I've been reading both the novels 1984 and Brave New World (both excellent books, highly recommended), and have been pondering on what life would be like should the Earth become united under a single superpower. What freedoms will be left? What will our purpose in life be? How will the government keep opposing thought at bay? I am fascinated by BNW, which depicts a world in which the only meaning of being is to have sex and get high on 'soma', yet cloning is the ONLY way of reproducing (everyone always takes contraceptives).

No doubt, whatever the case, individual thought would be suppressed immensely. Anyone's thoughts?

NWO or not, I think the future will be a cross between Blade Runner and The Fifth Element with a little bit of Neil Stephanson's Snow Crash thrown in.

In the short term, things won't be as different as you think. I don't agree with them, but many people on ATS believe that the NWO is already in charge.

I think eventually we'll all be under the rule of one governing body and acknowledge it. Whether it's already begun or not, I certainly don't want to live in such a world. Without competition and other countries to compare ourselves to, the governing body wouldn't hesitate in supressing anything that would go against their beliefs, in order to stop rebellion.

Originally posted by Carvador
No doubt, whatever the case, individual thought would be suppressed immensely. Anyone's thoughts?

I think that we will still have freedom to think, but most likely we will lose the freedom to dissent against government policy.--Think of anti-terrorism laws. Our purpose will probably be to still work for the government and corporation, in a neverending flow of currency to the pockets of the super-rich. The government will provide us with "comforts", mind suppressing drugs, subtle messages with sex themes, delusions of progression forward, when in reality we are killing the ourselves by depleting the Earth.

Lastly, the government will provide "official" truth, and debase all other original ideas from the people--suppressing imagination.

Think Bodyguard by William C Dietz or Neuromancer by Gibson. The future is looking decidedly dark and corporate. Most people will become little more than a cheap, expendable labor force to those elite, who wish only to form a new ogliarchy where they rule above all, in luxury that even the richest of Romans could not dream of.

That is the future we are trying to prevent.

DE

Originally posted by IMMORTAL
Our purpose will probably be to still work for the government and corporation, in a neverending flow of currency to the pockets of the super-rich. The government will provide us with "comforts", mind suppressing drugs, subtle messages with sex themes, delusions of progression forward, when in reality we are killing the ourselves by depleting the Earth.

OMG! Isn't that exactly how life is now?!?! Keep in mind, that for our society to accept anything drastic, it must be introduced in segments, these "comforts" you speak of already exist.

IMO, if the government (or whatever powers that truly be) wanted to reduce the world's population, they'd be much better off saving money from the war on drugs, and legalizing the drugs made from purely natural elements, and allow the drug addicts to kill themselves off.

Subtle sex themes - Every movie, and even the animated movies geared towards children, seems like it's a requirement that there be some 'love' theme or sexual element embedded within.

delusions of progression forward - An interesting comment was made to me by a guy I met in the barbershop... He said that, with all the arguing we see on the News channels, and 9/11 commission hearings (which I haven't heard one peep about anyone lying under oath, and we know it's been done), these things are created by the gov't/powers that be in a strict quid-pro-quo that allows these sources to 'blow smoke' and make it appear as though something is being accomplished. In all honesty, what does anyone truly believe will come from the 9/11 hearings? A bunch of suggestions about how to reorganize the FBI and CIA? Which would do little more than help pave the way for globalization (a word I have been hearing more and more as time goes on).

Lastly, the government will provide "official" truth, and debase all other original ideas from the people--suppressing imagination.

It's so deep, the government has been providing two "official" truths. On one hand, you have every bit of information that comes from the mouths of White House and Gov't "officials". On the other hand, you'll have the media (owned by global conglomerates), and the myriad sects of disinformation sources (those people who "come out" claiming to have genuine information, but which we can neither prove nor disprove).

Sorry I sorta went off on a rant there... But this stuff gets me heated.

1984 had a very heavy theme on the media and disinformation. I think a line from the book is, 'he who controls the past, controls the future'. Anyone who is lying to us, warping factual events that have already took place, is no doubt gaining power over us. Unless we can prove them wrong, there's nothing else to be done. Much like the Soviet Union did to their people: When something that had taken place before went against their current political agenda, they simply denied the truth, and the populace were too ignorant to think for themselves. They too thought they were moving forward and advancing as a society when they were, in fact, slowly corrupting themselves.

Originally posted by Ambient Sound
NWO or not, I think the future will be a cross between Blade Runner and The Fifth Element with a little bit of Neil Stephanson's Snow Crash thrown in.

i think the future will be a lot like the fifth element and blade runner.It will be intereting to see how much freedom we actually have in the future.

Originally posted by Carvador
1984 had a very heavy theme on the media and disinformation. I think a line from the book is, 'he who controls the past, controls the future'. Anyone who is lying to us, warping factual events that have already took place, is no doubt gaining power over us. Unless we can prove them wrong, there's nothing else to be done. Much like the Soviet Union did to their people: When something that had taken place before went against their current political agenda, they simply denied the truth, and the populace were too ignorant to think for themselves. They too thought they were moving forward and advancing as a society when they were, in fact, slowly corrupting themselves.

In that case, Religion has a big head start on the NWO and has been doing the this stuff from day one.

The more I talk to people (in the U.S.) the more I hear about things like "buying a farm", "living off the land", "moving to another country", etc..

