1984 and today

At first I thought 1984 was way different from life today, and we were in no way heading in that direction. Throughout reading the chapters and thinking of how 1984 compares to today’s world is not that far off from our own reality. We do not have televisions in our house that are controlled by the Government or surveillance cameras watching our every move; but we have a television that the news stations are controlled by a select few stations and surveillance cameras are everywhere. Today’s surveillance cameras are everywhere for safety and mostly to prevent theft. I think to myself, how can you live a day without being on camera? You cannot go into a store or in any public building without being caught on camera. Therefore, if a higher power of Government wanted to know where you were everyday, they could do so by these surveillance camera.
I think the book 1984 relates more to the Soviet Union or a communist Government than to the United States. With technology as great as it is, it would be easier for a socialist Government to take control of the people. They could see where the people were going all the time, have surveillance in vehicles, control what type of medical treatment you get, and control how much and when you make and spend your money. I heard someone today fearing that America could take cash off the market and make everything you buy with a card. Without cash you would not be able to lend money to friends, and all of the work you do would have to be taxed and most of all the Government would have total control over the money we make and spend. The socialist Government does not necessarily have to control our thoughts, however; they could control us by having surveillance everywhere and not allowing us to do anything that is considered “law breaking”.