I agree with Evan that doublethink is possible to an extent. I think that this can be shown through many people in our current society who have contradictory beliefs and think contradictory thoughts at different times. There are very few people alive whose ideas are set in stone and impossible to change at any given moment.

 

I think that people go from rebellion to conformity for one of two reasons. Either changes are made that satisfy the rebel enough to warrant that they don’t rebel or they realize that their rebellion is futile and decide to give up.

 

To answer whether we live in everyday life in some sort of conformity, I would say that we definitely do. Simply not breaking the law is conforming to societal standards on a very basic level. Grooming oneself, participating in school and social activities are all forms of conforming. However, conforming in this way is not bad. It is when people start to conform without asking whether what they are conforming to is right that it becomes dangerous.

I believe that a government based in fear cannot be stable. If a government is based in fear, it is obviously a cruel and unjust government. With every cruel and unjust government, it is only a matter of time until enough people are driven to the point of rebellion to overthrow the government. The government  of 1984, however, is not one based solely in fear and is therefore far more successful that one based in fear, like that of North Korea. Big Brother’s government instead gets its civilians to believer that it is a wonderful government that is all powerful and is constantly improving the condition of its citizens lives. In this way, its citizens have no need to uprise and are brainwashed into loving the government that they are governed by.

 

I think that there is a balance between caring about a whole community versus caring about a specific individual. For example, while each individual is important, it is impossible for a large entity to care about each individual. Therefore, systems, such as that of the United States, must divide power so that both the community and the individual are cared for. From federal to familial, both the community and the commuter should be taken care of if at all possible.