Animal Farm

"If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them."- George Orwell

What George Orwell is referring to is the ignorant. The peasantry, the uneducated, the fools. They don't know therefore they take the word of one who does. They are unable to think on their own because they are used to a simple routine and don't question what they are really doing. The ignorant are easily manipulated on account of they are aware they are not as smart as a person giving the orders. These type of people take orders to provide for themselves and survive and are exploited by working for cheap labor. Those in power use propaganda to stick ideas into the heads of the ignorant because they can't formulate their own opinions. If the smart guy says one thing then it must be true. This has been seen all throughout history. World leaders who quickly rose to power always appealed to the peasantry, making promises and making things seem better than they actually are. But, of course, the exploited were unaware. It was all smoke and mirrors. I think Orwell is completely correct with his statement and is reflected in his allegorical novella Animal Farm. In his book the animals are manipulated into thinking their lives are getting better after overthrowing their owner. But in reality they started working for pigs instead of humans and their lives were getting exponentially worse. They were unable to learn as much as the pigs learn or were restricted from learning. Their thinking was influenced by the pigs just as the Russian peasantry was influenced by communist ideals and Political leaders.