The Paradox of Being a Good Person - George Orwell's Warning to the World

In this video, we explore the life and philosophy of the twentieth century writer George Orwell. How has his worked affected the course of the world, and how have we ignored his warnings about the terrible ways the world might go?

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[PursuitofWonder]

As always, thank you for watching, and I hope you enjoyed.

[suzannecarter]

Orwell’s dark vision, there was another—slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley’s vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think. “What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.” In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us. - from article "Huxley was Right" re Neil Postman's book “Amusing Ourselves to Death” (1985)

[Good_Horsey]

"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the party is always right."

More than an author, Orwell was a prophet.

[obrainys]

I was not the best student in high school but always had interest in social studies. My humanities teacher assigned us 1984 to read when i was probably 17 and still to this day no book has changed my mindset in such a way and so quickly. I will forever thank Orwell for his insight and for what his writings have instilled in me.

[jonathanwright]

The most dangerous thing anyone can say about their home country is “it can’t happen here”.

[DoloresSeurat]

My sister read “1984” in high school, when I was in elementary. She told me what it was about and it terrified me. Now, here I am living it’s reality, and my sister didn’t get to live long enough to see it happen. At least she’s mercifully resting in peace.

[pHixiq]

The hard part about being a genuine good person is the word doesn’t care. Nothing gets easier, people won’t treat you better. But the world around them is a “better place”. There isn’t a real reward


People overlook “good people”. And you’ll know who’s a genuine good person by how they continue to be good even when they know the world couldn’t care less. But everyone has a breaking point ..

[rafadydkiemmacha]

It's scary that so many people are unaware of how full of lies our reality is. It's won't get any better until people understand how the system really works.

[Arthur-uel]

I read 1984 in 85 and it terrorfied me. I thought at the time "this will never happen in America ". Wrong! It's here. People must reject totalitarianism.

[hriditaanisha]

"amalgamation of impoverishment and snobbery" - beautifully put together words

[HeroinYoda]

"I saw, in fact, history being written not in terms of what happened but of what ought to have happened according to various 'party lines'."

[ariavachier-lagravech.]

I think people should be aware that satire stories, dystopian future settings are not just made as a warning, rather its from the author observation of their society taken to an extreme but still resemble their surroundings. Its already happening on George Orwell times and what we are having now is no more than a repeat rather than a new phenomenon.

[jeramiahwarner]

Am I missing something or is the title totally disconnected from the video? You made no claims that were your own. You don’t delve into a paradox about being a good person at all. This was a brief review of two books and a small biography.

[ahmedminhal]

Reading george orwell while living in current Bangladesh gives me chills

[Halorym]

I think its clear that his contempt for intellectuals was actually for the elitist academia. Not the state of being an intellectual, but being a part of that exclusive club that looks down on the ordinary man he preferred. The conflating of intellectualism and academia is deliberate.

[canuckbucks]

No person, nary even a close relation has had more impact on my life than Mr. Orwell. I hitchhiked 30, 000 miles over 4 years without even leaving my birth nation of Canada as I was in search of the type of common and decent folk Orwell spoke of with great relish in, another favourite, "Down and Out in Paris and London". Finding these decent men and women at every corner I was truly rejuvenated by the oh-so-many who took me into their homes, on the long drives through Canadian wilderness and more than a few who, still with pride, shared with me their deepest emotional burdens. Common decency is all we require.

[MercedesCruz-qenj]

"Don't let it happen, it depends on you."

[lightyagami]

recently, people are using unlive, instead of kill because instagram blocks "kill", we are on the right path to have big brother soon.

[rainydays]

I never finished 1984 because of how dark the ending was. I never imagined then, that it was a potential version of the future we were heading towards.

This was almost a decade ago, and now it's apparent that of all of the aspects of "Orwellian Society" is coming to light. What a terrifying thought.

[archieese]

this is my absolutely favourite video of yours so far. As a BANGLADESHI, this video couldn't be more appropriate for me at this moment. Orwell's philosophy aligns with what I've been thinking about these days. Because of the massacre and destruction going on in my country. the public are being misled by the opposition political parties and the government is a bit arrogant and can only handle this so far. another country is about to be destablized and go to the poor list again from developing, just what the superpowers of the world want.
my greatest wish is that humans will be able to think for themselves regardless how much brainwashed they're tried to be done and for them to work brutally to unlock their own greatness.