In 1984, the Thought Police analyzed the lives of people. They looked at their daily actions, whether or not they went to work, what they did at work, what they did at home, whether or not they showed up to mandatory meetings, and whether or not they led a private life. They also sought to get into the minds of the citizens and make sure that the government even controlled their lives. Ultimately, the Thought Police were looking for any form of dissent or any thing that didn't follow the laws and rules of the ruling Party. Anything that could destroy their world. Sexual pleasure, writing, reading, alone time, history, all of it was regulated by the government. Language was changed from old English to newspeak.
Big Brother and the Party ran life even in a land without laws. History was controlled by the party. If you were killed, your name was erased from the records, essentially making you an "unperson." You never existed. Even those who knew you, forgot about you after a while because there was no reinforcement of your existence.
The privacy of your own home was also destroyed. Through the telescreen, you could be watched by the thought police, examined for any unorthodox behaviors and destroyed. Children aided in this practice by being trained to and utilized to spy on their parents and look for anything that was not acceptable in the eyes of the party. It was hard for parents to stay alive because of this, and it resulted in a lot of families being destroyed very early on.
Modern day, America faces a similar problem. Edward Snowden has been revealing the extent of NSA's actions in terms of Surveillance. Facebook lets the government access old messages on a whim. The Patriot Act allows the government to monitor your online interactions at a whim, without notifying you.
Brought to you from Airstrip 37, previously known as Cleveland.
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