If you came out of high school and college in the 1970s...there was a 10-percent chance that you read ‘1984’ at some point and were aware of the story. Today? I would suggest that less than .5-percent have read the book. You can find journalists with the top networks who will admit that they’ve never read the book.
Recently read it again myself and watched the John Hurt movie. I found the movie failed a bit, concentrating too much on the interrogation as if that was a greater horror than the disordered society rather than just its inevitable end. The book however never fails to feel like something that could quite easily occur given enough gullible people and a perceived need to give over control
I read “1984” twice, “Brave New World” several times.
“1984” is much more terrifying.
It is on the banned list in many schools... Was just talking to a friend about this about a year ago and she said she asked her kids teachers what grade they would be reading it in... They said the district (they live in Glendale, Arizona) won’t allow them to assign it to be read and the book is not even in their libraries.
The 4chan kids are very familiar with INGSOC. It is a serious component of many memes. There is some hope for the future. Of course, I have been reading 1984 for the first time in 50 years (since 10th grade). The first time I read it was 1968 and my feeling was “we have this book so we have been ‘vaccinated’ and it won’t happen.” When 1984 came we felt vindicated. Reassured. Now reading it I get the message of futility. Serious black pilled. It doesn’t matter if you hate Goldstein or love him. It doesn’t matter if you resist. In fact, resistance is part of “the business model”. Even the resistance is crafted by “the system” and part of it. “The Brotherhood” can never succeed because it was never intended to succeed but rather just to provide a futile past time for folks who aren’t kool aid drinkers.
I read it around then. 10 % sounds low.