Kuinka dystopia toteutuu? 2000-luvun näkökulmia George Orwellin poliittiseen satiiriin Nineteen Eighty-Four

Tutkielmani aiheena on dystooppisen kirjallisuuden tunnetuin teos, George Orwellin Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), ja erityisesti sen tarkoitusperien vastaavuus nykymaailman kanssa. Avoimen poliittisen kirjailijan tavoite läpi uran oli mobilisoida kansalaisia haastamaan heitä hallitsevia voimia. Viimeisessä ja uransa huipentumaksi jääneessä romaanissaan Orwell maalaa lohduttoman ääriesimerkin lähitulevaisuuteen sijoitetusta totalitaristisesta maailmasta, jossa ihmisyydellä ei ole enää sijaa. Teoksesta on muodostunut käytetyin esimerkki puhuttaessa negatiivisista tulevaisuudenvisioista. Työni jakautuu kahteen päälukuun, joista ensimmäisessä tutkin romaanin käsitystä siitä, kuinka kieltä manipuloimalla (Newspeak) voidaan vaikuttaa myös ajatteluun (Doublethink), todellisuuden kokemiseen ja historian muistamiseen, sekä romaanista nykykieleen jääneitä sanoja ja termejä. Toisessa pääluvussa pohdin kirjailijan varsinaista kritiikin kohdetta totalitarismia, kuinka se on romaaniin rakennettu, millaista sen valta on, ja millaiset ihmiset siihen suostuvat. Lopuksi tarkastelen, kuinka romaani aikanaan otettiin vastaan ja miten sitä yhä (hyväksi)käytetään. Pääpainotus tutkielmassani on pääteemojen kytkeminen niiden konkreettisiin ja mentaalisiin vaikutuksiin reaalimaailmassa. Orwell oli huolissaan erityisesti poliittisen kielen turmelevasta vaikutuksesta, joten pohdin, mitä ovat nykyajan uuskieli ja kaksoisajattelu sekä millaisia seurauksia kielen manipuloinnilla on. Usein utopioita ja dystopioita arvostetaan virheellisesti niiden toteutuneiden yksityiskohtien kautta, ja siksi yritän selvittää, miltä osin ja millaisena dystopia ylipäänsä voi mielekkäästi toteutua. Missä suhteessa Orwell oli ”oikeassa” tai ”väärässä” laajassa, ei-triviaalissa mielessä? Mitä hänen teoksensa tarjoaa 2000-luvun lukijalle? Perusteesini on, että tavallisen varoitukseksi tai profetiaksi tulkitsemisen sijaan romaani on satiiri, jollaisena kirjailija itsekin sitä piti. Samalla todistan, että läpitunkeva valvontayhteiskunta, joka on samalla romaanin tunnetuin puoli ja jota termi orwellian nykyään kuvaa, on itse asiassa vain illuusio. Uutta näkökulmaa romaanin tulkintaperinteeseen tuon näyttämällä, kuinka ääripessimistisenä pidettyyn tekstiin on huolellisesti piilotettu toiveikkuutta, jolla kirjailija on halunnut herätellä kansalaisia, jotka ovat piittaamattomia tai tietämättömiä heidän elämäänsä kontrolloivista voimista. Yritän tutkielmassani osoittaa, kuinka vaikea on kuvitella sellaista yhteiskuntaa, jossa Nineteen Eighty-Four ei olisi jollain tavalla ajankohtainen.

Metal music as critical dystopia : humans, technology and the future in 1990s science fiction metal

Metal Music as Critical Dystopia: Humans, Technology and the Future in 1990s Science Fiction Metal seeks to demonstrate that the dystopian elements in metal music are not merely or necessarily a sonic celebration of disaster. Rather, metal music's fascination with dystopian imagery is often critical in intent, borrowing themes and imagery from other literary and cinematic traditions in an effort to express a form of social commentary. The artists and musical works examined in this thesis maintain strong ties with the science fiction genre, in particular, and tum to science fiction conventions in order to examine the long-term implications of humanity's complex relationship with advanced technology. Situating metal's engagements with science fiction in relation to a broader practice of blending science fiction and popular music and to the technophobic tradition in writing and film, this thesis analyzes the works of two science fiction metal bands, VOlvod and Fear Factory, and provides close readings of four futuristic albums from the mid to late 1990s that address humanity's relationship with advanced technology in musical and visual imagery as well as lyrics. These recorded texts, described here as cyber metal for their preoccupation with technology in subject matter and in sound, represent prime examples of the critical dystopia in metal music. While these albums identify contemporary problems as the root bf devastation yet to come, their musical narratives leave room for the possibility of hope , allowing for the chance that dystopia is not our inevitable future.

Entering dystopia, entering Erewhon

Abandon hope all ye who enter here: a society cannot be truly dystopian if travellers can come and go freely. Anti-utopias and 'satirical utopias' - that is, societies considered perfect by their advocates but not by the implied reader - must be well-regulated enough to prevent the possible disruption caused by a visitor. There is no exit at all from the classic twentieth-century dystopias, which end either in an actual death, like that of the Savage in Huxley's Brave New World (1932), or in a spiritual death like Winston Smith's in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949). Any glimmers of hope that the protagonist may have felt are quickly destroyed.

