By Any Means Necessary

George Orwell’s novel, 1984, has become an iconic cultural reference to government control in the 21st Century. In a time where the implemented system, like capitalism or socialism, is brought into question by social uncertainties, whether it would terrorist attacks or economic uncertainty, 1984 is brought out to exemplify the argument for those in favor of the opposing position. The story of Winston’s life in the dystopian society known as Oceania shows the oppression and the lack of rights an individual has when a government has supreme control over a society. The intentions behind the oppressive actions of the totalitarian government in control, in 1984, were to protect the society from the perils of an emotional world and create the closest form of utopian society. Regardless of what country you are in today, a government’s actions mirror those of the authoritative state in Orwell’s novel; protect their society by any means necessary and ensure its future prosperity. However, in doing this, a government must also assure its own future. Therefore, anarchy and resistance towards the system in place cannot be tolerated and must be dealt with swiftly, as seen in 1984 with the concept of the “Thought Police.”
After September 11, the United States government was able to clearly view the extent of the extreme opposition and the danger they brought to the society of America; a society they worked hard to build and perfect, despite its many flaws. For the United States, this society is the closest there is to a Utopia. It was threat that had to be dealt with quickly and prevent at any cause. As a result, the “US Patriot Act” was created on October 26 of 2001, according to the American Civil Liberties Union or ACLU. Some of the things that the “Patriot Act” allows the government to conduct unauthorized searches, access “personal medical, financial, mental health, and student records with minimal judicial oversight,” detain American citizens and non-citizens indefinitely without charges, and expand “ terrorism laws to include ‘domestic terrorism’ which could subject political organizations to surveillance, wiretapping, harassment, and criminal action for political advocacy,” (“The USA PATRIOT ACT and Government Actions that Threaten Our Civil Liberties”). According to the ACLU, the rights provided by the first, fourth, fifth, sixth, eight, and fourteenth amendments were violated by the “Patriot Act.” However, the United States may make the point the abilities given to them by this act ensures that they can keep the public safe from another terrorist attack. Perhaps some rights will be violated but it will be for America’s greater good. On the other side, the opposing view may declare this to be the start of slippery slope in which the government partakes in questionable actions – all for the sake of national security.
Eventually, in the pursuit of a world free of violence and despair, the authoritative state may take more severe actions to ensure the prosperity of whatever society is maintaining that state. Stanley Kubrick’s film A Clockwork Orange is an example of where the slippery slope may lead a government. In the film, a young man named Alex is brainwashed, or “treated,” into believing all sorts of lewd acts are terrible. The intentions of the government portrayed in the film have moved into preventing and controlling for the security of their society. Although the film’s events are still science fiction, the notions presented provide a disturbing window into the possibilities of future government control tactics. Coinciding with the ideas in 1984, Kurt Wimmer’s 2002 film, Equilibrium, the government’s plan to prevent war is to create a world without emotions. All the citizens under this particular authoritative state must take a drug called Prozium in order to prevent any kind of emotional feeling. No feeling means no violence and no war. The loss of individualism ensures the government’s future. Again, though the events are based in a very distant future, the ideas presented capture the Dystopian society.
It may seem that these concepts of government control in the Orwell’s 1984 are still farfetched but the reality is that they have already been introduced into our society in more subtle ways. In his essay, “Where did the Future Go?” Randy Martin stated that “In 1983, then Secretary of Education William Bennett issued the polemic ‘A Nation At Risk’ which fingered low test scores among public school children as a threat to national security,” which lead to higher standards comprised in the act known as “No Child Left Behind.” The government inserted themselves into the lives of young people through education for the reason of ensuring that they are prepared to continue the prosperity of the current state that maintains the government, like the plot of A Clockwork Orange.

Works Cited

A Clockwork Orange. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Warner Bros., 1971.

Equilibrium. Dir. Kurt Wimmer. Dimension Films, 2002.

Martin, Randy. "Where Did the Future Go?" Logos 5.1 (2006): 1-12. Logosonline. 5 Oct. 2009 <http://www.logosjournal.com/issue_5.1/martin.htm>

Orwell, George. 1984. New York: New American Library, 1961.

“The USA PATRIOT ACT and Government Actions that Threaten Our Civil Liberties.” American Civil Liberties Union. 9 Nov. 2009