The consciousness of the masses needs only to be influenced in a negative way.
 George Orwell, 1984 (1949). copy citation

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Author George Orwell
Source 1984
Topic consciousness influence
Date 1949
Language English
Reference
Note
Weblink http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100021.txt

Context

“From the point of view of our present rulers, therefore, the only genuine dangers are the splitting-off of a new group of able, under-employed, power-hungry people, and the growth of liberalism and scepticism in their own ranks. The problem, that is to say, is educational. It is a problem of continuously moulding the consciousness both of the directing group and of the larger executive group that lies immediately below it. The consciousness of the masses needs only to be influenced in a negative way. Given this background, one could infer, if one did not know it already, the general structure of Oceanic society. At the apex of the pyramid comes Big Brother. Big Brother is infallible and all-powerful.” source