I mean in terms of weapons. Violence was absolutely brutal in Roman times but they didn’t have bombs or cruise missiles.

These kinds of fights over language — language as a tool of control — were a big focus for Orwell.

I think this is the result of technology and its effects on warfare. As violence becomes more extreme and its tools more potent, people are pushed to find other outlets.

No, they’re nothing like America. 97.8% of the population of Japan is considered Japanese, with the remaining 2.2% being foreign nationals. Since the end of World War 2, the Japanese government has had a policy of “monoculturism” whereby all citizens are considered to have a single Japanese identity and minority identities are discouraged: one language, one ethnic group, one dynasty.

It wasn’t until 2008 that a prime minister (Fukuda Yasuo) publicly acknowledged the distinct identity of the ethnic minority Ainu people. However, there does not seem to be much movement since then.