In 1984, what events were held to commemorate Orwell's book? Did newspaper editorial writers or political cartoonists ever compare their era to the world where the clock strikes thirteen?

by sunagainstgold

"Big Brother" is a common trope in the media today, but what about in actual 1984?

sh24

Your question inspired me to do the research and seek if there was, in fact, some sort of commemoration. I found out some articles that use it as a jumping board to explore other topics. There is an article that celebrates the death of "Big Brother", a system of security cameras to be installed on Miami Beach. On this particular instance the celebration comes from the fact that courts had decided that no privacy laws had been breached ^1.

Another article, this one published in mid December 1983, uses 1984 and its topics to start a discussion about the totalitarian world of 1984. In addition, there is a proposition that every generation has their own opinion of what a totalitarian state is; for Orwell it was the end of private life ^2.

There are other articles that explore Orwell's life, his state of mind and the events that inspired 1984 ^3 ^4 ^5

This is actually a great topic that I hope someone else expands on. I wasn't able to find a satisfactory answer either, but I do know that the year sparked a discussion about Orwell, his life, and the current state of the world.


^1 Call-Chronicle, Sunday. "BIG BROTHER' DIES IN 1984." Morning CallJul 22 1984.

^2 Gleason, Abbott. "totalitarianism" in 1984”. The Russian Review 43.2 (1984): 145–159.

^3 "REVIEW & OUTLOOK (Editorial): The Inspiration of 1984." Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition ed.: 1. Jan 02 1984.

^4 "REVIEW & OUTLOOK (Editorial): 1984: The Year that was." Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition ed.: 1. Dec 28 1984

^5 "Letters to the Editor: Happy '1984,' by George|." Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition ed.: 1. Jan 02 1984.

grantimatter

This is pertinent only to your sub-question, but in actual 1984, Orwell's novel was a pretty huge trope in punk rock protests against Thatcher and Reagan.

The Dead Kennedys in particular - their album artwork was usually credited to "Winston Smith," and their song "California Uber Alles" (recorded in 1979) has lyrics like "Big Bro on white horse is near" and paints a kind of fever-vision of hippie fascism that starts, "Now it is 1984...".

They re-wrote the song as "We've Got A Bigger Problem Now" when another California governor, Ronald Reagan, got elected.

By the time of the re-election in 1984, the record label run by the band, Alternative Tentacles, was shaping into more of a social force than the music put out by the band. (The police raids on the label that led to the Frankenchrist obscenity trial took place the next year.)


Maybe closer to what you were thinking was Nam June Paik's video/satellite art piece "Good Morning, Mr. Orwell" - a kind of collaborative installation/broadcast on New Year's Day that incorporated Allen Ginsberg, Laurie Anderson, Merce Cunningham, Peter Gabriel, Salvador Dali, Oingo Boingo, John Cage and a few others.

It was something like a telethon or conceptual art variety show broadcast from Paris, New York, Seoul, and West Germany. George Plimpton was the host. According to Wikipedia, it attracted 25 million viewers worldwide.