In the fictional world of 1984, the Party controlled every aspect of society. Thinking was forbidden, except for by the peasant class proles. Telescreens plagued the city allowing minimal moments of privacy. The people of Oceania respected their leader Big Brother and adhered to his every command. Citizens were given biased news about the rest of the world, and the news of the past could be changed to make the present true. Although the world of 1984 may seem unrealistic, American society today could be just the same.
Everything done or said can be seen or heard. Even within the safety of personal homes, phone calls can be monitored and computers can be hacked into at any time. Out in the public, cameras are in every corner of everywhere, and can see the finest details about anyone. This puts pressure on everyone to always do the right thing, just like the people of Oceania, knowing that someone is always following their every move. .
Everyone listens to people who are in higher authority then they are themselves. If a teacher says be quiet, the student does that. If the principal tells the teacher to be quiet, the teacher does that, and so on. Everyone in this country can be easily controlled; all it takes is someone with more power. President Bush could burst on to every television channel, tell everyone that there is a terrorist attack about to occur and everyone must remain in their home. Due to the fact that he is the president, everyone would do just that without asking any questions. Big Brother had the same effect on his people, controlling them like pawns.
The media is probably the most controlling factor in American lives. People obviously don't see everything, so what they don't see, must be told to them. How do people in Alabama really know the Dodgers won their last home game? They don't, but they must trust ESPN that they are giving them correct information.
