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The book publisher Penguin is printing more copies of George Orwell's dystopian classic "1984" in response to a sudden surge of demand.
On Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning the book was #1 on Amazon's computer-generated list of best-selling books.
[...] "We put through a 75,000 copy reprint this week. That is a substantial reprint and larger than our typical reprint for '1984,'" a Penguin spokesman told CNNMoney Tuesday evening.
[...] According to Nielsen BookScan, which measures most but not all book sales in the United States, "1984" sold 47,000 copies in print since Election Day in November. That is up from 36,000 copies over the same period the prior year.
When the submitter visited amazon.com, the book was ranked #3.
Additional coverage:
- Los Angeles Times
- The New York Times (may be pay-walled)
- 9News
- The Washington Post (owned by the founder of amazon.com)
- The Guardian
- The Man Who Invented the Science Fiction Paperback
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Traveling to Thailand? Don't Pack George Orwell's "1984"
(Score: 4, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday January 26 2017, @06:58PM
Trump? Have you paid attention to progressives lately? They think it's a how-to guide.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Zz9zZ on Thursday January 26 2017, @07:15PM
We really need to do away with the labels, the whole partisan thing is just part of the puppet show. Democrats are no longer "progressive" by a long shot, Republicans from fifty years ago were more progressive than these well dressed snakes. How about we call out all the nasty shit done by either side and stop comparing it to "them" like that is some sort of valid excuse. I doubt you are trying to defend Trump's actions here, but that is one of the subtle effects of such comparisons whether you intend it or not.
~Tilting at windmills~
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday January 26 2017, @07:23PM
Nah, I'm not defending him. More comparing him to something far more on the nose.
And progressive is an accurate term still, though liberal isn't. Progressive just means moving forward, it says nothing about the direction you're facing.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Zz9zZ on Thursday January 26 2017, @08:09PM
From Wikipedia
In America, progressivism began as a social movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and grew into a political movement, in what was known as the Progressive Era. While the term "American progressives" represent a range of diverse political pressure groups (not always united), some American progressives rejected Social Darwinism, believing that the problems society faced (poverty, violence, greed, racism, class warfare) could best be addressed by providing good education, a safe environment, and an efficient workplace. Progressives lived mainly in the cities, were college educated, and believed that government could be a tool for change.[16] American President Theodore Roosevelt of the US Republican Party and later the US Progressive Party declared that he "always believed that wise progressivism and wise conservatism go hand in hand".[17] American President Woodrow Wilson was also a member of the American progressive movement within the Democratic Party.
The term "progressive" has some very clear definitions which today's Democrats do not fit. It is the political party that changes, not the terms themselves. Sure they can try claiming to be progressive and slowly redefine what that means, but I'm sure conservatives don't appreciate the rabid liberal nutjobs who equate conservative with racist. This "post truth" situation we're in feels more like people applying their emotional opinions to whatever current term is in use, thus diluting the actual meanings of words. Dictionaries are now going to have to have a new section "definition as used by: insert various groups here". So progressive as viewed by the politically liberal types, politically conservative types, objective observers as used by Fox news, as used by MSNBC, etc.
Personally I like to have words mean specific things, and this application of definitions based on each little worldview bubble is part of the "fake news post truth" problem. Emotional language used to twist facts around, George Carlin could probably have duplicated his "shellshock" bit about how we used to call it "bullshit" then it changed to "propaganda" but now its being reinvented in a way as "fake news" or "post truth". It is actually a brilliant tactic that makes propaganda even more effective. People will still be emotionally sucked in to stories that confirm their own world view, and will more easily dismiss contrary information as "fake news" without actually doing any checks to find out what is fake and what is real.
~Tilting at windmills~
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday January 26 2017, @11:23PM
I agree. Welcome to the world created by whatever you'd care to call those who religiously vote D. Anything they dislike, they simply redefine [blogspot.com]. Marriage, racism, equality, liberalism, progressive, harassment, peaceful protest, feminism, nationalism, illness, disability... Definitions have been their exclusive bitch for quite some time now.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 26 2017, @08:16PM
I recently have come across these two videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaE98w1KZ-c [youtube.com]
https://www.c-span.org/video/?317048-1/liberals-media [c-span.org]
They are very interesting in he pretty much nails what is going on today. Back in 2007 and in 2013.
'Progressives' are not 'evil' or 'wrong'. They are misled and told it is OK to be mediocre. Once you pick that path you are OK with picking a side that does evil things. You have to. It is statistically impossible not to. If you have a group that does not discriminate against anything and has a 'meh whatever' attitude. Picking an opinion means you are discriminating. Discrimination is the same thing as racism in a progressives/Liberal view. At some point you will pick bad choices. You must. You do not have the proper tools to not pick bad choices, remember you do not discriminate. If you have a chocolate ice cream cone and cone made out of dog shit. You will never pick the dog shit one? Why not? Because you discriminated against dogs and their natural acts you racist nazi pig?! Its still dog shit no matter how many names you call me. This 'meh' attitude is leading to them pretty much ceding control of all governors and legislatures to the republicans. They do not bother to vote except sometimes every 4 years for the president. Whoever happens to come up for re-election that year has a shot at winning as a democrat seat.
