The Guardian reports today that George Orwell, the famous writer of 1984, was subjected to surveillance from the British MI5 and a number of documents was collected on his behavior, as well as on other people. 
“The documents […], indicate not only the wide range of groups and individuals being watched by police but also officers’ spectacular ability to misjudge what they saw,” says The Guardian. For instance, an officer (mis)noted in 1942: “This man has advanced communist views … He dresses in a bohemian fashion both at his office and in his leisure hours.”
The term “advanced communist views” was discovered (luckily, by this officer’s superiors) to mean “not orthodox communist”, not belonging to the party!
Orwell, and his 1984, remind me of that old spot from Apple they used to launch the original Macintosh precisely in 1984. Fortunately, there is a copy @ YouTube.
