I don’t want to underestimate the likelihood of either an Orwellian or Huxleyian state, but I do question just how far down those roads we are.

When we criticize our society for being a mass-media, iphone using, gossip listening, etc etc society, One: consider if, technology & communication systems aside, if there really is a fundamental difference from the past and, Two: we tend to reflect on the negatives.

For instance, it is easy to listen to the news or TV shows and get the feeling “what is the world going to” (I know I do often), but that is in part fundamentally flawed perspective. I’m sure many look at what’s on TV and directly portray that as being our society, and while it does reflect it to a sometimes large degree, is not the whole picture.

Take one of those cartoons, the man waiting for the lottery numbers. What inherently is there to be pessimistic about? A man, who in a free market, wants to gamble a little. He probably got done working 10 hrs and is relaxing, watching some tube, and waiting for the lotto numbers he plays once or twice a month. Given that depiction, are we really watering down our sense of humanity.

I do see it from both sides however, and there is plenty to be said of both Orwell and Huxley, and this was a great piece. But just some words of caution to not dwell on the negative side.

While this cycle may be ongoing, perhaps one way to resist the trend is to use media like the internet to discuss these issues and offer alternative perspectives to the status quo – like libertarian values.