i just finished the book 1984 by the george orwell and i figured a thing. a country, no matter who, always has an enemy. possibly so the people dont look at the faults in their own government. is the us right? please forgive my improper english.

Originally posted by willizbiko
i just finished the book 1984 by the george orwell and i figured a thing. a country, no matter who, always has an enemy. possibly so the people dont look at the faults in their own government. is the us right? please forgive my improper english.

Greetings, Willizbiko.

I think as a species we are inherently looking for an enemy to fight, whether that be spiritually or literally. It's also one of the things that make us both terrible and great. Our natural suspicions towards those who are different or have more, tend to make us petty and jealous. But our compassion for those in trouble and desire to learn and improve never ceases to amaze me. I tend to think of the world in terms of Ying and Yang. For every terrible injustice, whether perpetrated by the individual or an entire country, that the pendulum will eventually swing the other way.

Yes, I agree. For example: differing opinions on anything are lesser, non-violence inducing ideas/beliefs held by prospective opponents. Therefore, opponents are like enemies in the sense that they don't agree on things (whatever they may be). However, we also strive to gain knowledge from our opponents, our enemies. I like to call it mutual jealousy.

[Edited on 5/5/04 by xenophanes85]

Originally posted by Bleys


I think as a species we are inherently looking for an enemy to fight,

I think of it more in terms of US and THEM, not so much seeking out an enemy (THEM), as defending US against THEM. Anyone that is outside of (US), clan/tribe/group, must be defended against since they do not share our views/ideas/religion. It's at this point that we can try and find out about each other, exchange ideas, try and come to some type of understanding; or refuse to even entertain the thought that we are not correct in our views/ideas/religion.

Also dont forget that while 1984 is a great story and one with deeper meanings and lessons....

dont forget it is a story....stories need conflict, or a good guy/bad guy conflict, in order to be more interesting
look at almost any good story...there is usually a "bad guy" to need to be overcome thru the story...
thats the point...this could be just a literary device.

But from a sociological view, yes i can see where societies often have some kind of "villan" with wich to focus the masses upon.
Large unifying ideas are helpful tools for a society to maintain control and cultural definition.

The parallel from 1984 that I see is the idea of double-think. The Bush Administration lies so much right in your face that people are beginning to accept it. Jessica Lynch was an opinion controlling attempt and no one seems upset that they misrepresented the facts to make you want to kick Iraqi ass. They had no real reason to attack these people. I keep waiting to see Cheney wave his hand on Fox News and say, "These are not the droids you are looking for"