George Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Aldous Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy.
I love the centrifugal bumblepuppy, even though I have no idea what it means. I highly recommend Amusing Ourselves to Death.
Bonus: "The law is what legislators and judges have written. In our culture, lawyers do not have to be wise; they need to be well briefed." -- Neil Postman
Bonus II: hat tip to Popehat's Patrick for finding THIS incredible visual graphic/comic of the Huxley-Orwell divide.
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