For Attn Naomi

[emmie]

I fiinished reading George Orwells book 1984, sorry if my other thread seems to have petered out. I didn't enjoy it, but i guess it wasn't there to be enjoyed.

[pixie374]

What subjects, Shirley? Not disagreeing, just asking.

[jourdain2]

emmie - I think you might find 'The Children of Men' by P.D. James a rather thought-provoking, interesting book. I found it during lockdown (I've been reading for England!). I'd always associated James with intelligent crime novels before.

[burlyshirley]

Anything the Ed or Spare Ed doesn't agree with us on, so answers get blitzed. Seems to be happening a lot lately imo. Some probably should be blitzed, but not all. Usually on controversial topics.

[emmie]

apart from family i don't say what i would like about many subjects to friends for example, mainly because they are younger than me by 20 years, and have a totally different viewpoint on most everything
, and i can't spend an hour or so with them in arguments.

[pixie374]

Emmie, I meant transgender will die out. In 50 years,we will be horrified at how we treated these people.
I have always been against "positive discrimination". Until I joined AB, and realised that the general attitudes of those in power (usually straight, white, males), has never changed over centuries, and even when forced by laws- is still complained about. So, AB has taught me why we need it.

[pixie374]

Ok, Shirley, thanks. I've seen it said, but haven't yet noticed it myself.

[emmie]

these people Pixie...... can one even say that.

[pixie374]

Why not? You can say whatever you like. I did see a removed link the other day (not mine) and I did contact the Ed as it was both relevant and factual. But didn't get a reply.

[burlyshirley]

Didn't get a reply pixie, now there's a surprise (lol) !!

[pixie374]

Lol :-)

[emmie]

i don't want to make a list of the things i don't care for, we would be here all afternoon. Besides i want to get back to this peculiar book, its not upset me so much as i found it somewhat disturbing, and some things jarred in it with modern day Britain.
I will shake it off im sure once i start reading something else.

[emmie]

thanks for the input, most interesting. if there's more to add please do. I am glad that i read it.

[Untitled]

the level of surveillance we now live under is far beyond anything Orwell could have dreamed of... every transaction logged, cameras everywhere, phones mining information about us.
Orwell was writing about the Soviet Union where surveillance was controlled ultimately by the party... but in our society nobody is (yet) "in charge" of the surveillance empire... companies like amazon googld and sony compete to install listening devices in our homes (Alexa/Google Home) but persuade us rather than force us. And their agenda is to sell us stuff not political control. There certainly is the technology around now to make Orwells dystopia real... but there is not yet a unifying totalitarian organisation like the Communists were.

[pixie374]

It's all consensual, untitled. Nobody has to give any details they don't want to.

[pixie374]

Has anyone watched "The Social Dilemma"? Docudrama. Very interesting.

[Untitled]

Some of it is consensual... it likely would have baffled Orwell to see people share so much information on facebook or put entertainment devices in their homes which constantly spy on them... Huxley was more correxct there - millions abandoned privacy for the sake of pleasure.

But some of it isn’t... your ISP and your bank have access to huge amounts of personal information about you, and you can’t really go without either of them... bots are constantly tracking the web for any data they can sniff about your behaviour as that is information that can be sold... and they do it whether you like it or not. The big difference is that nobody is yet in charge of it all, and the main agenda for now is to analyse your behaviour and sell you things... but the same data harvesting tools have already been used to manipulate millions of people politically e.g. the 2016 brexit referendum and the election of trump in the USA. Cambridge Analytica.

[pixie374]

It probably, would have baffled him, untitled, but tbf, that was 1948. As you say, it is at our own convenience. If anyone ends up with total control of us... I'm sure we will all complain. But, paranoia alone, isn't something that bothers most people.

[emmie]

i don't use most personal websites, like putting stuff on social media, facebook, twitter, i refuse to enter that dangerous realm, but you are quite right we are overlooked, on our daily musings on AB for instance, one could be profiled just as easily as in the book, one's weaknesses, one falability and so much more. I have come to the conclusion that some of modern life i don't care for at all. Its not that i actively hate, its not that but a dislike if you like of the way our society is going.

[pixie374]

Fair enough. I much prefer the openness and honesty. I'm 47, and can remember gay people having to keep quiet.

[naomi24]

Pixie at 14.39. You’ve not been paying attention.