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The 1984 Commercial

In 2004, Apple created an updated version of the ad which included a digitally-added iPod. For a while it was available on Apple's website; the large version was big enough to read most of the words I refer to below.

Apple 1984 Ad (2004 revision)

Mentor's speech as heard in the commercial that aired:

Today we celebrate the first, glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives. We have created, for the first time in all history, a garden of pure ideology, where each worker may bloom secure from the pests purveying contradictory thoughts. Our Unification of Thoughts is more powerful a weapon than any fleet or army on Earth! We are one people, with one will, one resolve, one cause. Our enemies shall talk themselves to death. And we will bury them with their own confusion. We shall prevail!

This is slightly different from the version that is widely reported by others on the Internet. In particular, the phrase "pests purveying contradictory thoughts" is usually misquoted as "pests of contradictory and confusing truths"; but the correct version can be heard in the voice of the Mentor (the figure that resembles Orwell's "Big Brother") and seen on the screen below the Mentor's face. Some of the words are also on the back walls of the auditorium, seen in the shots of the woman throwing the hammer.

words on back wall (upper right)

Here is the writing seen on the back walls of the auditorium:

EACH OF YOU IS A SING EACH OF YOU IS A SINGLE CELL IN THE GREAT BODY OF THE REAT BODY OF THE STATE. THE GREAT BODY HAS PURG BODY HAS PURGED ITSELF OF PARASITES. ARASITES. WE HAVE TRIUMPHED OVER THE IUMPHED OVER THE UNPRINCIPLED DISSEMINATIO ACTS UNPRINCIPLED DISSEMINATION OF FACTS ND THE POISONOUS WEEDS OF AND THE POISONOUS WEEDS OF ISINFORMATION HAVE BEEN NED DISINFORMATION HAVE BEEN CONSIGNED O THE DUSTBIN OF HISTORY... TO THE DUSTBIN OF HISTORY." ONEIL ONEILL

This is clearly two copies of the same text.

The longer version, which is the version widely quoted, includes the text on the back wall followed by the text spoken by the Mentor, with a few slight modifications:

My friends, each of you is a single cell in the great body of the State. And today, that great body has purged itself of parasites. We have triumphed over the unprincipled dissemination of facts. The thugs and wreckers have been cast out. And the poisonous weeds of disinformation have been consigned to the dustbin of history. Let each and every cell rejoice! For today we celebrate the first, glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directive! We have created, for the first time in all history, a garden of pure ideology, where each worker may bloom secure from the pests of contradictory and confusing truths. Our Unification of Thought is a more powerful weapon than any fleet or army on Earth! We are one people. With one will. One resolve. One cause. Our enemies shall talk themselves to death. And we will bury them with their own confusion! We shall prevail!

This page was written in the "embarrassingly readable" markup language RHTF, and was last updated on 2011 Jul 06.

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