What does "Big Brother" mean to you? Do you

hello there to U...for me, whenever i hear "Big Brother," it reminds me of the T.V. reality series, "Big Brother." Well, there are several views regarding what "Big Brother" really means...in my own point of view, it's a great person whom you can depend to, and would be there whenever you are in trouble, or in need of help...a great leader... About the series, yes, i would say that the series have stolen the meaning of "Big Brother," because a lot of people really loves watching that reality show... It became a hit on several countries...it has different editions, and different versions...so no doubt, why a lot of people always refer "Big Brother" as a T.V. show and not a "person." It's pretty obvious, that a lot of people have been hooked up on T.V...but i do respect other's views and opinions regarding about this issue...to me "Big Brother" should really mean a good leader who doesn't have bad qualities and knows how to handle the society... This is really a good discussion...have a blessed day ahead of U...may GOD BLESS U & UR family always!!!

I think the TV series is an afront to human intelligence personally, boring as hell too. The term Big Brother means a dictatorship to me, either someone or a meme that overrides my sense of individuality and freedom to make choices. (George Orwell's reference to a totalitarian society if you like). I wonder if the younger generation that watches this show actually knows the term in it's original meaning. Would like to know if they do or not.

When I hear it I immediately think of "1984". The TV show doesn't even come to mind unless we are speaking about shows then it might, and that's a big maybe on that one. I have never watched the show. It doesn't interest me at all. Most of the "reality" shows don't because all they seem to me to be is a popularity contest and not reality at all. However that is not what the discussion is about so I'll go back. For myself I think it will always mean the society George Orwell described. Maybe for the younger generations it might mean the show but in some ways the expression "Big Brother is watching" still applies with it; although it doesn't give the same sense of foreboding as the original. The idea that you have to be careful of what you do and say because others might see is still present. I'm sure that is why they used that name for it. I don't think it's stolen it's effectiveness but it probably has watered it down quite a bit.

When I hear Big Brother I automatically think of Orwell and 1984. I have noticed that most people now think about the reality show. The show has just become so popular and most people don't even understand how ironic the title is or where it even comes from.

When I use the term I mean in the Orwellian sense. But I must admit that when someone mentions it (unless I already understand the context) I automatically think of that awful, vapid, boring as heck, dull as ditchwater TV series. I don't think that the show has monopolized the saying yet, but we are coming pretty close, especially as there is a growing group of people that will never have heard of 1984. I stubbornly use the word gay meaning merry or light hearted these days because I am so annoyed that it has been hijacked to describe homosexual and lesbian activity. I do get the odd look, but I don't care.

I automatically think about the show now but, not before the show came out. The problem is that it is literally my favorite show, hands down. I am obsessed with it while it is on and when I find out when it is going to be on, I get really excited. So, unfortunately, I guess that the show has stolen a little bit of its meaning.

nooo i do not think of the show when i hear big brother. i think of my sibling... my kuya, my big brother. :)

When I think of Big Brother, I think back to my childhood and remember a time when I wished that I had one. I had 3 sisters. I also think of the Big Brother series also. I used to watch that all the time. I have missed alot of it this season though because I like to watch American Idol and it is on at the same time. I think the shows these days have definitely changed our perception of words.

I still think of George Orwell, thank goodness. I would hate to think that the term loses its significance based on a really, well I was going to say "stupid" tv show, but that's not a very good word and my mother never allowed us to say that when I was little, so I won't. Besides, the show is much more than just that. It's actually insulting and I don't understand at all why people watch it. (I did watch part of one season, so I do know what I'm missing.) It's sad that nobody got it when you used the term in conversation. I think I might try that experiment on my 20's-age children, but I'm almost positive they would take the reference in its original intent since neither of them watches the show.

I've never watched the show so I don't associate the phrase with it. However, I was shocked that my kids (19 & 20 now) weren't required to read Brave New World and Animal Farm in high school, nor Lord of the Flies in the lower grades. We're raising a generation of illiterates. I sound like my grandma, I know. But independent thinking is discouraged, it seems, and it's alarming. The Brave New World isn't far away at this rate.

I need to respond before I read any more of the other responses. I must say, when I read the title of this discussion, I immediately thought of my biological "Big Brother!" Now I Must say, I am fairly young. I was born in 1980 and that might say a lot to some. Like many other young people, I have no idea who George Orwell is. I know that it horrible, but it is the truth. This tells me many things. 1. I need to read more, 2. I need to be involved in my children's education, otherwise they will end up not knowing much of anything, and 3. I don't watch much television. I have heard of the TV show, but I've never seen it. It amazes me that my generation spends so most of it's time watching TV, checking email, and partying, that we don't pay attention to the important parts of life. Like what's going on in our world!