Orwell’s
1984 emphasizes the importance of
privacy by showing how detrimental it is to have it taken away from society.
Privacy is definitely viewed as a privilege in the novel, especially among the
protagonist, Winston Smith. On almost every surface of every building are posters
marked with the slogan “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” as a constant reminder
that the Party, or government, is always monitoring what you do. The slogan is
a bit sarcastic with its connotation. “BIG BROTHER” normally conjures up an
image of protection or of a guardian. Using the verb “WATCH” has a kind of
negative association and seeing them in all caps also gives it a harsher tone.
What is particularly intrusive as well as disturbing are the telescreens. The
telescreens are basically televisions that only show propaganda and are also
used to have the Thought Police constantly watch and look after its citizens.
The name “Thought Police” particularly troubles me because it sounds like they
are not only monitoring your actions but your mind, so not even your thoughts
are safe. Winston cannot even write in a diary and have anything private to
him, which is not only degrading his self protection but his self as a human
being.
It makes
me very weary of how the government is possibly watching us as citizens. Obviously
there are no telescreens or Thought Police but I still feel as though the
government wants to keep tabs on people to avoid threat or takeover or anything
that could demolish their appearance as a superior. The National Security
Agency is constantly discussed in the media for increasing their surveillance
programs on the internet and on cell phones. People such as Edward Snowden and
Julian Assange consider themselves whistleblowers and heroes to the American people
for exploiting these corruptions of the government. However some people view
them as criminals and traitors so it makes it confusing and hard to decipher
who to root for. I understand that the government aims to protect and keep the people
from harm, especially after 9/11, but many people could argue that the patriot
act took it too far. The patriot act pretty much allows the government to
interfere with anyone’s belongings if they deem to be a threat to the United
States. The bill was even extended to include wiretaps, searching through
business records, and heightened surveillance. It seems as though this is meant
to keep the people safe, but it’s hard to do that if the government does not
know who to look out for. Sooner or later, maybe America could be like 1984, which is a little scary to think
about. Is Big Brother Really watching
us?
To answer the question you posed at the end of your blog, I would have to say no, Big Brother is not really watching us. I also do not agree that the Patriot Act took things too far. The government is trying to keep us safe and there has to be some invasion of privacy to do so. When tragic events such as 9/11 happen, people always point at the government and ask "why didn't you do more to prevent this?" When the government then tries to prevent such horrible acts, people complain that they have no privacy. There is no winning. I also think that the whistle blowers should not be seen as heroes. The government does things in secret for a reason, often whistle blowers make a problem worse, and sometimes even pose a threat to nation security. I do not think that our government will ever get as bad as Big Brother
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