For republicans Trump winning was a 'hey the dude actually pulled it off'! If Hillary had won it would have been 'well fuck more of the same,.... I guess'. Liberals on the other hand have been *blindsided* because of where they get their information. The news was feeding to them for the past 40+ years that republicans are evil incarnate (hint, they are not they are just people too). Whereas the news republicans were listening to was 'it is sorta close dudes get out and vote'. People on the net were showing the thumb on the scales of the polls. Yet no one on the Liberal side cared because the polls were telling them what they wanted. They doubled down on it. If anyone dared to say 'hey do these guys have something valid to say?' they were ostracized and fired. People rarely want to admit they are wrong. Which is also part of a liberal mindset. 'I am not wrong it is someone elses fault'. Most people do not react nicely when you prove them to be wrong. They will seek out things that revalidate them being the good guy and on the side of justice and right. Many will even go so far as to outright lie to keep their ego in check. So they continue to think their choice of information is a good source. Even though one currently sitting president continuously calls them out on lies and outright fabrications on a weekly basis. They couldn't even get thorough an inauguration without trying to use pictures that did not tell the story. That was an easy peasy story too. Show up take some pictures 'president sworn in'. Done. They turned it around and tried to fill in yet another narrative. Yet people want to say he is the bad guy. Where do they get the idea he is a bad guy? From their news sources who cant even show the right pictures on an easy story.
This past year most of the big media corps decided to go with 'the dude is literally an unpopular hitler' no real proof in that, just feels. Feels lets you feed your confirmation bias. That harsh mistress is what Scott Adams has been talking about for the past year. Scott has been talking about how persuasion maters and confirmation bias is the doorway. It was not Trumps policies that won him the election. He is actually interesting to watch and see. Hillary comes off cringey and fake to a lot of people. The Hitler 'narrative' they push is an old one they have pushed since Nixon. The unpopular one is a new angle for them as it worked during Obama. But they are not 'wrong this time' oh no they got it 100% right this time, right? Remember you are not wrong it is someone elses fault. The method the left usually uses in politics is framing specifically boxing. They by the use of debate trick their opponents into taking extreme positions. Trump stole their power and took on the extreme position by default. Then as a he lays out in all of his books, he negotiates to the middle. Their usual trick did not work because he was not playing the same game. They have resorted to simple name calling because they are not well practiced at any other trick.
Also they managed to make FoxNews actually seem like the rational ones. Not because FoxNews got better. They stayed about the same terrible news source they are. They made their news sources so much worse.
So it is no surprise that 1984 is becoming more popular. It speaks directly to how the media is the mouthpiece of the totalitarian government. Would anyone, who has a brain, say that is true of the Trump presidency? It also speaks to the Liberals favorite weapon. Using 'rightspeak'. When a word loses its power and becomes unpopular you change the meaning and move the cheese. Take for example a good one from the last election. Deplorable. Hillary was trying to use it to create a negative label. However, her branding is not good enough to create a 'meme'. The other side literally picked it up and used it against her. Another one you even used. The word progressive. Liberal became a pejorative. So they moved the cheese and tried to pretend it was someone else being mean (again they are not wrong it is some elses fault) and they made up a new word that sounds like they are doing something. When it is really the same old car with a new coat of paint.
Honestly, 'A Brave New World' would be a better choice.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 26 2017, @08:24PM
Discrimination is the same as eating an ass cream cone. Yeah sure. Any lame bullshit to prove your point.
The rest of your post is OK but progressives have some sane beliefs. They just don't have good or effective leaders. They were given Her. The Party seems to be realizing the mistake and putting Bernie front and center at the confirmation hearings. Too late, that guy is too old to be President.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 26 2017, @11:46PM
> ...feeding to them for the past 40+ years that republicans are evil incarnate (hint, they are not they are just people too).
Late to the party, just wanted to say that Cheney was evil incarnate.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday January 27 2017, @01:50AM
Well, yeah, but, Cheney is a neocon. Maybe you slept through that whole usurpation of the Republican party by the neoconservatives?
(Score: 2) by ilsa on Thursday January 26 2017, @08:34PM
Keep in mind that the "progressives" in the US really arn't. The only reason they are even considered "the left" is cause "the right" is so much farther right. In any other democratic country, the democrats have more in common with that countries right than left.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 26 2017, @10:15PM
There is no need to keep this in mind because, in every political discussion on the internet, somebody from Europe (probably a Brit) happily regurgitates it for us.
But here's the thing: The USA, at least for the moment, is where the most political power resides, so they determine where the middle is. The proper phrasing that you are looking for is "Most democracies' dominant political parties are left and far-left of the USA".