How is the populace complicit in the creation and persistence of the dystopia presented in George Orwell's 1984?
In essence, the populace of Oceania is complicit in maintaining the dystopia by obeying the Party's rules and adopting its norms and values. We see this through the Two Minutes Hate, a daily ritual where people watch a film which depicts the Party's enemies and are encouraged to vocalize their hate and disgust toward the screen. By doing this, the people not only scapegoat certain individuals, like Emmanuel Goldstein, but also demonstrate their love for Big Brother and commitment to his regime.
Similarly, the populace maintains the status quo by allowing itself to be monitored by the telescreens. In reality, people could smash the screens or hide away from the screens in the prole district; instead, they live their lives in front of the screens. By enabling this invasion of privacy, the populace effectively authorizes the Party to watch their movements and listen to their conversations.
Arguably, by creating these examples, Orwell is suggesting that totalitarian power is maintained, to some extent, by the very people it controls.
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