[107822] in Cypherpunks
Re: _1984_ vs _This_Perfect_Day_
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Tim May)
Sun Jan 24 21:20:03 1999
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.3.96.990124194454.25063A-100000@albert>
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1999 18:00:51 -0800
To: mgraffam@idsi.net, Jean-Francois Avon <jf_avon@citenet.net>
From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Cc: Canadian Firearm Digest <cdn-firearms-digest@broadway.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca>,
Cypherpunks <cypherpunks@toad.com>,
Le =?iso-8859-1?Q?Qu=E9becois?= Libre <libre@colba.net>,
Sporting Shooters Association of Australia <Sporting.Shooters.Association@adelaide.on.net>
Reply-To: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
At 5:02 PM -0800 1/24/99, mgraffam@idsi.net wrote:
>On Sun, 24 Jan 1999, Jean-Francois Avon wrote:
>
>> Everybody knows George Orwell's story pretty well. In that story,
>> essentially, the main character revolts against the system but in the end
>> loses to it. It not only loses physically but also morally. The main
>> character ends up with a broken mind and will and is only a shadow of
>>what he
>> used to be. The conclusion conveyed by this book is that there's no
>>way you
>> can win against a big government.
>
>I'd say there is a more fundamental lesson to 1984 than that. While it is
>true that Winston failed, I think it is clear that Orwell's message was
>that Winston still had to try. The way that Orwell portrays the time that
>Winston and Julia spent together in pure defiance of the Party is telling.
>
>To my mind, Orwell makes it clear while an individual may (even must)
>fail, nevertheless, the only worthwhile way to live is in rebellion.
I was going to write a response, emphasizing the incredible role Orwell
played in shaping our memes for understanding the political world, then I
saw the terribly inappropriate set of diverse mailing lists.
Fuck this kind of massive cross-posting.
--Tim May
Y2K -- Where were you when the lights went out?
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
ComSec 3DES: 831-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Licensed Ontologist | black markets, collapse of governments.
