1984 - Planet eBook

uling group is a ruling group so long as it can nominate itssuccessors. The Party is not concerned with perpetuatingits blood but with perpetuating itself. WHO wields poweris not important, provided that the hierarchical structureremains always the same.All the beliefs, habits, tastes, emotions, mental attitudesthat characterize our time are really designed to sustain themystique of the Party and prevent the true nature of present-daysociety from being perceived. Physical rebellion, orany preliminary move towards rebellion, is at present notpossible. From the proletarians nothing is to be feared. Leftto themselves, they will continue from generation to generationand from century to century, working, breeding, anddying, not only without any impulse to rebel, but withoutthe power of grasping that the world could be other than itis. They could only become dangerous if the advance of industrialtechnique made it necessary to educate them morehighly; but, since military and commercial rivalry are nolonger important, the level of popular education is actuallydeclining. What opinions the masses hold, or do not hold,is looked on as a matter of indifference. They can be grantedintellectual liberty because they have no intellect. In a Partymember, on the other hand, not even the smallest deviationof opinion on the most unimportant subject can be tolerated.A Party member lives from birth to death under the eyeof the Thought Police. Even when he is alone he can never besure that he is alone. Wherever he may be, asleep or awake,working or resting, in his bath or in bed, he can be inspected