Wednesday, August 27, 2008

America 2014: An Orwellian Tale

By Dawn Blair

A review.

You have heard me rant before, but I think even Calvary Chapel never made me as mad as this book did. It is a fairly easy book to read as it is obviously for the suggestible and simpleminded.
America 2014: An Orwellian Tale is very simple in plot: George Bush never gives up power. Yeah, real original. The Department of Homeland Security becomes the Ministry of Peace, the secretary of state Big Brother, etc. the “new” Winston Smith is making a movie about, well, himself, when the Evil Government decides to execute him, I guess because it sounded like fun. Now, had the book stopped there, with his execution via rats or something similar to the book I would have just been pissed, but no, they had to give the reader what they want and completely destroy any poetry or meaning by having Winston broken out of prison by a hot chick. How very feministic. You get the point, it’s a super left-wing, bordering on radical, version of 1984.
Now, I’m not the biggest fan of Bush. I think he’s screwed up more than a few times but he has done a lot of good things too, not that we hear about that. So I write this, not as a crazy right-wing blogger, but as a reader. My anger here is not from the insane political opinions expressed in this “book” (I do live near Madison, so its not like I’m not used to it) but from the literary butchering of one of the greatest books of the twentieth century.
What really ticks me off is this: what was it Orwell wrote 1984 about? The evils of over-politicization, especially propaganda. What is this book that claims his cause? PROPAGANDA!!! The whole book is a big piece of left-wing propaganda. This is ridiculous. Orwell would have a fit if he were alive, he would call this person worse names than I, and probably sue, as well he should. And of course the church is in there, and the nation becomes “God’s United States” because we can’t let those evil Christians off the hook.
Now while this book claims to be “Orwellian” and therefore against the mainstream, the pressures of society and popular opinion, it is not, it is the opposite. It is like the book-within-a-book in 1984, it is fake resistance material produced by the malicious power. This is a book published not against Big Brother, but by Big Brother.
Thankfully, I spent no money on the book, but got it from the library. If any of you want to slay your soul with this drivel, please don’t spend a cent on it to support this resentful hag and her opinions. This woman has done a crime against literature, a crime against art, and a crime against the human mind.
The back proclaims the book “controversial” but it is not, it is just pretentious people bastardizing a good book and trying to enslave our minds to their little opinions. It is wrong, but I am sure they are very smug and pleased with themselves. And have I mentioned the writing? This woman needs a basic grade-school creative writing course.
The moral of this rant? Very simple: think for yourself. Do not allow others, authors or peers to pressure you into thinking one way or the other. Escape the Lockdown, think for yourself.

6 comments:

Robin said...

Hm. I have never read this book, but now that I have heard such dreadful things about it, I must find a copy as soon as possible.

But I must raise an objection to this rant, and that is, are you not, by telling us poor wee lemmings not to be pressured into thinking a certain way, pressuring us into thinking a certain way?

Bruce Gee said...

Hey Mental Llama, you're the one with mental in his blog name. Why would we read you if we didn't want you to tell us how to think?

I dunno. Whaddaya think?

Bob son of Bob said...

heh, touche. waht i'm doing is pressuring you to form your own opinions, to decide for yourself if others' propaganda is correct.

i think yes, i'll be happy to tell you what i want you to think :)

Šørën Kïêrkêgåårð said...

I liked your rant. I know I'm late on leaving a comment, but the black background and white text make my eyes feel weird and everything runs together.

I haven't read 1984, or Animal Farm. I have been meaning to read Down and Out in Paris and London.
Still haven't gotten to it yet, I'm getting over having just read Equus. Don't think I'll be seeing it live any time soon. (Especially not at those prices!)

Šørën Kïêrkêgåårð said...

BOB!!! THE ELECTION IS TOMORROW ARE YOU EXCITED?!?! I AM!!!

Robin said...

Well, I'm almost done with this book (Only four or five more chapters to go), and I'm inclined to agree with pretty much everything you've said about it; it does suck.
It obsessively hates Bush, and doesn't even bother to disguise that fact(FOXY News? I still can't get over that one), partially lust-driven(How are we supposed to sympathize with a cowardly MC who can't keep out of the pants of every cute girl he comes across??), and all in all propagandic(if that isn't a word, it is now).

It's going to take a LOT of Bradbury and Alexander to cleanse this woman's trash from my mind.