Brave New World, Chapter 2 - Livin’ the Dream & the Power of Suggestion

{* Brave New World | SAMPLE BLOG ENTRY}

“Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever. I'm awfully glad I'm a Beta, because I don't work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black, which is such a beastly colour. I'm so glad I'm a Beta” (Huxley 38).

In arguing against the idea that individuality is a threat to a harmonious society, this passage demonstrates that social acceptance can breed complacency, and thus, lead to mediocrity. First, it foreshadows the dangers of social hierarchies in that the idea of hierarchies is introduced as a mindless hypnotic memorization. The citizens of the Brave New World are literally taught their belief system while asleep when there is no possibility for original &/or individual thought. Next, the very fact that this idea of hierarchical superiority is both genetically engineered and predestined shows that there is no plausible way to move-up the social ranks. The status in which the people are born remains their status throughout their lives, and if there is no hope of improving one’s social status then why try? The result is social complacency. Lastly, because there is no initiative or possibility of improving one’s social standing, and the people do not try to move up the ladder, there is a shared experience of mediocrity following the vicious cycle of: social acceptance leading to complacency which ultimately leads to mediocrity.