1984
Chapter 9
Thosewhoseattitudetowardsthewarismostnearlyrationalarethesubjectpeoplesofthedisputedterritories. Tothesepeoplethewarissimplyacontinuouscalamitywhichsweepstoandfroovertheirbodieslikeatidalwave. Whichsideiswinningisamatterofcompleteindifferencetothem. Theyareawarethatachangeofoverlordshipmeanssimplythattheywillbedoingthesameworkasbeforefornewmasterswhotreattheminthesamemannerastheoldones. Theslightlymorefavouredworkerswhomwecall‘theproles’areonlyintermittentlyconsciousofthewar. Whenitisnecessarytheycanbeproddedintofrenziesoffearandhatred,butwhenlefttothemselvestheyarecapableofforgettingforlongperiodsthatthewarishappening. ItisintheranksoftheParty,andabovealloftheInnerParty,thatthetruewarenthusiasmisfound. World-conquestisbelievedinmostfirmlybythosewhoknowittobeimpossible. Thispeculiarlinking-togetherofopposites—knowledgewithignorance,cynicismwithfanaticism—isoneofthechiefdistinguishingmarksofOceanicsociety. Theofficialideologyaboundswithcontradictionsevenwhenthereisnopracticalreasonforthem. Thus,thePartyrejectsandvilifieseveryprincipleforwhichtheSocialistmovementoriginallystood,anditchoosestodothisinthenameofSocialism. Itpreachesacontemptfortheworkingclassunexampledforcenturiespast,anditdressesitsmembersinauniformwhichwasatonetimepeculiartomanualworkersandwasadoptedforthatreason. Itsystematicallyunderminesthesolidarityofthefamily,anditcallsitsleaderbyanamewhichisadirectappealtothesentimentoffamilyloyalty. EventhenamesofthefourMinistriesbywhichwearegovernedexhibitasortofimpudenceintheirdeliberatereversalofthefacts. TheMinistryofPeaceconcernsitselfwithwar,theMinistryofTruthwithlies,theMinistryofLovewithtortureandtheMinistryofPlentywithstarvation.