The Policy Dystopia Model:an interpretive analysis of tobacco industry political activity

BACKGROUND: Tobacco industry interference has been identified as the greatest obstacle to the implementation of evidence-based measures to reduce tobacco use. Understanding and addressing industry interference in public health policy-making is therefore crucial. Existing conceptualisations of corporate political activity (CPA) are embedded in a business perspective and do not attend to CPA's social and public health costs; most have not drawn on the unique resource represented by internal tobacco industry documents. Building on this literature, including systematic reviews, we develop a critically informed conceptual model of tobacco industry political activity. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We thematically analysed published papers included in two systematic reviews examining tobacco industry influence on taxation and marketing of tobacco; we included 45 of 46 papers in the former category and 20 of 48 papers in the latter (n = 65). We used a grounded theory approach to build taxonomies of "discursive" (argument-based) and "instrumental" (action-based) industry strategies and from these devised the Policy Dystopia Model, which shows that the industry, working through different constituencies, constructs a metanarrative to argue that proposed policies will lead to a dysfunctional future of policy failure and widely dispersed adverse social and economic consequences. Simultaneously, it uses diverse, interlocking insider and outsider instrumental strategies to disseminate this narrative and enhance its persuasiveness in order to secure its preferred policy outcomes. Limitations are that many papers were historical (some dating back to the 1970s) and focused on high-income regions. CONCLUSIONS: The model provides an evidence-based, accessible way of understanding diverse corporate political strategies. It should enable public health actors and officials to preempt these strategies and develop realistic assessments of the industry's claims.

The role of micro-anchor devices in medial canthopexy

Telecanthus, the lateral displacement of the medial canthus, can be a congenital deformity or can occur after facial trauma or tumor resection. Treatment of telecanthus remains a challenge for plastic surgeons. For proper correction, it is necessary to shift the medial canthus medially, fixing its tendon to the bone. The ideal technique would allow easy, safe, and stable fixation of the tendon, permit a unilateral approach with minimal incisions, and be cost-effective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and results (immediate and long-term) of medial telecanthus repair using ipsilateral titanium microanchor fixation. Nine patients, 7 with unilateral telecanthus and 2 with bilateral telecanthus, underwent ipsilateral canthopexy involving a microanchor device. Anthropometric measurements of the orbital regions were taken before, immediately after, and at 1 year after surgery. Data for the affected sides were compared with those for the unaffected sides, and the evolution of those values was assessed throughout the 1-year follow-up period. For all patients, the final values were lower than those initially obtained. At 1 year after surgery, the intercanthal distance was reduced to age-adjusted normal values in all cases. On the operated side, stable improvement was observed in terms of the distance from the medial canthus to the midline, although some degree of recurrence was noted in most of the patients. The use of a microanchor system for medial canthopexy can be considered an easily performed and effective option for treating canthal dystopia, especially when an ipsilateral approach is preferred.

Tessier No. 4 Facial Cleft: Evolution of Surgical Treatment in a Large Series of Patients

Background: Tessier no. 4 facial cleft is a rare, complex, and challenging craniofacial malformation. The present article aims to describe different clinical features evidenced in 21 cases of this malformation, discussing a 20-year experience with and evolution of its surgical treatment. Methods: Some demographic data, clinical features, and reconstructive results were evaluated retrospectively. These patients have been evaluated and treated in three specialized Brazilian craniofacial centers. Nineteen were already operated on, with a mean follow-up of 3.5 years (range, 1 to 20 years). Results: Sex distribution showed a male prevalence (2: 1). The average age of initial treatment was 5.4 years. Four cases were affected on the right side of the face, seven on the left, and 10 bilaterally. Six patients had other rare associated facial clefts, including nos. 5 (three patients), 7, 9, and 10. Cleft upper lip was evidenced in all patients, and maxillary hypoplasia was present in five and maxilla cleft in eight. Lower eyelid coloboma was seen in almost every case (19 patients); 10 of these had medial canthus dystopia. Four patients had amniotic bands in the limbs. Surgical repair was individualized to each patient. Surgical experience gained with these patients allowed the authors to develop some technical modifications, which have improved aesthetic results, camouflaging scars into natural folds and anatomical units, without compromising functional outcomes. Conclusions: The great majority of Tessier no. 4 facial clefts can be appropriately treated using local flaps. Classic techniques are extremely useful, but long-term results could be improved if the technical modifications described were adopted. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 122: 1505, 2008.)

Ossifying fibroma: A rare cause of orbital inflammation

Purpose: To describe the clinical and radiologic features of 4 cases of ossifying fibroma affecting the orbit and to review the literature on orbital involvement by the tumor. Methods: Small case series. Results: Four patients (3 children and 1 adult) with ossifying fibromas invading the orbit were examined. Two of the 3 children were examined for ossifying fibromas on the orbital roof. One had the psammomatoid form of the disease and the other the trabecular variant. Despite striking differences in the histologic pattern and in the radiologic appearance of the lesions, both children displayed a significant degree of orbital inflammation mimicking orbital cellulitis. The third child and the adult patient had the orbit involved by trabecular ossifying fibromas invading the orbital floor. The tumor of the adult clearly originated in the maxilla, filled the maxillary sinus, and eroded the orbital floor. The tumor of the third child occupied the maxillary, ethmoid, and sphenoid sinuses. In both cases, the clinical presentation was painless eye dystopia and proptosis. Conclusions: Regardless of the histologic pattern (trabecular or psammomatoid), ossifying fibromas can induce a substantial degree of orbital inflammation in children and must be included in the differential diagnosis of acute orbital inflammation during childhood.