Fahrenheit 451 Review
While I wasn’t a huge fan of Bradbury’s writing style overall, I still enjoyed my time with Fahrenheit 451, especially with its topical messages of consuming too much “brain off” media and the impact of government overreach on the media we consume.
These days, the public regularly spends too much of its time on AI slop, TikTok, and YouTube shorts. The likelihood of our society facing a decline towards a nadir of intellectual depth increases exponentially. The average person will feel more challenged and inconvenienced to use their precious free time to read instead of letting this type of content wrap them up in a comfortable, vapid blanket of unchallenging entertainment and certainty. I know I sound like a condescending prick and boomer (and I do), but I do fear about what the future may hold. Admittedly, I struggle at times with lacking the focus required to continue reading a book instead of checking my phone. Opting for a shorter literary classic like Fahrenheit 451 has at least lowered the barrier to entry for myself.
The billionaire cronies of the current administration that own the U.S. version of TikTok are a separate barrier of their own. They handpick the slop fresh from their clandestine farm that goes straight to the screen at the same table that allows you to ignore your loved ones. They also determine who is an enemy and what book can still be taught in classes. With our education systems deteriorating, it makes sense that most would choose to just waste away with their TV families that compliment their audience, encourage them to continue watching, and never force them out of their comfort zone that is secure from the sad reality around them.
Tidbits Noted Throughout the Film
Here are my stream of consciousness observations I made and wrote on my Notes app as I read through the book.
Will they douse my blog with digital kerosene one day? Only if we let the anti-soup fascists have their way!
The mechanical hound was a good boy that did his job! Maybe he just plays a bit rough.
Favorite Quote: “You're afraid of making mistakes. Don't be. Mistakes can be profited by. Man, when I was young I shoved my ignorance in people's faces. They beat me with sticks. By the time I was forty my blunt instrument had been honed to a fine cutting point for me. If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn.”
I am definitely afraid of making mistakes with this blogs and my writing, but reader, I promise you I will make mistakes on your behalf in order for my content to improve!
The Flamethrower - a sick looking weapon that’s effective at clearing out the enemy’s fortified positions in war and melting Captain Beatty’s face, but to me they seem too cumbersome for the effort it takes to produce these results.
I love the word “wade” - It makes me think of Dwayne and of course the song Wade in the Water which we sang in elementary school with our music teacher, Mrs. Bruce, who would play the piano in an over-the-top manner as she jolted her neck back and forth.
I’m not sure if I could memorize a book, I’m not even sure I could memorize a blog I have written in the last two weeks. If I had to memorize a book for the sake of the future knowledge of our society, I would take on the responsibility of retaining Twilight. Not for its vampires or forbidden love or whatever the book is about, but to keep the American pastime of baseball alive. Sure, there may be some rule variations from what we see in our game today, but I have no doubt that kids would rather watch people play baseball like vampires than stare at their phones.