The irony is sublime
Today, June 8, 2024, marks the 75th anniversary of George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ and it was commemorated by the BBC
BBC Radio 4 marked the occasion with a series of special readings by notable actors. The novel, published in 1949, depicts a totalitarian society under the control of ‘Big Brother’ and explores themes of surveillance, manipulation of facts, and the struggle for truth.
George Orwell (Eric Blair) worked at the BBC between 1941 and 1943 on propaganda and it was in observing what went on there that helped inspire him. This is what he said when he resigned..
I am tendering my resignation because for some time past I have been conscious that I was wasting my own time and the public money on doing work that produces no result.
The dystopian “Ministry of Truth” was modelled on the BBC and that was back then. The BBC is so much worse now than it ever was then. Bob Moran’s cartoon makes this point!
One of the strange things about the BBC is that is seems totally unaware of the fact that it is part of the very monster that Orwel portrayed. The BBC does nothing BUT manipulate facts and seeks to set itself up as the ultimate arbitrator of truth. I have long argued that it is neo-Stalanist anachronism and that the wicked license tax it imposes on us all must be revoked!
David Vance SubstackRead More
The irony is sublime
Today, June 8, 2024, marks the 75th anniversary of George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ and it was commemorated by the BBC
BBC Radio 4 marked the occasion with a series of special readings by notable actors. The novel, published in 1949, depicts a totalitarian society under the control of ‘Big Brother’ and explores themes of surveillance, manipulation of facts, and the struggle for truth.
George Orwell (Eric Blair) worked at the BBC between 1941 and 1943 on propaganda and it was in observing what went on there that helped inspire him. This is what he said when he resigned..
I am tendering my resignation because for some time past I have been conscious that I was wasting my own time and the public money on doing work that produces no result.
The dystopian “Ministry of Truth” was modelled on the BBC and that was back then. The BBC is so much worse now than it ever was then. Bob Moran’s cartoon makes this point!
One of the strange things about the BBC is that is seems totally unaware of the fact that it is part of the very monster that Orwel portrayed. The BBC does nothing BUT manipulate facts and seeks to set itself up as the ultimate arbitrator of truth. I have long argued that it is neo-Stalanist anachronism and that the wicked license tax it imposes on us all must be revoked!
David Vance Substack
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