The film “1984” portrays a global society of total control in which people are not supposed to have thoughts that in any way disagree with the corporate state. There is no personal freedom. Snitches and surveillance cameras are everywhere. And people are subject to the Thought Police, who deal with anyone guilty of such thought crimes. The government, or “Party,” is headed by Big Brother, who appears on posters everywhere with the words: “Big Brother is watching you.”
George Orwell’s story revolves around Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party. When Winston meets and falls in love with Julia, they begin seeing each other secretly, thus embarking on an illegal relationship. They are eventually arrested by the Thought Police and placed into reprogramming.
Much of what Orwell envisioned in his futuristic society has now come to pass. Surveillance cameras are everywhere. The government, as we have learned, listens in on our telephone calls and reads our e-mails. The National Security Agency has developed incredibly pervasive devices to study and track our every move, including everything we post on the Internet. As the American military empire expands and the local police have become more militaristic, the threatening cloud of martial law hovers overhead. Political correctness — a philosophy that discourages diversity — is now the guiding principle of American society. Increasingly, we only have the “freedom” to believe what society wants us to believe. Hate crime legislation punishes motivation, thoughts and eventually so-called “hate speech.” We are increasingly ruled by multi-corporations that are wedded to the state, while a celebrity-obsessed media has now become, by and large, the mouthpiece of the government. Much of the population is either hooked on illegal drugs or ones prescribed by doctors. Many of us have, so to speak, become consumer zombies walking comatose in shopping malls.
All of this has come about with little more than a whimper from a clueless American populace largely comprised of nonreaders and television somnambulists — one that no longer thinks analytically and is easy prey to smiling politicians promising change.
However, we have been warned about our ominous future in novels and movies for years. In fact, film may be the best representation of what we now face as a society on the verge of fulfilling Orwell’s prophecy.
The following are five of the best films on the topic.
“Fahrenheit 451” (1966). Depicted here is a futuristic society in which books are banned, and firemen ironically are called on to burn contraband books. This film is an adept metaphor for our obsessively politically correct society where everyone now pre-censors speech. Here a brainwashed people addicted to television and drugs do little to resist governmental oppressors.
“THX 1138” (1970). This is a somber view of a dehumanized society totally controlled by the state. The people are force-fed drugs to keep them passive, and they no longer have names but only letter/number combinations such as “THX 1138.” Any citizen who steps out of line is quickly brought into compliance by police equipped with “pain prods" — electro-shock batons. Sound like tasers
“Soylent Green” (1973). The year is 2022 in an overpopulated New York City. A policeman investigating a murder discovers the grisly truth about what soylent green — the principal food for people — is really made of. The theme is chaos where the world is ruled by ruthless corporations whose only goal is profit.
“Nineteen Eighty-Four” (1984). The best adaptation of Orwell’s dark tale, this film visualizes the total loss of freedom in a world dominated by technology and its misuse and the crushing inhumanity of an omniscient state.
“Children of Men” (2006). It is 2027, and the world is without hope since humankind has lost its ability to procreate. Civilization has descended into chaos and is held together by a military state and a government that attempts to keep its totalitarian stronghold on the population. But hope for a new day comes when a woman becomes inexplicably pregnant.
Likewise, as Orwell’s novel concludes, Winston and Julia are taken to the Ministry of Love as part of the reprogramming process. Since Winston fears rats, he is tortured with rats until his feelings for Julia are destroyed. As confirmation that he sees the new reality of the state, Winston writes that 2+2=5. The reprogramming is successful. He is cured. As the final sentence of Orwell’s book concludes, “He loved Big Brother."
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. He can be contacted at johnw@rutherford.org. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.
