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What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.

Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism.

Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.

As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.

‘In 1984’, Huxley added, ‘people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure.’

In short, Orwell feared that what we hate would ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.

QUOTES WORTH REVIVING:

“This is, in theory, still a free country, but our politically correct, censorious times are such that many of us tremble to give vent to perfectly acceptable views for fear of condemnation. Freedom of speech is thereby imperilled, big questions go un-debated, and great lies become accepted, unequivocally as great truths.” ~ Simon Heffer, Daily Mail, 7 June 2000.

“When people who are honestly mistaken learn the truth, they will either cease being mistaken, or cease being honest.” ~ Anonymous.

JULIAN ASSANGE:

We do not believe it is the place of media to aid and abet a state in escaping detection and prosecution for a serious crime against a population. 

By denying an entire population the knowledge of its own victimization, this act of censorship denies each individual in that country the opportunity to seek an effective remedy, whether in international courts, or elsewhere.  ~ Julian Assange.

I thought I was hard bitten and cynical and had seen a lot of the world, but what I discovered is that actually I was very ignorant. And what most people see is an illusion. ~ Julian Assange.

We do not believe it is the place of media to ‘aid and abet’ a state in escaping detection and prosecution for a serious crime against a population ~ Julian Assange.

By denying an entire population the knowledge of its own victimization, this act of censorship denies each individual in that country the opportunity to seek an effective remedy, whether in international courts or elsewhere.  ~ Julian Assange.

Which country is suffering from too much freedom of speech? Name it, is there one? ~ Julian Assange.