I think those that want the blade runner world can have it. We'll just terraform Mars and they can have their planet of war. And the rest of us will clean up earth and then when they need a place to chill from all the war they can stop by and enjoy our earthly hospitality. But we'll have to transform the moon into a death star so they don't get any ideas about taking over again.

I can tell you what my daily life will be like after an NWO takeover: Member of the resistance, fight to restore freedom or die trying

Originally posted by Carvador
I've been reading both the novels 1984 and Brave New World (both excellent books, highly recommended), and have been pondering on what life would be like should the Earth become united under a single superpower.

Both are fantastic books. I would also recommend Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" for your reading pleasure. It deals with media (specifically books), so you might find it of interest.

Originally posted by Ambient Sound

Originally posted by Carvador
1984 had a very heavy theme on the media and disinformation. I think a line from the book is, 'he who controls the past, controls the future'. Anyone who is lying to us, warping factual events that have already took place, is no doubt gaining power over us. Unless we can prove them wrong, there's nothing else to be done. Much like the Soviet Union did to their people: When something that had taken place before went against their current political agenda, they simply denied the truth, and the populace were too ignorant to think for themselves. They too thought they were moving forward and advancing as a society when they were, in fact, slowly corrupting themselves.

In that case, Religion has a big head start on the NWO and has been doing the this stuff from day one.

Even as a practicing Catholic, I can't deny that you are correct. Galileo being the primary example, of course.

Originally posted by 23rd_Degree

Originally posted by Carvador
I've been reading both the novels 1984 and Brave New World (both excellent books, highly recommended), and have been pondering on what life would be like should the Earth become united under a single superpower.

Both are fantastic books. I would also recommend Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" for your reading pleasure. It deals with media (specifically books), so you might find it of interest.

Of course! I read that in eighth grade, so I nearly forgot about it. That was the first book of its kind that I had read. Very interesting... a future in which the information we take in is neither educational nor entertaining, really... just mind-numbing and violent.

Originally posted by Carvador

Originally posted by 23rd_Degree

Originally posted by Carvador
I've been reading both the novels 1984 and Brave New World (both excellent books, highly recommended), and have been pondering on what life would be like should the Earth become united under a single superpower.

Both are fantastic books. I would also recommend Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" for your reading pleasure. It deals with media (specifically books), so you might find it of interest.

Of course! I read that in eighth grade, so I nearly forgot about it. That was the first book of its kind that I had read. Very interesting... a future in which the information we take in is neither educational nor entertaining, really... just mind-numbing and violent.

I've just read Fahrenheit 451 and I am about half way through 1984. Both are very good books and they both deal with this subject of a dystopia. (An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror) I beleive that is a perfect term for what will come.

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

Yes, of course, the three mottos. I personally think that the setting of Brave New World is a dystopia, while F. 451 and 1984 are antiutopias, which, as the name implies, is a 'utopian' society that, in the quest for perfection, breeds the opposite result (in other words, the compromises made are not worth a perfect society).

This is because the people of BNW are born and raised to accept society, and so naturally do so. However, in the other two novels, the people are forced to obey, and the governments are much more militaristic.

If Big Brother says 2+2=5, then it must be so.

[Edited on 4-23-04 by Carvador]

Speaking of 'buying a farm' and 'living off the land' it kind of reminds me of the book people in F 451

[Edited on 25-4-2004 by Kyran]

Lord, this thread is terrifyingly depressive.

"OMG! Isn't that exactly how life is now?!?! Keep in mind, that for our society to accept anything drastic, it must be introduced in segments, these "comforts" you speak of already exist.

Think about it....in every profession, one or two individuals are allowed to rise to the heights....to gain monotary rewards...ie best sellers, finest movies, most brilliant physicist....yadda yadda yadda on infinitum.

It is too scary to think of that the NWO is here. We are already existing in Orwellian times, we're asleep, and like good sheep....gladly doing our jobs to keep the status quo going ad infinitum.

It is sick, sickening and so disgusting that it puts a knot in my stomach. Why? Because its soooo true it hurts.

I can't help thinking that this is what the French much have felt just before their revolution in the 18th Century.

Originally posted by radstar
Lord, this thread is terrifyingly depressive.

"OMG! Isn't that exactly how life is now?!?! Keep in mind, that for our society to accept anything drastic, it must be introduced in segments, these "comforts" you speak of already exist.

Think about it....in every profession, one or two individuals are allowed to rise to the heights....to gain monotary rewards...ie best sellers, finest movies, most brilliant physicist....yadda yadda yadda on infinitum.

It is too scary to think of that the NWO is here. We are already existing in Orwellian times, we're asleep, and like good sheep....gladly doing our jobs to keep the status quo going ad infinitum.

It is sick, sickening and so disgusting that it puts a knot in my stomach. Why? Because its soooo true it hurts.

I can't help thinking that this is what the French much have felt just before their revolution in the 18th Century.

Perhaps we already are on our way to such a depressive reality, but I believe we still have the power to change the world as we see fit. However, there are really no serious problems as of now that would spark such a reformation (and I'm talking strictly USA here). Certainly, I guess we are slowly slipping into an antiutopia with the introduction of these 'comforts' that you speak of, but I don't think they'll ever be able to take away so many rights that future daily life would look NOTHING like today's in terms of liberties. Of course, as time goes on, I suppose it could happen eventually.

That is true we can change it if we want to. But enough of us must want the change. The main thing in F. 451 and 1984 is the people for the most part follow the mainstream like sheep.