History Lessons

[rebness]

Last night, I stayed up to watch a pretty innovative documentary on BBC2 about George Orwell. They used fake footage with an actor speaking his words, giving already powerful or amusing thoughts on everything from the death penalty to the Spanish civil war to patriotism to making a cup of tea.

One part of the documentary focused on his days spent with the British police in India when it was controlled by the Empire. He mused at one point that it struck him how inherently wrong, and how hypocritical it is, for a power to force itself on another country and then presume to police it with force and expect the inhabitants to be grateful.

I wish we had a writer as powerful as Orwell around to record the events of today.

Comments

[gairid.livejournal.com]

What was the name of the documentary? I'd love to see that...George Orwell had amazing foresight. In light of the way *this* (U.S.) country is at the moment , his works seem very timely indeed. *wonders when Dubya will introduce the Two Minute Hate*

[rebness.livejournal.com]

It was called "Orwell: A Life in Pictures". I should think that it will get an international release, because it had rather high production values and, of course, a lot of it had significance to events happening now.

I think you're right about the foresight thing. The horrible thing about 1984, and which a lot of people don't realise, is that it was never meant to prophetic. He simply stated that, if people were prepared to allow it, a state like that could always rise up. I think crap like Fox News may as well re-brand itself the two-minute hate. And remember the unseen enemy in 1984? Why does it remind one so much of the "war against terror"?

But, more than that, it also detailed his life beginning as a priveleged member of the bourgeois classes in England, to somebody who understood poverty and suffering. He was, of course, no saint, but remarks such as, "I looked into the girl's face... and there was no dumb animal acceptance of her situation; she fully understood her position, and her sad place in the world, and the degradation of cleaning out a gutter in some filthy back-street," demonstrated his empathy.

More than anything, though, his words on the corruption of power and the suppression of intelligent debate seem to ring true much more now than they ever did. I can't even begin to imagine what he would think of Dubya.

[gairid.livejournal.com]

Why does it remind one so much of the "war against terror"?

Governments need demons. We no longer have the dreaded Red Meance of communism to throw a scare into the population, so now it's 'The Terrorists'.

Keep the populace afraid or occupy them with emotional issues like going to Mars and the moon (again) when so many people in the US can't afford decent healthcare.

Tricks. That's all they are, yet too many peopel will always turn a blind eye.

[saffronlie.livejournal.com]

I wanted to say that we did have a writer as powerful as Orwell around, but... I can't think of any names.

How about Rebecca [your last name], hmm?

[rebness.livejournal.com]

LOL! I swear to god... if I ever managed to write anything half as decent as that man ever did, then I would feel myself a success.

I honestly can't think of a writer who can grab at the establishment so well. You have people like Will Self, et al, who take very good pops at certain things, but I don't think anyone can match Orwell yet.

[saffronlie.livejournal.com]

Well, we also don't have the distance to know what works will last. Orwell's work has turned out to be prophetic and, fifty years and more later, people still read it. There is a sheer volume of texts being cranked out in the last few decades that it's impossible to separate wheat from chaff and know what will last.

Also, well, yes, there don't seem to be writers capable of keeping people's attention. The good political writers are all writing non-fiction. So you ought to get to that novel and write something with a spark in this dreary world. :p

[rebness.livejournal.com]

There is a sheer volume of texts being cranked out in the last few decades that it's impossible to separate wheat from chaff and know what will last.

True, true. But then, remember that in his day, he was regarded as Shouty Man in the media... do that these days and the tabloids brand you a fruitcake.

I agree with you on fiction writers, too-- often, I've found something that really stands out to me, something that helps me understand life a little more, in a novel rather than some political commentator going on and on and on...