Fear In 1984

When written in 1949, George Orwell’s 1984 held immense importance for a variety of individuals and societies, and continues to do so today. At the time, it was considered a warning and a visionary novel for what the future might hold. Despite certain inconsistencies between the book and reality, a fair number of elements are apparent in today’s society.
Orwell’s imagined society of Oceania portrays public and private surveillance. His prophetic warnings not only came true, but exceeded his expectations. In Oceania, the persistent surveillance of the citizens is carried out through the notion of ‘Big Brother’. The slogan “Big Brother is watching you” (Orwell 3) is displayed throughout the continent. The government uses telescreens. Televisions

that act as two-way monitors to not only relay government propaganda, entertainment, and news, but also spy on citizens. They are used in virtually all public and private areas, swallows any right to privacy. It is one fraction of a plethora of tactics to remind inhabitants they are constantly under observation and examination. Modern governments are far more sophisticated than that of Oceania, in terms of the surveillance mechanisms they possess. The familiar phrase of Big Brother has come to symbolize our government’s misuse of power in regards to civil liberties and rights when it comes to mass surveillance of the public. In a case pertaining to the violations of GPS tracking without warrants, court judge Diane Wood declared “They made the system that George Orwell depicted in his novel, 1984, seem clumsy and avoidable by comparison” (“Sky-High Spy: With GPS Probing”). The increasing role high tech technological devices play in our daily lives allows us to be more susceptible to governmental abuse, seeing as most of society today is unaware of mass surveillance projects, while citizens of Oceania are reminded every day. This demonstrates Wood’s argument that our government is able to surveil citizens in ways unimagined by Orwell.
Mass surveillance continues to be an issue in modern society, and has become less taboo. A large culprit of such doings is the National Security Agency. The NSA was created by the United States government to collect, translate and decode information, as well as monitor intelligence. The NSA developed a program called PRISM, through the Protect America Act. Originally, this program was intended for US authorities to collect and process “foreign intelligence” data that moves through American servers, as a counter-terrorism tool ("What Is the NSA's PRISM Program?"). Leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden, the data collected by PRISM was more extensive than the public was aware. The evidence brought to light by Snowden was collected from multiple US intelligence agencies, and exhibited the deep scope of surveillance such as wiretapping, phone and message monitoring, hacking, and location and credit card data. Snowden considered this ‘dangerous’ and ‘criminal’ ("PRISM, Snowden and Government Surveillance”).
In the age of technology, it is apparent that the majority of online and cellular information is accessible. A more safe and private manner of communicating is physical, in writing, or even personal thinking. Yet, those in Oceania cannot afford such luxuries. As said, physical communication is under watch. Personal writing is forbidden, and offenses such as thoughtcrimes occur. This is the act of possessing unspoken opinions that oppose the government. They monitored by the thought police, and are punishable by death. “He was already dead, he reflected. It seemed to him that it was only now, when he had begun to be able to formulate his thoughts, that he had taken the decisive step. The consequences of every act are included in the act itself. He wrote: Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death” (Orwell 27). In this, those whose beliefs go against the Party are not dead due to their thoughts, but are dead to society as they are in opposition to the government and general ideologies.
Orwell’s dystopian society functions on fear.

Citizens of Oceania follow government commands in fear of the consequences of disobedience. Again, telescreens are placed everywhere to monitor civilians. “The instrument (the telescreen, it was called) could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely” (Orwell 3). This constant surveillance generates unease and frigidness. It is effective as nobody makes an effort to overthrow the powers that be. All residents are willing to renounce their rights to go about as they please, in exchange for a crafted sense of safety from the perpetual war claiming to persist. The individual’s fear grows as the government discloses ‘facts’ about the

war.
Orwell was accurate in his writing that citizens would forgo their right to privacy and personal freedoms due to fear. In present times, we are in the midst of the war on terror. An ongoing war with no foreseen resolution. Modern governments have instilled a generalized fear within the people, whereas a vague, omnipresent enemy could attack at any time.
After the 9/11 terrorist attack, the USA Patriot Act was introduced. A law that allows government officials to intercept and obstruct terrorism using the appropriate tools provided. However, it violates the Fourth Amendment, which states “the government cannot conduct a search without obtaining a warrant and showing probable cause to belief that the person has committed or will commit a crime” ("Surveillance Under the USA/PATRIOT Act"). The public continues to be disunited on the issue. In a study done by the Pew Research Center, civilians who find that the act “goes too far and poses threat to civil liberties” has decreased 5% between 2004 and 2011 ("Public Remains Divided Over the Patriot Act"). Many accepted this out of fear of foreign dangers, especially as they are on the rise since 9/11.
Totalitarian governments require subservience to the state by any means necessary.

The government of Oceania manipulates language to use as a weapon of mind control. In Orwell’s essay Politics and the English Language, he said: “But if thoughts can corrupt language, language can also corrupt thoughts” (“Politics and the English Language”). This resulted in his idea of Newspeak. Newspeak is the language of Oceania, to eliminate negative terms, restrict ideas, and eradicate words that go against the Party’s ideologies. "Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it” (Orwell 23). Eliminating the ability to convey ideas that oppose government ideologies, refutes any chance of rebellion and confirms

allegiance.
Today, Newspeak is best seen in politics. Political rhetoric is prominent in winning elections and maintaining support. “Leaders have always tried to manipulate the truth, of course, and modern politicians of all persuasions want to ‘control the narrative’…” Sitting president, Donald Trump, is guilty of such actions through his production of ‘fake news’. Trump has fabricated his own sense of reality through his denial and alteration of objective truths, much like the Ministry of Truth in Oceania. With the backing of his administration, Trump claimed his inauguration attracted the largest audience ever” ("Why Orwell's '1984' Matters so Much Now"), despite clear photographic evidence. A study done through The Washington Post concluded that many would be willing to support such distinct evidence just to support presidential administration claims. It has become a constant battle over the perception of true and false. Trump lies and artifices information to suit his political agenda.
Despite the striking parallel of Orwellian and modern society, there are many noticeable differences. In Oceania, citizens do not trust and do not care for each other. This has not come to be. A member of the Party stated “No one dares trust a wife or a child or a friend… there will be no loyalty, except for loyalty to the party. There will be no love, except the love for Big Brother” (Orwell 34). Modern government has not dehumanized its citizens. Society is rather beautiful in terms of the general trust, love and acceptance for one another. Family and friends are important. Unlike today, the Party also eradicates any acts of sex. While religion has its certain qualms about sex, it is more of a personal and moral obligation to choose not to participate. The government has not attempted to control sexual acts.
Our government’s ability to control citizens is underestimated and should be examined more intensely. In both societies of 1984 and modern day, daily activities and transactions are monitored, most to the point of infringement upon civil liberties and personal freedom. While there are substantial similarities, we have not come full Orwell.