Ray Bradbury's critique of modern society in Fahrenheit 451 is the work of a visionary. First published in 1950, Fahrenheit 451 is more relevant today than it was 50 years ago. Today's society is characterized by censorship, albeit a subtle form, in contrast to the government-sanctioned censorship in Bradbury's book. In the 1990s, a significant segment of the population relies on technology and/or the media to do its thinking. Ideas are censored in modern society because an environment has been created that is not conducive to depth of thought.
The censorship of creative thinking is pervasive in popular culture; an example is film. The current trend in the film industry is the blockbuster, e.g., Independence Day, Volcano, or Anaconda. These films seek to manipulate the audience by creating an artificial need for excitation. Audiences attend these films to experience heart-stopping, adrenaline-pumping excitement. In previous eras, this surge of adrenaline originated from the flight-or-fight response to real-life danger, such as war, natural disasters, or predators.
Today, the simulated, thrill-seeking experience is the norm: "[Fahrenheit 451] is a critique of mass culture, which it sees as oppressive with its constant stimulation of pseudo-needs" (Touponce, "Ray" 40). Although certain books likewise stimulate artificial thrill-seeking, the world of literature is replete with counter-balances absent in the world of film. This explains why books were banned in Bradbury's futuristic society: "The reader discovers with Montag that [books] are the only thing left which harbors the forces of negation or principles through which the world around us could be made to appear false and alienating" (Touponce, "Poetics" 83).
Artificial excitation is a central feature of that American institution, the theme park. At Disneyland, visitors can stroll Main Streets that exist only at amusement park locales. Or, at Universal St...