China in 2019 and the Book of 1984

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Compare 2019 China with the Book 1984
In the book 1984, George Orwell imagined a world where people are under the control of a totalitarian state. In this world, people’s movements, speech, comments, and involvement in various activities were monitored, and there were consequences for anything that was deemed to be outside what was allowed. Through the availability of screens and the presence of cutting-edge technology, citizens are closely monitored and fed government propaganda and forced to conform to ideologies that glorify the government. The words BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU are repeated in the book to showcase the presence of a government that was keen to keep tabs on its citizens. By feeding people propaganda, the government in Orwell’s book is making sure they never get to pursue that which is different or adopt ideas that differ from the government’s. Today, the world has many social media platforms which collect people’s comments, gestures, purchases, etc. and then feeds this data to an omniscient being or presence that predicts how we live and respond to different things. In China today, there is a lot of censorship and people are closely monitored, and it is possible to get punished for one’s comment, like, or post on social media. The government is working around the clock to ensure that everyone is kept at bay and that there are no political aggressors feeding people ‘poison.’ In this article, therefore, the aim is to argue that 2019 China is more like the world Orwell imagined in his book 1984.
The first thing that compares 2019 China to Orwell’s imagined world in 1984 is the use of propaganda. The book in one instance talks about a museum which as is described was used for propaganda. “Winston knew the place well. It was a museum used for propaganda displays of various kinds – scale models of rocket bombs and Floating Fortresses, waxwork tableaux illustrating enemy atrocities, and the like” (125). In another instance, as the people are protesting, they appear irate at the use of “lying propaganda” as well as other atrocities including but not limited to “deportations, lootings, rapings, torture of prisoners, the bombing of civilians, broken treaties” etc. The use of propaganda is not new in governments today. Propaganda is used to control the public narrative and to make people focus on the less important matters. Ma’s 2018 article provides a clear description of how 2019 China has mastered the art of using propaganda to blind its citizens from the atrocities happening within their country. She notes that “Beijing has a rich playbook of tactics to keep its 1.4 billion citizens from learning about the country’s repression and abuse of human rights.” One of the ways the government does this is through the use of “pro-government social media posts.” In her article, Ma provides several examples with one being: “Carry the red flag stained with the blood of our forefathers, and unswervingly follow the path of the CPP!” This message asks people to practice loyalty and to remain patriotic by following in the footsteps of CPP. However, ...