George Orwell: First Gonzo Journalist?

I was a big fan of Hunter S. Thompson, almost from the first moment he burst on the scene, mainly in Rolling Stone. He made a virtue of being the subject and object of his own reporting, which was pretty much what Orwell was up to as well. In fact, I think Orwell was much better at it than Thompson, although Hunter was definitely funnier. Both, however, were good at seeing and describing the absurdity that surrounded them.

The main difference, I think, was that Orwell really hoped he could make a difference, and I don't know but perhaps he did to some extent. Even now, when I read one of Orwell's essays, I find myself almost moved to action. But then what action would I take. It has become increasingly obvious to me that while Orwell did an excellent job of identifying the way things were tending, his various plans of action mainly amounted to exercises in futility. The simple fact is that the rich and powerful actually do own the world, and the rest of us are here primarily to serve their convenience. So long as we do that quietly and go about our business, they seem content to let us have our illusions regarding various versions of brotherhood and fellow feeling. And if we actually believe that some higher authority will make everything right eventually, so much the better (for them if not for us).

Eventually it must dawn on one, as it has on me, that nothing we do makes any difference, not even voting really, although I do vote, mainly to relieve some of the frustration that comes from knowing I can't do anything else. Fortunately, I have reached the point where I know that I am powerless, yet nevertheless relatively well off. I've managed to get myself into a position where I've hedged just about all the bets I can hedge, and one way or another, barring a total collapse of the world economy, I'll likely be able to survive fairly comfortably until I drift off into total dementia. Then I'll just have to trust whatever is left of the welfare state to take over.