I've seen a lot of posts asking about if the people in Brave New World are happy (myself included) and while that's something to think about, I think we should consider and think if we ourselves are happy. Yes, we have everything we could want at our fingertips, but at what costs? Most Americans ignore the countries stricken with poverty without caring. As long as we can have the newest iPhone or Call of Duty game we will not complain. In return we pay taxes, follow laws, and go about our lives quietly. As long as we have the things that make our lives comfortable we will never create and uprising. Sure, we have our freedom, but to what extent?
Its obvious our government hides things from the public, its obvious we cannot simply do whatever we want at anytime (such as walk onto private property, purchase a mansion, ect) because you must have the means to do so, and doesn't our society run on cash? Just like in Brave New World we buy new things whenever something becomes ripped or dirty, we only care for what benefits us as a society, and we immediately expel any type of force that comes in and threatens to destroy our consumer happiness. We even have our own version of Soma (anti-depressants)
In our society we have children, we form bonds with them and then we have to send them off to college or the navy. Most parents are extremely saddened at the loss of their kids. We also become aggravated if our favorite restaurant is closed, or if we blow a tire on our cars. We never really consider the fact that there are people who would love to be able to have food at home, or who walk to work 4 miles every day. So, are we really happy, or are we simply spoiled into thinking that we are content? While I do genuinely think that there are people out there who are happy and making a difference, I'm focusing more on the average american. Of course, there will always be a mother Theresa, or the next Martin Luther King Jr. but those are the out of the blue cases. Is the average American content?
I believe the average American is content as long as, as you stated, they are comfortable. But this comfort has been taken for granted by us Americans and is expected. If comfort is all it takes to keep the United States a peaceful country, then the government probably does not want to take that comfort away by informing us of things that would otherwise upset us. In doing so, the government and entertainment industry have made us ignorant. To ask if the average American is content would be to ask if the average American enjoys living in a state of ignorance.
ReplyDelete