Is Brave New World the dystopia we are living in today

Are we living in Brave New World or 1984? Explore a chilling reality where pleasure, control, and lost freedom collide in ways few ever dare to question.

Jon Miltimore wrote a fantastic article lately, talking about “books that will rewire your brain.” Two of those books were 1984 and Brave New World. And you may’ve just heard of both.

When people talk about dystopia today, two names come up again and again: George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. Orwell warned us about a future of force, terror, and overt control in 1984. Huxley warned us about a future of pleasure, distraction, and voluntary submission in Brave New World.

The question is, which one better describes the world we live in today?

At first glance, Orwell’s vision seems compelling. Governments spy, censor, and restrict speech. Surveillance is everywhere. Dissent is punished—sometimes severely. These are all hallmarks of 1984.

But when you look deeper, the methods of control in today’s world align more closely with Huxley’s predictions. In Brave New World, the people aren't beaten into submission; they’re seduced. They’re drugged, distracted, and taught to love their servitude. Pleasure, comfort, and endless entertainment keep them from ever questioning authority.

Sound familiar?

Look around, and you’ll know the answer in about two seconds

• Addiction to entertainment? Check.

• Medicalization of emotional and psychological states? Check.

• Soft censorship through social shaming rather than jackbooted thugs? Check.

• Endless consumerism and status obsession? Check.

• A public so pacified by comfort that it barely notices (or cares about) the erosion of its freedoms? Check.

Orwell warned us that pain would be the tool of control. Huxley warned us it would be pleasure.

Today, people aren’t storming government buildings demanding liberty. Most of the time, anyway. They’re scrolling endlessly. They’re medicating their discontent away. They’re zoning out with streaming services, cheap entertainment, and dopamine-chasing distractions.

Orwell imagined a boot stomping on a human face, forever. Huxley imagined a people who would beg for their own chains.

When you strip it all down, Huxley was right.

Our loss of freedom never came through force. It came through apathy, comfort, and distraction. Pain didn’t conquer us. We surrendered for pleasure.

Brave New World, not 1984, is the dystopia we are living.

Want to read one of my Brave New World AND 1984-inspired books? Check out The Rebellion Awakens. You might just find another major inspiration there, too.