

[Phys251]

I was watching a video regarding guest reactions to Social Media being held accountable for disinformation, misinformation, and shadow banning tactics in light of Elon Musks purchase of Twitter.

One guest commented on how our society is reflective of some of the dystopian societies written about by authors like Kurt Vonnegut, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Ray Bradbury, etc.

So I wondered, how many members of our Forum have read one or more of the most famous of these stories, which one(s), and how closely (if at all) our society is coming to reflect them in reality.

Here is the list:

1. "1984," George Orwell.

2. "Brave New World," Aldous Huxley.

3. "Harrison Bergeron," Kurt Vonnegut.

4. "Fahrenheit 451," Ray Bradbury.

5. "Lord of the Flies," William Golding.

6. "Animal Farm," George Orwell.

7. Other, your Title and Author

8. None.

This is a multiple choice list, meaning you can select each one if you have read more than one.

If you pick #7, provide the title(s) and author(s), and why you've added to the list.

Please discuss why you picked the one(s) selected, and how it reflects (if at all) on current trends in US Politics and Society.

A quibble: Your poll isn't clear about whether we read them or whether we think they apply to America today.

 

[Slartibartfast]

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7

7. (for class) Island of the Blue Dolphins (this may have been in middle school), Stanley Yelnats, The works of Robert Frost, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

7. (for pleasure) 1-4 of the wheel of time series by Robert Jordan, pretty much anything by Robert Heinlein, the encyclopedia my parents had in the upstairs hallway, The bunnicula series, the tao te ching, arabian nights, the bible, zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, naked lunch, tao of winnie the pooh, the te of tigger, the works of confucious, the foundations and robot series from asimov, do androids dream of electric sheep, pretty much everything by David Eddings, pretty much anything by Terry Goodkind, Xanth series, anything related to AD&D 2e and Palladium Rifts games, anything Tolkien, probably some other stuff (this is just what I remember at the moment),

Current society reflects none of those books.

1. Is literally impossible given human nature, the drive that many have to be individualists would make this scenario impossible.
2. Requires advanced genetic engineering, so that's not happening with the current technology
3. I don't hear any ball-peen hammers, do you?
4. I have three books I can reach right now

6. There was never a communist revolution where all were equal that then got perverted, as far as I know, in the history of the world

 

[ecofarm]

Read them all (Bergeron?). None are like today.

 

[Captain Adverse]

A quibble: Your poll isn't clear about whether we read them or whether we think they apply to America today.

Now clarified in bottom of the OP.

 

[ecofarm]

Maidenless?

 

[devildavid]

None of them resemble our country.

 

[Parrish]

Read them all, some assigned, some not.
What's your point?

 

[devildavid]

Read them all, some assigned, some not.
What's your point?

This is the usual right wing crap about how the USA is turning into those dystopian societies. See! Orwell was right! This kind of crap comes up every time a Democrat is president. The crickets stopped chirping after con man Don got his ass whipped by a senile old man. Oh, for the good ole days!

 

[Captain Adverse]

1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7

7. Island of the Blue Dolphins (this may have been in middle school), Stanley Yelnats, The works of Robert Frost, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Excellent. I am not familiar with the Island of the Blue Dolphins, I'll look it up.

Current society reflects none of those books.

I disagree.

1. Is literally impossible given human nature, the drive that many have to be individualists would make this scenario impossible.

And yet we have several societies extant that strive to subsume the "individual spirit" below the push for "equity." That push is reflective of "Harison Bergeron."

2. Requires advanced genetic engineering, so that's not happening with the current technology

One can argue that human society is rife with drug use (over the counter and illicit) designed to relax, excite, improve sex drive, etc. all pushed by our friendly Phamaceutical companies.

They literally have drugs for ills we don't really suffer from. (Restless leg syndrome, really?) Shades of Brave New World.

3. I don't hear any ball-peen hammers, do you?

Not yet. But again the push for "equity" and "inclusion" seem to require holding people back and "assisting" people forward in the name of some ideal of equity.

4. I have three books I can reach right now

Which ones?

6. There was never a communist revolution where all were equal that then got perverted, as far as I know, in the history of the world

Every communist revolution promised the goals espoused by Marx and Engels, even to the extent of Pol Pot's literal attempt to create that society.

Then there is North Korea. Animal Farm

 

[Slartibartfast]

This is the usual right wing crap about how the USA is turning into those dystopian societies. See! Orwell was right! Thsi kind of crap comes up every time a Democrat is president. The crickets stopped chirping after con man Don got his ass whipped by a senile old man. Oh, for the good ole days!

American society has never resembled any of those books.

