EASTENDERS "1984" EPISODE

To Orwell Today,

Hi Jackie,

I think you'll be pleased to know that ORWELL'S 1984 was discussed between two of the young main characters in the BBC TV's most popular british soap, Eastenders, shown yesterday evening.

The book was the cause of a disagreement and falling out between them. The girl trainee nurse student was trying to persuade her young man (veg stallholder/jack the lad) Martin, to read the book, without success. He listened to all her comments that "ORWELL foretold what is happening here today...We're all being watched all the time by BIG BROTHER with CCTV everywhere...and there's the ID cards." However, her partner found any excuse imaginable to not start reading the copy of ORWELL'S 1984 which she had loaned him. He was obviously playing the role of a disinterested PROLE.

It's interesting that it was aired and discussed the evening prior to the 3rd reading of the ID cards Bill, which is actually voted on in the uk parliament today.

Regards,
Raymond Wills

Hi Raymond,

Wow, it sounds like a true-to-life depiction of a typical day-in-the-life of an Orwell crusader trying to get someone to read "1984". It's no easy task.

I know many people who say that one day they'll read "1984" but that one day never comes.... Wait a minute, I take that back. A few months ago a friend of mine came across a copy of "1984" in a garage-sale and told me she was going to read it. I thought to myself 'yeah, sure' but didn't say anything. Then the next time I talked to her - a few weeks later - she said she was halfway through reading it and LOVED it and had a list of very specific questions which she wanted answered but which I said would be best answered once she finished it (which I still partially doubted she'd do). Then I saw her again last week and she had finally finished it and absolutely LOVED it. She says she tells everyone she meets that they MUST read it. So now she has become an Orwell crusader, extolling the virtues of "1984".

She says that she has never read a book that so perfectly explains exactly everything that is going on around us and that it has opened her eyes like nothing else in her history of reading. She admires Orwell so much for writing that book that she actually believes he was inspired.

So there is hope for all those Orwell crusaders out there. Keep on keeping on.

All the best,
Jackie Jura

PS - Probably the reason they aired that "1984" episode at the same time as they are introducing ID cards is so that they can cover-their-psychological-asses by saying to themselves "No one can say we didn't warn them - we told them about '1984' and suggested that they read it (through the student nurse) but obviously they aren't interested (through the working man) and so obviously they (the people) don't disapprove. They know what's good for them and what's important," etc etc. Another reason they might have arranged to have it aired at this particular time is because they enjoy throwing our stupidity in our faces.

PPS - In pubs here in Canada it is pretty difficult to have an intelligent conversation even if a person wanted to because mind-numbing music is blaring non-stop and so are gambling machines and other distractions for the light of thought, not least of all the television screens tuned into sports that are flickering everywhere.

3.Surveillance and 20.Thought Police and 23.The Proles and 16.Ministry of Truth and 25.Prolefeed

Jackie Jura
~ an independent researcher monitoring local, national and international events ~

email: orwelltoday@gmail.com
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