F-ing intellectuals, just because 1984 isn't extremely dense and convoluted doesn't mean it is only suitable reading for the younger generations, as a person of any age and/or intellectual capacity should find it highly compelling and surprisingly prescient (though while the book imagines a dystopian Communist system run amok, strangely enough, the same phenomena it describes are increasingly prevalent in our current oligarchical reality). Concepts similar (and sometimes even identical to) Big Brother, crimethink, doublethink, newspeak, and even the "two minute hate" are so undeniably present in our modern society, sometimes I wonder whether many of our politicians haven't been utilizing the novel as a veritable playbook for maintaining the status quo. And don't forget, of course, the ultimate phrase that effectively outlines the very root of evil in the hearts of men:
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever."
I've read Brave New World also, and while it is also a great story, and similarly exhibits a strong foreknowledge of things to come, I feel that Welles' overall point is both clearer and of greater significance to the modern world.
