Huxley v Orwell:Infinite Distraction or Gov. Oppression

[Awake]

A comic strip depicting the differences between orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World.

Huxley Vs. Orwell: Infinite Distraction Or Government Oppression?

http://www.prosebeforehos.com/image-of- ... ppression/

[Ursus]

They were both right!

And we are being subjected to "infinite distraction" and "government oppression"... just not all of us equally!

[Awake]

feelin a bit huxleyish out as of late.

[Froderik]

feelin a bit huxleyish out as of late.

Take me to The Feelies..  :jerry:

[Xelebes]

I would say neither are particularly closer to being true.  An Orwellian society loses drive and kills economic productivity, depriving the government the tools necessary to continue.  The only one left to fall from the Orwellian state is China but a coming economic crash when they can't effectively drive people to be productive will cause it to go through a revolution (bloody or bloodless.)

Huxley's is more of a whine because what he bemoans does not actually trap.  There are going to be considerable numbers who don't give a crap about the fine arts, but there will always be people who will give a damn about the arts and quality of product.  There is no leader compelling the people to do anything which causes the people to subvert.

[ajax13]

If China and the "free market" economies of US, Germany, Japan and South Korea are highly  integrated, is China a distinct society?  The elites use carrot and stick everywhere, just in varying proportions.  20% or so of China's export goes Stateside, 8 % of China's imports come from the Land of the Free.

[Xelebes]

My understanding is that what is currently happening in China is a slowly growing breakdown in productivity.  This threatens China's meteoric rise over the long-term and would deprive it the opportunity to maintain the status quo over the long term.  It is like the fall of the Soviet Union.

[ajax13]

The Soviet Union did not fall.  The Nomenklatura pulled the plug and gave the country to the Oligarchs.  The Soviets, with their dependence on petroleum exports to generate foreign capital, were struggling due to the manipulation of energy prices between 1973 and 1991, but the society hardly fell apart.  The Soviet Union, while integrated with various levels of the US economy throughout it's history, was not an integral part of the US economy, exept as a driver to increase the value of defense expenditures.  China is the US manufacturing base, except of course for advanced armaments.  Do you suppose that even with a decline in Chinese productivity that another even cheaper pool of highly controlled labor exists?  The race to the bottom has already run through SE Asia and Latin America.  Next stop the Island of Dr. Moreau?