Introduction: 1984

            In the wake of all of the revelations about the NSA’s secret programs to collect bulk amounts of data and tap into people’s lives, I think now is a perfect time to read 1984, written by George Orwell (the pen name of Eric Blair).  Now, before you jump to any conclusions about my interpretation of and feeling towards all of the information about the NSA, let me first say that one of the primary reasons I’m reading this novel is to give me some perspective.

            I think at times bulk collection of data isn’t an issue.  If the individuals working in the government are not able to identify individuals whose information they have collected, then no harm is done.  And if people are identified, it’s probably because they pose some sort of threat, in which case thwarting plots makes the world better.  However, the targeting of individuals (say, in other governments) is completely irresponsible and dishonest.  Trust, in my opinion, is stronger than treaties and pacts, and violating a person’s goodwill and loyalty is not the way to do business and establish/cultivate strong relationships.

            Maybe, however, there are some things the general public shouldn’t know about.  In order to be safe and secure, maybe the people we elect to protect our interests do have the right to collect information on us.  I don’t know.  It’s a really complicated issue, and hopefully reading this book will help me to make more informed decisions and come to more educated conclusions about privacy and government programs.

            This book certainly focuses on one aspect of government control.  On the back of the book, 1984 (and Brave New World) are described as being “not dramas of what life might be…but nightmares of what it is becoming.”  In the description about Orwell, it is stated that “He hated totalitarianism.”  He also left “behind a substantial body of work, a growing reputation for greatness, and the conviction that modern man was inadequate to cope with the demands of his history.”  Reading this book will either reinforce arguments I have already heard, or make me think differently about what is going on now, when we still have some ability to change the course of history.