*THE ROAD TO WIGAN PIER* is his best book, in my opinion. It is more relevant today than when he wrote it because the conditions of the working people described therein are almost identical to those of the working poor in Am3ric4 and the UK today. Nothing has changed except running hot water and no coal dust, otherwise, the conditions are the same, old RV's as homes have replaced old gypsy caravans but fundamentally its the same.
Fascinating parallel! While our video focused more on Animal Farm and his essays, you make an incredibly powerful point about Wigan Pier's modern relevance. The fact that we can swap coal dust for modern struggles but keep the core narrative intact is exactly the kind of observation Orwell would appreciate. Maybe we should do a follow-up video specifically on Wigan Pier and these modern parallels you've highlighted - would you be interested in that? 📚
@@PortraitsinTimePodcast - Yes I would love to know your views on "THE ROAD TO WIGAN PIER", I was shocked how the practices of bosses and landlords in 1935 industrial Britain were the exact same as bosses and landlords across the west today, how injured miners were made to collect their sick pay in person standing in the cold on crutches in line just to be deliberately cruel to them - mirrored in the performative cruelty to disabled people in the UK over the last 14 years. How we knew in 1935 that processed food was bad for you, yet its still the basic food of the masses today.
*ONE POINT* most Westerners and definitely most Am3ric4ns see his criticism of the USSR as a direct criticism of communism as they are inexorably linked in their minds. NO. He was criticising the totalitarian Stalin state NOT the economic system. It would be like believing a criticism of Trump's Am3ric4 to be a criticism of capitalism
Exactly! As we highlight in the video, Orwell was actually a committed socialist who lived among the working class by choice. His target wasn't the economic system, but rather the betrayal of socialist ideals by totalitarian regimes. This is especially clear in the unpublished preface to Animal Farm we discussed, where his concern was specifically about Stalin's regime and the West's naive acceptance of it. Thanks for helping clarify this common misconception! 🎯
Thanks for your insightful comment! The word 'blindly' in the title reflects Orwell's concern about how societies can unknowingly drift towards oppression. In the video, we discuss how self-censorship and unquestioning acceptance of narratives contribute to this 'blind' slide. It's meant to provoke thought about how our everyday choices might shape an unintended future. But you raise a great point - how would you phrase it to better capture Orwell's warning?
We aren't blind, we're willingly ignorant in our decadence. Every time we have the choice of giving up a little comfort to make the world a better place for everyone we choose our personal comfort and luxury because we feel entitled to the western silver spoon.
*THE ROAD TO WIGAN PIER* is his best book, in my opinion. It is more relevant today than when he wrote it because the conditions of the working people described therein are almost identical to those of the working poor in Am3ric4 and the UK today. Nothing has changed except running hot water and no coal dust, otherwise, the conditions are the same, old RV's as homes have replaced old gypsy caravans but fundamentally its the same.
Fascinating parallel! While our video focused more on Animal Farm and his essays, you make an incredibly powerful point about Wigan Pier's modern relevance. The fact that we can swap coal dust for modern struggles but keep the core narrative intact is exactly the kind of observation Orwell would appreciate. Maybe we should do a follow-up video specifically on Wigan Pier and these modern parallels you've highlighted - would you be interested in that? 📚
@@PortraitsinTimePodcast - Yes I would love to know your views on "THE ROAD TO WIGAN PIER", I was shocked how the practices of bosses and landlords in 1935 industrial Britain were the exact same as bosses and landlords across the west today, how injured miners were made to collect their sick pay in person standing in the cold on crutches in line just to be deliberately cruel to them - mirrored in the performative cruelty to disabled people in the UK over the last 14 years. How we knew in 1935 that processed food was bad for you, yet its still the basic food of the masses today.
We'll do!
*ONE POINT* most Westerners and definitely most Am3ric4ns see his criticism of the USSR as a direct criticism of communism as they are inexorably linked in their minds. NO.
He was criticising the totalitarian Stalin state NOT the economic system. It would be like believing a criticism of Trump's Am3ric4 to be a criticism of capitalism
Exactly! As we highlight in the video, Orwell was actually a committed socialist who lived among the working class by choice. His target wasn't the economic system, but rather the betrayal of socialist ideals by totalitarian regimes. This is especially clear in the unpublished preface to Animal Farm we discussed, where his concern was specifically about Stalin's regime and the West's naive acceptance of it. Thanks for helping clarify this common misconception! 🎯
It's not " blindly".
Thanks for your insightful comment! The word 'blindly' in the title reflects Orwell's concern about how societies can unknowingly drift towards oppression. In the video, we discuss how self-censorship and unquestioning acceptance of narratives contribute to this 'blind' slide. It's meant to provoke thought about how our everyday choices might shape an unintended future. But you raise a great point - how would you phrase it to better capture Orwell's warning?
We aren't blind, we're willingly ignorant in our decadence. Every time we have the choice of giving up a little comfort to make the world a better place for everyone we choose our personal comfort and luxury because we feel entitled to the western silver spoon.