Social Monitoring of the Party

"In principle, a Party member had no spare time and was never alone except in bed. It was assumed that when he was not working, eating, or sleeping he would be taking part in some kind of communal recreation: to do anything that suggested a taste for solitude, even to go for a walk by yourself, was always slightly dangerous. There was a word for it in Newspeak: OWNLIFE, it was called, meaning
individualism and eccentricity.:(70).

I found the harshness with which individuality is punished particularly interesting. As a society, we tend harshly away from individuality and towards a single acceptable look. We learn to 'tolerate' those who are different before we can accept them. In Winston's world, there is no effort to 'tolerate' or accept those who are different, simply a movement to eradicate them.

It seems to me that the Party also shuns introverts in general, by forcing almost constant socialization. I think that probably has to do with the fact that it is simply harder to control those who are on their own and properly monitor them. Individualism and solitude are impractical preferences. So often do I hear people say they are living their own life or living for themselves, but within the structures of the Party that ideology is not possible. People are living for the Party. The Party wants them to do activities and spend little time alone so they comply.

I think beyond just having people be in fewer places, the Party wants people to spend time with others to further establish the beliefs of the Party. When talking with fellow Party members there seem to be few safe topics, meaning that the topics that end up being discussed are ones that the Party approves of. This type of social monitoring by anyone you interact with could result in those who may not think they like certain activities 'actually' enjoying them, simply because they have nothing else to base enjoyment on. If all you can safely talk about are things sactioned by the Party, how inclined is everyone else to talk of the same things? How long until you begin to believe it all? Winston's disconnection from the general scene may not only be an act of wanting separation from semi-required events for a bit of peace, may go deep enough to the fact that he doesn't want to get caught up in the harsh sentiments of the party as he does during the Two-Minute Hate.

The Party clearly begins the cycle of brainwashing young. If you are conditioned to believe certain attributes are good and bad traits, such as how wanting individualism is a negative trait, and have only seen negative consequences of such actions wouldn't you be inclined to believe it?  Winston still has a wavering memory of a different time and a feeling that things had been better then, but what about children growing up then? The only tangible difference will come if they realize the rations are smaller or they're being lied to, but they will never have the reference point of a time without the Party.

So my real question is how far does the party go? We see from Winston's time with Julia that there must be more who aren't as loyal to the Party as they seem, but how many fake it heavily like Julia, or lightly like Winston? The mistrust of peers and trust that authority knows what is best for the people is what is keeping the people from banding together. None of them trust that others have the same hidden beliefs, so nothing changes. With the pressures of the Party you could be talking to a group of completely like-minded individuals, but never know, because you're stuck talking about a sport that none of you really care about.