And 1984 foresaw speech police, wrong-think, and cultural cleansing yada yada....
Nineteen Eighty-Four was written in reaction to totalitarianism, it didn't anticipate it.
Aldous Huxley Foresaw America’s Pill-Popping Addiction
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Re: Aldous Huxley Foresaw America’s Pill-Popping Addiction
#12I hate to be That Guy Who Argues With Everything, but I will. I'm a big fan of Huxley and Brave New World, but he wasn't particularly visionary with Soma. Drug use goes back as far as humankind does because people have been trying to cope with the stress of life since there have been people. If you're looking for a drug that helps with the anxieties of everyday life, alcohol would have my vote. It's been used for tho…
> Valium (and benzodiazepines in general) aren't prescribed as much these days because of their addictive potential.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/01/25/6882878...
What were the prescription rates in the 60s?
Re: Aldous Huxley Foresaw America’s Pill-Popping Addiction
#13[deleted]
Re: Aldous Huxley Foresaw America’s Pill-Popping Addiction
#14I think it is cute that the author trys to make some leap about valium. If Huxley was talking about, or thinking of anything it would have been a more contemporary problem. Though my memory of the book is hazy, I do not recall that Soma was addictive or potentially deadly. The contemporary family of drugs would have been barbiturates, and in the very early days of their use. Well before we knew how bad that they were…
Benzodiazepines are much more difficult to fatally overdose on than barbiturates, which is IMO an important health reason.
Re: Aldous Huxley Foresaw America’s Pill-Popping Addiction
#15Huxley and Orwell saw two dystopian futures in different ways: one, totalitarian and ever watchful government. The other, a society robbed of cognitive and personal agency via societal pressure and medication.
When I was young, I thought Orwell's future was the most dangerous an imminent. Then later Huxley, especially once things like "apps" were created. Now I see they both work together to erode liberty.
Your culture works against the expression of your constitutional rights, especially in certain areas of our country. And of course, if you stop using those liberties you might never notice once they're taken away.
Re: Aldous Huxley Foresaw America’s Pill-Popping Addiction
#16And just 21 years later, Ray Bradbury who wrote Fahrenheit 451 would signal the OD crisis that EMT's face today. https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/451/key-questions/why-does-mi...
He kinda missed the mark on predicting greater ability to suppress information though.
Re: Aldous Huxley Foresaw America’s Pill-Popping Addiction
#17I am a practicing anesthesiologist and I see every day what medications my patients take, because we review preoperatively their in home meds. And it's astonishing that a large chunk of population takes either psychiatric or psychoactive prescription meds plus cannabis, etc. I even have a joke that Americans voluntarily take meds that in Soviet Union were only given to the political prisoners.
Re: Aldous Huxley Foresaw America’s Pill-Popping Addiction
#18Huxley and Orwell saw two dystopian futures in different ways: one, totalitarian and ever watchful government. The other, a society robbed of cognitive and personal agency via societal pressure and medication. When I was young, I thought Orwell's future was the most dangerous an imminent. Then later Huxley, especially once things like "apps" were created. Now I see they both work together to erode liberty. Your cultu…
Huxley wrote a letter to Orwell, claiming that his own prediction of the future would be more likely than the recipient's.
http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/03/1984-v-brave-new-world....
Re: Aldous Huxley Foresaw America’s Pill-Popping Addiction
#19For people who are a fan of Huxley's work, I would recommend taking a look at Island[1]. It contrasts well with the dystopian view of Brave New World by providing a look into other reasons a successful utopia might fall.
Of course, the constant theme of experimentation with hallucinogenics is apparent in this book as well.
1: I listened on Audible while driving, I highly recommend https://www.audible.com/pd/Island-Audiobook/B01L0LZWVO
Re: Aldous Huxley Foresaw America’s Pill-Popping Addiction
#20I hate to be That Guy Who Argues With Everything, but I will. I'm a big fan of Huxley and Brave New World, but he wasn't particularly visionary with Soma. Drug use goes back as far as humankind does because people have been trying to cope with the stress of life since there have been people. If you're looking for a drug that helps with the anxieties of everyday life, alcohol would have my vote. It's been used for tho…
What is interesting is that the same family owned company that created oxycontin also created valium originally. Amazing to think of how much damage one family owned business has done (Purdue Pharma) to an entire nation.