Ignorance is Strength Examples

The phrase "ignorance is strength" appears in George Orwell's 1984, a novel that satirizes the role of government in our lives. The phrase appears in the slogan for The Party, the political ruling class in the totalitarian government: "War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength."

The phrase means that the ruling class is able to maintain power and control by keeping the rest of the population ignorant. If the citizens are ignorant of the truth, they cannot challenge the government or the decisions made by those in power.

In today's context, people continue to use this phrase as a way of calling attention to the ignorance of the public related to political affairs. If the public at large is ignorant of the details of current events, the government has an easier time maintaining power and control.

Examples of How Ignorance is Strength Applies Today:

Many believe that the government continues to try to hide the truth from the masses. One example is the killing of an American ambassador in Benghazi. Some believe that the mainstream reporting on the event was not accurate and that our government allowed the killing of the ambassador because they did not do enough to protect him in a dangerous situation.

Some feel that Donald Trump relies on the "ignorance" of his supporters and feeds into feelings of racism and Americanism as a means to rise to power and maintain power.

Some feel that the "mainstream" media is keeping the American public ignorant to facts and is playing on party affiliations and feelings to divide the country.

Laws that are nearly 1,000 pages of actual text are often passed in Congress, and the only explanation that the public gets of these laws comes from the soundbites that senators and representatives give in their speeches.