The Mike Wallace Interview: Aldous Huxley (1958-05-18)

[kpete]

Intelligent TV. What a concept. Thank you, Mr.Wallace.

HUXLEY: Well, I don't think you can say who in the United States, I don't think there are any sinister persons deliberately trying to rob people of their freedom, but I do think, first of all, that there are a number of impersonal forces which are pushing in the direction of less and less freedom, and I also think that there are a number of technological devices which anybody who wishes to use can use to accelerate this process of going away from freedom, of imposing control.

....................

HUXLEY: But, if you want to preserve your power indefinitely, you have to get the consent of the ruled, and this they will do partly by drugs as I foresaw in "Brave New World," partly by these new techniques of propaganda.

They will do it by bypassing the sort of rational side of man and appealing to his subconscious and his deeper emotions, and his physiology even, and so, making him actually love his slavery.

I mean, I think, this is the danger that actually people may be, in some ways, happy under the new regime, but that they will be happy in situations where they oughtn't to be happy.

......................

......after all, the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

FULL Transcript:
http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/multimedia/video/2008/wallace/huxley_aldous_t.html

[NoOneMan]

1. Every year that goes by, Huxley's genius is further revealed

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

3. +1

...you took the words right out of my mouth/keyboard.

[heaven05]

2. he

is my type of thinking person. Yeah. I did read his works. Soma? How prescient.

[snappyturtle]

4. I think TPTB read Aldous Huxley too. I need to re-read

"Brave New World". I probably will get more out of it now than
when I first encountered it back in the 60's.

Thanks kpete! really timely.

[roamer65]

5. We've ended up with hybrid version of 1984 and Brave New World.

You either get jackbooted or simply can tune out with drugs. Take your pick.

[rwsanders]

7. Don't forget there are elements of Fahrenheit 451 mixed in also...

No one is getting rid of books yet, but the focus on TV and entertainment along with "seashells" in the ears for constant music was very prescient.

[Esra Star]

6. The question now is how to reverse the zombification of the proles...nt

[burnodo]

8. Great point "death-control without birth-control"

[burnodo]

9. Extremely interesting interview. A must see!

kick

[Enthusiast]

10. How incredible! nt

[kpete]

11. glad you all liked it

i have been listening and re-listening, then reading the transcript

That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history
is the most important of all the lessons of history.

Aldous Huxley



peace, kp