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Anonymous 87fd50e1ce33124f4c7f748c86996f75 started this discussion 5 months (2008-07-02 00:41:40 UTC) ago:
Are actual big brothers known to spy on their younger siblings or something? I don't get it.
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Anonymous 4b32f12e28c5fe2bfaff726dfdd5b3b1 replied with this 5 months (2008-07-02 00:51:11 UTC) ago, 10 minutes later (#30,017):
Big Brother is a character in George Orwell's 1984
From Wikipedia:
In the essay section of his novel 1985, Anthony Burgess states that Orwell got the idea for Big Brother from advertising hoardings current during World War II, for educational correspondence courses from a company called Bennett's. The original posters showed Bennett himself; a kindly looking old man offering guidance and support to would-be students, with the slogan "Let me be your father." When Bennett died, the company was inherited by his son, whose rather aggressive-looking face appeared on the posters instead, accompanied by the less-appealing slogan "Let me be your big brother."
The historical background during which Orwell wrote his work included several national leaders who had held considerable power, including British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, German chancellor Adolf Hitler, and Soviet premier Joseph Stalin. Stalin, among other leaders, is often cited to have developed a cult of personality around himself.
Additionally, Big Brother's omnipotent, omniscient, eternal, and non-verifiable nature (as well as his demand for absolute obedience) have led some to suggest that Big Brother may have been a satire of God.
Anonymous 88dfa5a7cbd47035a7c53c75e4532bd4 replied with this 5 months (2008-07-02 12:00:31 UTC) ago, 11 hours later (#30,092):
an idea on religion in gerneral which origionated during the 30's, where orwell could easily have heard it, was called the "big brother effect".
basically it meant that people the world over created some kind of religion as a means of self protection. as a kid in the school yard would feel confident in himself as he had his big brother to deal with all his enemies, that "my big brother will beat up your big brother", so people the world over would say "my god will beat up your god". therefore the "big brother" was supposed to be someone to look up to and be confident in, which is the satirical element in the book the big brother is indeed quite the opposite.
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