Why We're Doomed (and Other Thoughts for a Happy Weekend)

Yesterday, in class, a student was doing a presentation on the novel 1984. (It was his choice, so don't roll your eyes at me, young man/woman. I'm not pushing my anti-groupthink agenda in class. Much.) The project, based on an assignment my kids do in grade school called "The Mystery Bag," was for my students to read a sci-fi novel, picked off of a list I provided, and then to summarize the book for the class and to present four objects that had significance in the plot and themes -- to explain why the objects are important to the story.

(1984 just yielded the cutest little stuffed rats...)

Anyway, at one point, my student pulled out a thesaurus. He went on to explain that he went to numerous bookstores looking for a dictionary because he wanted to explain the concept of the government changing words in books -- changing meanings of words -- in order to control the population. He then made what I think was a brilliant observation.

Why I'm Wrong About Mostly Everything

My perspective has been all wrong. As one gets older, other people don't lose sight of what is proper and right. What really happens is that, as you get older, you become wrong about what is proper and right. If everyone else thinks things should be a certain way, you are not the lone keeper of truth -- you are a rebel thinker; you are incorrect in your assumptions. If "perception is reality," and you perceive things differently than everyone else does, you are out of touch with reality, especially when it comes to social issues.

A young -- and highly respected -- former student responded to my recent (satirical) "The Emperor Decrees" post about sports. His contention is that that showboating and arrogance in professional athletics, today, is just part of the game. He also believes that a player's behavior off of the field is irrelevant. I disagree, on both counts. It's why I have stopped watching certain sports.

Anecdotal evidence tells me that my former student's contemporaries mostly feel the same way as he does; therefore, I am wrong. Period.

Recently, I had a conversation with someone slightly older than myself. I mentioned that I recently saw a statement that maintains that the average Londoner is captured on surveillance cameras hundreds of times a day. Shaking my head, sorrowfully, I also mentioned the intended use of drone surveillance machines by police departments. Expecting to hear "Good God. Orwell was right," instead, I heard, "Well, it's necessary with terrorism these days."