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The joke's on us. Not even Orwell thought people would be willing to pay for that kind of technology. He thought government would have to force people to get it

by sgift 9y ago

The joke's on us. Not even Orwell thought people would be willing to pay for that kind of technology. He thought government would have to force people to get it into their homes.

fredley 9y ago
Huxley though... I don't think it's really about whether Orwell was right or Huxley, I think they both are.
drewda 9y ago
See the forward to Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death": > "But we had forgotten that alongside Orwell's dark vision, there was another--slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think. > "What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley re marked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions." In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us." https://quote.ucsd.edu/childhood/files/2013/05/postman-amusing.pdf https://quote.ucsd.edu/childhood/files/2013/05/postman-amusi...
- deleted 9y ago
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- pdkl95 9y ago
  > > there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Max Headroom, episode ABC.1.3 "Body Bank" Paula: " ...what's that?" Blank Reg: "It's a book!" Paula: "Well, what's that?" Blank Reg: "It's a non-volatile storage medium. It's very rare. You should have one." Paula: "Stuff it!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-a8TG-1gWY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-a8TG-1gWY That show was way ahead of its time. // Blank is beautiful!
smaili 9y ago
Depends... If the people knew they had the ability to use this technology for making personal calls or checking the latest weather, sports, etc, then I'd actually believe people would be willing to pay for it.
VLM 9y ago
Negative reinforcement is possible once its popular enough and has a large enough installed base to make not having one a deviation from the norm, a warning signal. Like not having a TV or facebook account today. The way it'll be rolled out to achieve that large enough installed base to become normalcy will be strictly positive enforcement. All carrots to start out because there's too much legacy propaganda in western dead white male culture that no one reads anymore. After the tipping point is reached, then the carrots get put away and the sticks come out.

by sgift 9y ago

The joke's on us. Not even Orwell thought people would be willing to pay for that kind of technology. He thought government would have to force people to get it into their homes.

fredley 9y ago

Huxley though... I don't think it's really about whether Orwell was right or Huxley, I think they both are.

drewda 9y ago

See the forward to Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death": > "But we had forgotten that alongside Orwell's dark vision, there was another--slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think. > "What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley re marked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions." In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us." https://quote.ucsd.edu/childhood/files/2013/05/postman-amusing.pdf https://quote.ucsd.edu/childhood/files/2013/05/postman-amusi...

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
pdkl95 9y ago
> > there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Max Headroom, episode ABC.1.3 "Body Bank" Paula: " ...what's that?" Blank Reg: "It's a book!" Paula: "Well, what's that?" Blank Reg: "It's a non-volatile storage medium. It's very rare. You should have one." Paula: "Stuff it!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-a8TG-1gWY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-a8TG-1gWY That show was way ahead of its time. // Blank is beautiful!

smaili 9y ago

Depends... If the people knew they had the ability to use this technology for making personal calls or checking the latest weather, sports, etc, then I'd actually believe people would be willing to pay for it.

VLM 9y ago

Negative reinforcement is possible once its popular enough and has a large enough installed base to make not having one a deviation from the norm, a warning signal. Like not having a TV or facebook account today. The way it'll be rolled out to achieve that large enough installed base to become normalcy will be strictly positive enforcement. All carrots to start out because there's too much legacy propaganda in western dead white male culture that no one reads anymore. After the tipping point is reached, then the carrots get put away and the sticks come out.