 

[Schism]

I read ferociously as a kid. I went through dozens of series, authors, and topics, but always loved sci-fi, detectives, mysteries, westerns, horror, and true-crime, like In Cold Blood. But I also got into Guinness Book of World Records, Ripley's Believe it or Not, and other strange books of oddities and weird facts.

I also had a chemistry set and microscope.

 

[TurtleDude]

I think Animal House was one of the better books I read in HS, along with the ones I checked. Invisible Man was another along with the best book I think I read in HS-One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest. A little more esoteric was a book called The Last Days of Louisiana Red"

in college I took a course that was about politics in literature. excellent course. best book of many good ones-One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. My pick for the best book I ever read

 

[Parrish]

Again. What's your point @Captain Adverse ?

 

[devildavid]

I think Animal House was one of the better books I read in HS, along with the ones I checked. Invisible Man was another along with the best book I think I read in HS-One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest. A little more esoteric was a book called The Last Days of Louisiana Red"

in college I took a course that was about politics in literature. excellent course. best book of many good ones-One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. My pick for the best book I ever read

I took a course in Latin American Civilization and read the Marquez book. It is a great book.

 

[Slartibartfast]

And yet we have several societies extant that strive to subsume the "individual spirit" below the push for "equity." That push is reflective of "Harison Bergeron."

Literally every society that has ever existed has had push and pull between these two forces. If your assumption is true, then its always been 1984.

One can argue that human society is rife with drug use (over the counter and illicit) designed to relax, excite, improve sex drive, etc. all pushed by our friendly Phamaceutical companies.

Those drugs are not forced on people, nor are people bred for certain tasks.

They literally have drugs for ills we don't really suffer from. (Restless leg syndrome, really?)

Companies seek markets, A Brave New World did not have companies though.

Not yet. But the push for "equity" and "inclusion" seem to push for holding people back and "assisting" people forward in the name of some ideal of equity.

American society is full of people going "if this continues we will get x" and then every 20 years or so, society changes focus on something else and those old trends die. That's why movies like Network, Soylent Green, or THX1138 are so quaint (even though the news agency from Network can resemble Fox News if you squint).

Which ones?

The Bible, a manual on Microsoft Power Bi, and a copy of Earthdawn 4ed Players Guide(its a role playing game).

Every communist revolution promised the goals espoused by Marx and Engels, even to the extent of Pol Pot's literal attempt to create that society.

I am talking about what actually happened, not what was promised. In Animal farm, there was a period of time where life was communist and things were shared. In real life outside a commune here and there, it's never happened.

 

[devildavid]

Again. What's your point @Captain Adverse ?

He's trying to warn us of the terrible things the left is doing that mirrors all those books. Funny thing is, both sides of the political spectrum have done this. It's a joke. Oh, I'm scared! A work of fiction scares me!

 

[Parrish]

He's trying to warn us of the terrible things the left is doing that mirrors all those books. Funny thing is, both sides of the political spectrum have done this. It's a joke. Oh, I'm scared! A work of fiction scares me!

I'd like to hear from @Captain Adverse who appears to be avoiding my question.

 

[TurtleDude]

I took a course in Latin American Civilization and read the Marquez book. It is a great book.

I came back from an athletic event on a Sunday night and the book (the class was a 400 level senior seminar) was going to be discussed that monday-I had meant to take it with me but forgot. So I figured I'd skim it so I could discuss the book. It was so good I spent several hours reading it. then I read it again a week later. and then again later that summer

 

[devildavid]

I'd like to hear from @Captain Adverse who appears to be avoiding my question.

You won't get anything better than what I'm saying. The purpose of the OP is not as subtle as it pretends to be.

 

[Parrish]

You won't get anything better than what I'm saying. The purpose of the OP is not as subtle as it pretends to be.

I'll wait.

 

[Slartibartfast]

You won't get anything better than what I'm saying. The purpose of the OP is not as subtle as it pretends to be.

Yup, its just another excuse to wring one's fingers and have a self pitying moral panic.

 

[devildavid]

I came back from an athletic event on a Sunday night and the book (the class was a 400 level senior seminar) was going to be discussed that monday-I had meant to take it with me but forgot. So I figured I'd skim it so I could discuss the book. It was so good I spent several hours reading it. then I read it again a week later. and then again later that summer

I read it so long ago I can't remember the circumstances or the content of book itself. But I do recall it being a very enjoyable read. The one things that sticks with me is the digestive problems of a character and the sticky, steamy environment.

 

[Josie]

Others: The Time Machine, The Giver, Among the Hidden series, Divergent, Handmaid's Tale, Hunger Games series (the last three not in school)

 

[Slartibartfast]

Others: The Time Machine, Handmaid's Tale, Hunger Games

I read 1 and 3, but well after high school.