1984 - O'Brien

"That is what you are thinking, is it not, Winston?" p. 245

Yes, let's discuss Mr. O'Brien. No character has ever quite angered me quite like this bespectacled chap. Somehow, he seems to know everything that Winston ever thinks, every thought that passes through his head. This sense of O'Brien's apparent telepathy reflects the sense that O'Brien has held so many of these "rehabilitation sessions" that he knows exactly what Winston thinks, what he believes, what he'll say, how he'll react, every argument that he could possibly propose. Being able to say that a person fears the effect of the torture device on their body is not really impressive; however, describing in detail the exact thought concerning Winston's own spine shattering certainly denotes a bit of superhuman understanding of the human psyche. This characterizes O'Brien as an extremely intelligent person. Winston even says that O'Brien contains his mind within his own. He already knows every argument and the perfect rebuttal. O'Brien really does appear to be a genius with his ability to predict Winston's every thought, feeling, and action.

However, O'Brien is actually really really really stupid. Stupidity, as far as I'm concerned, is the brain telling the eyes that they saw incorrectly, taking the objective sensory input from the world and declaring it to be wrong, and substituting in an alternative reality that suits one needs. Denying what is right in front of ones face is not sanity or self-discipline, as O'Brien calls it, but the exact opposite really. True self-discipline of thought is learning to accept the world as it truly is and not how it would be convenient to be. True sanity is believing what one sees, not what one wants to see. However, this stupidity is very helpful to O'Brien, because only the stupid and ignorant can be in the Party. It is simply a prerequisite. The best party members are those who don't think for themselves and can reject the world around them and actually believe that they are in the right. These people are necessary for the Party to exist.