“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum.”

Simplified Meaning:

Imagine you're in a classroom where the teacher only lets students discuss whether they like dogs or cats more, but they can talk about it in any way they want. The students feel free to debate passionately, sharing stories and opinions. However, the teacher doesn't allow them to talk about anything else, like their favorite books or sports. This way, the students think they are expressing their thoughts openly, but in reality, their freedom to choose topics is very limited. In real life, this can happen when governments, organizations, or authorities only allow discussions on certain ideas but control the bigger picture of what can be talked about. People might feel they have freedom because they can argue within those given limits, but they are actually being kept away from discussing more important or broader issues. This keeps people compliant and stops them from challenging the overall system. To apply this idea, you can try to be aware of situations where your choices and discussions seem free but are actually restricted. Questioning and expanding beyond the given options can lead to a better understanding of your true freedoms.