Orwell wrote a book in 1948.
For the title he reversed the last two numbers of the publishing date, which has remained a misfortune due to the fact of the uninformed thinking it is an old sci-fi attempt at predicting what the year 1984 would look like.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
When I read it for the first time, I thought it was simply an ill-disguised critique on communism.
But a little voice in my head seemed to repeat over and over again - 'there is more than that.'
On the second reading, what struck me was (again) the ghastly concept of a retrograde future.
The future did not consist of shiny buildings and floating air cars, but of deprivation, filth and fear, and a totalitarian dictatorship which makes use of the only visible pieces of futuristic technology to completely control the population.
(The vision of a 'junked' future would later become popular in such films as 'Soylent Green', 'Bladerunner' and 'Brazil.'
Orwell's oracular vision of a future society under the eye of omnipresent cameras is gradually becoming a reality today - especially (and ironically) in the country of Orwell's birth.
Two Realities
Intriguingly, the world of '1984' exists on two levels.
The first level is the sprawling and filthy ghetto the world consists of on the surface.
The second level is the gleaming futuristic infrastructure that exists underground.
In the present, this harks to talk of ultra modern secret underground bases connected by high velocity maglev tunnels from which the elite rule the surface and which are said to be depositories of advanced technology.
The Triumph of Marxism
When I first read 1984 and found out that it had been written in the immediate postwar, I was turned off by the fact of its obvious reference to Communism.
To me, the author was simply criticizing the follies of Communism through a science fiction allegory.
As a reader looking for new ideas and concepts, I was completely deflated.
But something kept me reading on.
Was it the telescreens, the omniscient cameras, the Goldstein character (which seemed to have all the answers).
I don't know, but there was something more.
With time, I came to the horrid realization of just how prophetic Orwell was.
In short, Orwell was not simply using an allegory for Communism in his novel, but PREDICTING THE ULTIMATE TRIUMPH OF MARXISM IN THE FUTURE.
The return of Marxism has not only occurred, but its triumph is actually approaching as you read this.
If you analyze with any sort of logic and insight at what is happening in the world today, you can see the approaching victory of Marxism.
Communist China, built up to the status of industrial super power.
Latin America and Africa under the thumb of Marxist anti-West 'democratic' regimes.
Europe and America bankrupt, disarmed and demoralized.
Russia and China arming to the teeth.
Our own institutions of higher learning staffed with Marxists at all levels.
Our first Marxist President - Barack Obama.
You can already see what's coming without too much vision.
And what's coming is the fall of the West to Marxism.
This particular prediction of Orwell has left me stunned.
Truly he knew something most did not.
The truth is that despite the 'collapse of the Soviet Union' in 1991, Marxism has continued its irrevocable climb to the top.
Now I am thinking that a society of the future might actually resemble Orwell's version brick by brick.
Concepts on How Society Really Functions
It is obvious from the beginning of the book that society is a falsehood that subsists and thrives on lies and half truths.
This is why its so absorbing when Winston Smith comes across a book which explains the way society really works.
One of the most shocking moments in the novel is when Winston opens up the 'Book of Emmanuel Goldstein,' and in it finds a crystal clear explanation of the society which surrounds him...and how it functions.
And it is not at all how we imagined.
