Fahrenheit 451-response to the novel

Well maybe I'd better get started on these now. Terribly sorry, been busy. Anyways, beginning at the beginning, Fahrenheit 451 was an...interesting book, to say the least. A little extreme, but I thought that it was somewhat realistic. The actual society itself, with all its high-tech gadgets, is beyond our capabilities at the moment, definitely, but the ideas behind it are actually possible. Today's world is falling a little farther away from social activity and more toward one's own personal entertainment, more towards one single person living on his own by his own rules. Today, it's common for people to want to be by themselves or with others like them. That I agree with wholeheartedly. But there is a difference between that and simply doing what you feel like doing without regard for what you should be doing or how it affects others. And you definitely shouldn't go bashing people up or racing down streets just because you find it amusing. Some level of self control is necessary. As far as education goes, yes, I concur that I'd probably enjoy being elsewhere rather than studying and working, but quite frankly I'd probably be bored to death within a few minutes. I think that it's better to spend a good deal of your day working, studying, doing what you need to do, especially if it's boring, because that's what makes your entertainment part of the day so darn fun. I'll get into contrast analysis in a bit.

Also, it is possible to have a country ruled by minorities. By ruled I mean obsessively hypersensitive to the desires of minorities. Examining Election '08 and even popular reality shows seem to emphasize and make spectacle of different races of people. At every turn there is supposed to be some sharp division between one person and the guy standing right next to him, something that supposedly sets them apart, even against, each other irreparably, a division of some sort. And if it isn't an attempt to catagorize and make people the epitome and representation of their people, it's the obsessive attempt to get one's own way using racism and hatred as an excuse. Now, I'm all for people speaking out against others if they truly have been discriminated against, and I do know that there are some very warped people in this country. However, what I do not approve of is to make every case involving a white man and another ethnicity a racism case, to make everything the struggle of a minority against an intolerant world. There will always be racism, but not everyone is a racist, and just because something does not go your way does not mean that it was rigged against them. Additionally, some people will make comments against other ethnicities because they're complete jerkwads. This does NOT, in my opinion, justify a crusade. We do live in a free country, and sadly certain intolerant jerkwads have the right to be such jerkwads. However, it does not mean that if someone's called a bad word they need to parade, march, riot, threaten, and otherwise mass at the government's door in an attempt to seek reparations as if they've been shot or raped or otherwise. And although I do not think that we will ever begin burning books by the masses, consider the debate on whether movies with smoking need to be rated R. Now I really think that's a bit of an overreaction; if parents have that little control over their kids (or we're that weak-minded, and I doubt we are) then they really shouldn't be parents. Besides, just because they see something on TV does not mean that they will flock to the store and begin chain smoking right outside it. Trust me, I was that young once, and I really wasn't affected by movies all that much. I just watched a film and thought, "well that was funny or exciting or can we buy it in stores to watch at home."

This novel seems to be highly connective with today's world, despite the fact that it was written over 50 years ago. Frightening, isn't it? Well, the story was a little extreme, but I feel that it was okay. Not particlarly amusing or entertaining, but still quite interesting.