Dandelion Break Another Tech Bro, Another Vision of Dystopia

[AgentPete]

The world’s second-wealthiest man, Larry Ellison, has a vision for humanity built around the idea of 24/7 surveillance, everywhere, all the time.

“Citizens will be on their best behavior because we are constantly recording and reporting everything that's going on," he says.

Ellison is a tech bro (well, tech boomer really) with the funds and ambition to make this happen. And no doubt would make a pretty penny out of it, too.

One of the several things about tech bros that pisses me off (apologies) is that they don’t seem to have ever read any books, certainly not classics like, oh I don’t know… Orwell’s 1984?

I guess once you have so many billions, you don’t need culture.

 

[Pamela Jo]

Fucking Hell. These guys make the East India Company look like the Boy Scouts.

I read Orwell when I was maybe 12 or so and the question that has followed me ever since is, " If it takes the thing you fear the most to break you-what would that be for me?"
I've battled rats. I figure I could take one while I still have all my teeth.

I'm beginning to think the worst thing for me would be an underground bunker with these guys.

They obviously plan to survive the apocalypse and or revolution of the proles that they are setting up. What kind of miserable existence would that be. I predict they Macbeth each other til none are left.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I bet he did read 1984, and he thought it was some sort of user manual... sounded great to him.

 

[AgentPete]

I bet he did read 1984, and he thought it was some sort of user manual... sounded great to him.

Well yes, I think you’ve put your finger on a real concern, at least for writers of dystopiana… What if some readers do take it as a how-to book…? p.