Whoa!
I just came back from a theatrical presentation of Orwell’s 1984. The cast blew my mind, and now there are chunks of brain splattered across the Modlin Center. For two hours, I was completely captivated, so much so that I couldn’t turn the story over in my head to analyze it until several minutes ago. But I must be precise.
Just so we’re on the same page, 1984 is set in a futuristic world where the world is divided up into three totalitarian dystopias. The general idea is that within each society, there is a tiny ruling class, a very small middle class, and then a huge majority of proletarians whose standard of living is absolutely deplorable. Oceana, the nation where the story takes place, is ruled by ‘Big Brother’, complete with surveillance, censorship, brainwashing, etc.
Reflecting on the play, I can’t help but think that America is heading in a similar direction. While it may or may not be abused today, the Patriot Act lays the groundwork for an Orwellian nightmare. Even in its current implementation it has all the necessary components- secret surveillance, secret prisons, the ability of government to strip us of legal representation and imprison us for any reason deemed sufficient. In the post 9/11 era, it seems the voting public is eager to trade freedom for a false sense of security. At least congress hasn’t passed a bill censoring the internet…yet.
Political considerations aside, I was impressed with the quality of the production as a whole, as this was my first foray into theatre at Richmond. The fact that students get to go to these events for free doesn’t hurt either ^_^.
It’s time to let Freedom out of the closet.
