1984 and reality TV

• Comments (0)

Just read George Orwell's 1984 for the first time as research for a new book. There were some unsettling parallels with the novel and our present times.

1) The dictatorship in 1984 relied on a state of perpetual war to galvanise and motivate the population. Bush's declaration that the vague shadowy 'War on Terror' may last hundreds of years seems to prepare us for a state of continual (though sometimes non-existent) war.

2) The constant surveillance society of 1984 is coming to us. Since 911 more than a million cctv cameras have been placed in London alone. Our mobile phones, our credit card transactions, our internet access all give away our locations and activities.

3) The destruction of the English language in 1984 (called NewSpeak) can be seen in the falling standards of education. The dictatorship's reasoning was that if you limit the number and type of words available for thought, you can control the thoughts or at least limit the thoughts of the population, because they have no words to express unauthorised thoughts.

4) The papers for the plebs in 1984 were filled with sex and sport. Hmm.

5) In 1984, even a person's mind was not allowed to be private. The dictatorship employed methods to work out the hidden thoughts of the person. They were already watching Winston Smith, before his rebellion moved from subconsciousness to consciousness. Our own governments are working on mind-reading methods and equipment.

6) The regime in 1984 did not rely on individuals, what mattered was that the policies and the grip on power were maintained. People die but doctrines are eternal. In much the same way, in our democracy the various oppossing parties appear to resemble each other more with time. What choice when all parties espouse the same views and occupy the middle ground?

Our world won't mirror closely 1984, because those interested in power will seek to avoid blatant similarities. However, I do think that the present world is equally as invasive, equally as powerful. But the powers that are (and have been) have learned subtlety. They have actually changed the mindset of the public through systems like reality TV.

The greatest fear of most people in society is not that Big Brother is watching us but that Big Brother is NOT watching us.

Free advertising.

• Comments (0)

There's been a big furore about the sexualisation of young children through advertising and the media but the dangerously mixed messages to certain sectors of our society still filter through.

Where are the parents when their kids put on clothes with the words Sexy, Foxy or Gorgeous emblazoned across them? The answer is that they probably bought them while signing petitions to keep X-offenders out of their town. Hmm!

The sight of a salsa troupe of eight- or nine-year-olds on Strictly Come Dancing dressed in two-piece costumes was a little disturbing. More unsettling is the Persil ad with the young child who wants to become a penguin, which contains an unnecessary under-the-table shot of the the child's legs and waist.

Worse still is the trend to buy Playboy branded clothes and accesories for children. When I asked a family member why they were buying their child a range of those items for Christmas the answer was "She only sees a rabbit design."

Am I the only person in the UK that is disturbed by the funding of a sex empire through sales to children. Plus certain adults will take the image and its association with children in the wrong way. Children may not be old enough to realise the significance of the pretty image but when they are older they will associate the logo with pleasant childhood memories as opposed to the reality and its current brand image.

The great mind-shapers of the world understood the philosophy: Get into a kid's brain and you're in there for their lifetime. Seems like Heffner's read the same book too.

Drugs

• Comments (3)

Someone on the Google group uk.local.south-wales recently came out with the same tired old argument for legalising 'soft' drugs.

I quote:
"Any drug with medical benefits should be taken seriously, and not condemned because they have street abuse. Marijuana is a powerful drug for the treatment of glaucoma; a friend of mine uses it yet he is breaking the law here in the US. He has to get the drug on the street, and risks arrest. Yet, alcohol, one of the most addictive drugs in the world, and one of the deadliest, is freely available to anyone who is of legal age. Go figure."

Several others echoed the sentiments that as banned drugs caused less deaths than alcohol, we should legalise drugs.

Someone replied:

"I totally agree with the reasoning that as alcohol is more dangerous than our favourite tipple of mind-altering chemicals, let's legalise them all. But i don't want to stop there. Knives have killed more people than guns throughout history but knives are freely available in SHOPS!!??!! In fact you can go to any canteen and see children as young as three wielding these murderous things. So please let's legalise guns. After all guns don't kill, it's misuse of guns that kill."

Someone replied:

"Yeah right. Are you an American by any chance?"

Hmm! Seems they missed the point.

The reply:

"If i was American, would I need to ask for legalising guns? :-) I include all history in my reasoning that guns are less dangerous than knives - so let's legalise guns NOW - it's the commonsense logical view."

I agree with the lone voice in a world of feeble logic. Just because one thing is less dangerous than another, it doesn't reduce the element of danger to society. Tigers kill less people than alcohol but I'd prefer to see a pub on the street corner than a tiger.

Robbing Robin Hood

• Comments (0)

Today, Welsh TV embarrased itself with the ludicrous claim that Robin of Loxley is (in actual fact) Welsh. According to the TV article, the evidence is that Wales once had as many trees as Sherwood Forest, that the Welsh could use longbows to good effect, and ... err ... that was all the evidence, actually. Oh, and maybe Loxley is a corruption of Aberbeeg. Not.

This flimsy whimsy was judged worth of five minutes of principality airtime. What next? Attila the Hun came from Swansea? Columbus launched his expedition from Trecco Bay? I can only thank God that Welsh TV coverage is so feeble that no Englisher viewers will have been tuned in, wetting their pants in hilarity.

Why do we feel so insecure about our integral importance to the global community that we have to keep stealing other cultures' icons? We do it all the time. The Welsh Posh and Becks is one example when the couple in question was a love-struck giggly teen and a half-decent rugger player. Nothing like the 'real' article, at all.

In The Mythmakers, my first novel, I took this idea to the extreme by making the nonsensical claim that a local Welsh band was the 'Welsh Manic Street Preachers'.

How long before desperate media chiefs try hoisting that on us, eh?

Welsh Culture - Part 2

• Comments (0)

The delightful Tom Jones. Ambassador for Wales or Celebrity Bar Steward?

Why did the media and the public go wild over Tom's concert in Ponty park last year? It made the Principality's headlines and enthusiatically jabbering interviewees repeated statements like: "Tom hasn't forgotten his roots" and "He's giving something back to Wales."

Hello? Tom has been living in Las Vegas longer than he's been in Wales. And did he throw a free concert to say thanks to us for the support through the early years? Nope. He charged the public for entry and - in a double whammy - charged the media for the coverage.

We were sold another tidbit fable from the heady heights of Celebrity Mount Olympus. Far from the public perception of Tom giving something back to us, the fact was that he came here and took a shedload of our money back to Las Vegas with him. Next time bring the Highwayman's mask with you, Tom. Whatever you do, don't get me started on Max Boyce or Anthony Hopkins.

Celebrities - the strongest argument in the debate for the return of hanging. Yes or No?

Welsh Culture - Part 1

• Comments (1)

My gripe with Welsh TV is the continual search for a quick-fix culture. How often have we heard that Church and Henson are the Welsh Posh and Becks? That Catherine Zeta Jones comes from Swansea?

Church and Henson should be their own creation not hoisted on us as a pale imitation of someone else's cultural icons. We diss England and America then imitate them when we should be creating our own cultural identity. As soon as our stars are big enough and wealthy enough, they generally (with a few notable exceptions) sod off abroad. Stars that 'came from ... (add your own discarded town here)' have shown us in their actions what they think of their roots. Yes?

The paradox is that in the current resurgence of Welsh independence and autonomy, we strive to copy than be confident of our own worth and contribution to the world community.

Is this an example of short-cut lazy TV journalism? Or are we, as consumers, to blame?

Here's a link to my first novel, which dealt with the idea of culture and celebrity in contemporary Wales.