A Brave New World resonates so much more though. 1984 only had the eternal war and surveillance... Brave New World has distractions to keep people happy when they're just slaves in a system.
Well, I guess they both had their ways of doublethink and newspeak, because that I'm seeing, too. And you forget that Nineteen-Eightyfour was written from the perspective from one of the presumably few people who objected much to anything going on. They also had their hate sessions and reports of victories and increasing chocolate rations to keep them happy.
There is an awful lot of sadism and and lust for power for the sake of power in this world, too. Did Brave New World have a lot of torture and hundreds of thousands of people screaming in agony, as we do have in our world today? Do either have drone pilots who call children "fun-sized terrorists", did either have the Vietnam War? It's not just about slavery, it's about mental illness in a very real way, if you ask me. Brave New World seems rather more relaxed compared to that, they think they have it figured out and are coasting along... Big Brother, just like us, is ever hungry, and his hate and/or ridicule for those he tortures and mutilates cannot but grow, he has no way "out" but ahead.
I don't recall if I read that first or the Guardian article linked there, but yeah. Also, my reference to the Vietnam War was made while still under the impression of a documentary about the the Winter Soldier investigation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXdRivBmISE
I found BNW surprisingly juvenile. It started off really cool and detailed, talking about how factories worked and the helicopters and real vivid imagery. Then then rest of the book was basically teen paperback story.
It's also pretty closely related to the current political and social situation. Tons of surveillance and spying, lots of attempts at 'newspeak' from both sides of the political spectrum, more and more over the top laws implemented 'because of terrorism'.
I really liked the break down of the low, middle and high class fluctuation that is broken by perpetual "WAR" on "something". I feel now more then ever we are trying to grasp at a WAR to unite the people under specific goals (or a political party) so that only a certain group of people can benefit. There is no longer not war, just who is the next target. "War is Peace" as they say in the book.
