Everyone just keeps acting like its normal
That’s a common trope in dystopian settings.
The youngest people in the society don’t understand that anything is even wrong. The rich folks have a vested interest in people being more afraid of foreigners and domestic terrorists than any government malfeasance. And the working class is so occupied with simple survival that they see no real opportunity to revolt… until something really falls off the rails, at which point the military moves in to suppress dissent with maximum bloodshed.
In those dystopia settings however, they never seem to have all the literature describing dystopia. We do here
Eh, it depends on the author. I’ve seen a lot of modern Post-Apocalypse/Cyberpunk stuff make comedic quasi-self-references by way of media-within-the-media (A piece of modern literature in the Fallout setting describing a “dystopian” world in the self-proclaimed utopian Vaults, for instance).
But the point of the media-within-the-media is often to illustrate how we fixate on the drama of dystopia without acknowledging the banality of social evils.
Right now, in the mostly-free-press parts of the world, I now think that dystopian scifi no longer serves as a warning of what not to do but instead acts as a numbing agent to increased oppression.
This is going to sound very Maoist or whatever but we need more utopian scifi like Star Trek TNG. We need utopian visions imagined for us so we have something to work towards.
It was so refreshing to watch the Chinese TV show for Three-Body where the world was at peace with each other and trying to solve this bizarre global mystery. Sure, the Chinese government was painted as much more competent than American & European governments but Hollywood does the same thing with the US government too.
1984 literally has a manifesto describing what’s happening.
In fact, the brainwashing of the kids in 1984 to report on their parents having / reading / discussing “controversial media” is a major element of the dystopia. Those media are not explicitly named, but I don’t think they have to be.
I feel like this describes pretty much every western society since we moved beyond tribalism.
I don’t think tribalism was the apex of greatness people seem to think it was.
I’m too broke to worry about much more then working enough to feed myself and afford my shitty apartment for another month.
So what your saying is the system is working as intended.
Oh well, at least frogurt is still relatively cheap.
The frogurt is capitalist
That’s bad.
It also comes in plant-based varieties!
That’s worse.
The plants contain potassium benzoate!
It’s really not. At least no more than it has been in the past
Yeah, there are tons of things to make better and improve on, but things could be a lot freaking worse. (For more people, anyway, for too many people it’s already terrible currently, e.g. Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen, Haiti … )
The same people that quote that these are the least violent and most progressive times we live in will turn right around and say we’re in an ever increasing dystopian hellhole despite all the scientific evidence to the contrary.
They will continue to bemoan mainstream media and social media pushing propaganda on them they continue to link on THEIR better social media.
You’ll then be yelled at for Green washing and unironically saying that progressives are in the democratic party for a reason despite saying all politicians are the same from their useful idiot basements while pretending to be a Bernie Bro despite him endorsing Hilary, and Biden lol.
What would you have Bernie do after loosing his primary?
The point being that Hilary’s and Bernie’s platforms were near identical. They agreed and voted together on the same issues 94% of the time. More than any other candidate they had ever run with.
The progressive Democrats are not that different from mainstream Democrats not because they’re so far right like everyone loves to espouse but from a constant track record of Democrats regularly becoming more progressive.
Don’t believe bullshit internet memes and lies about centrist Democrats being far right. They’re not. They’re working in the framework of American culture and despite what everyone thinks is going to happen every time we get a forward thinking leader, the government is slow by design and quick changes are not reality for almost any government except dictatorships.
Having a benevolent dictatorship would be phenomenal. The form of government doesn’t matter as long as lives are being bettered. Representative Democracy tends to keep it from going full on off the rails in the span of a decade though.
The world looks like a horrible place, barely hanging on by a thread, until you step outside and see that society and the people in it are generally pretty chill.
Of course, that said, I don’t live in the states. Everything could be literally on fire there for all I know.
It’s a pleasant surprise every time I visit how chill the US is, you see so much news and fear mongering but it’s super friendly and nice everywhere I go.
Except now there’s nukes, end stage capitalism, and climate change… Sure up until like 100 years ago shit sucked hard for just about everyone, but at least there was no way they could literally end all life on earth
Lol, you high?
Yeah standard of living overall is factually better than at any other point in the last few hundred years.
Medicine alone has made getting to or living past your mid-30’s far less hard or filled with pain - even for those in poverty.
And hell I’d argue that if the original commenter really believes it’s a dystopian shit-show…it’s crystal clear how to make your own lot better.
Yeah standard of living overall is factually better than at any other point in the last few hundred years.
Really depends on who you are and where you live. I’m watching my Houston ISD getting torn apart before my eyes. Police were running around UH campus clubbing students and dragging them into squad cars just a few weeks ago. The derecho that blew through downtown knocked out 5-10% of the windows in various buildings and killed the power for a few days. Electricity costs have doubled in the last ten years, while summer heat is up a sold five degrees Fahrenheit on average.
Is my standard of living better than it was for someone living in the city a generation ago? Doesn’t look like it. But hey, we’ve got weird new AI and the stock market is very up. Is it better than someone living in Houston in 1824? Yeah… I guess? But so much of that seems to hinge on having electricity and running water. And the more pipes keep bursting and lines keep getting knocked down, the less reliable these services seem.
Medicine alone has made getting to or living past your mid-30’s far less hard
Average life expectancy has been over 60 years of age since at least the 19th century. A lot of that came entirely out of the advent of vaccinations.
Good think we’re not having trouble convincing people to get vaccinated in the modern era, I guess.
Not to forget, how we now “only” work 40h (for most people), but productivity went up and a lot of down times and social interaction in the past, were replaced by workload grind in a now stressful office environments.
we now “only” work 40h
That’s a deceptive estimate, as the number of employment hours worked across the household has jumped considerably higher. Two income families are the norm while children in low income households are routinely press-ganged into service - either as additional hires or as unpaid support for the primary worker (aiding parents as field workers while the field overseer turns a blind eye, for instance).
productivity went up and a lot of down times and social interaction in the past, were replaced by workload grind in a now stressful office environments.
Longer commutes, fewer public spaces and services, more haphazard schedules (more and more people working traditional “weekend” periods, particularly in retail, service, and transportation sectors), and more unreliable gig work. Absolutely.
People in the ukraine are like: man this is great, imagine living in the 30’s
It’s always been terrible, this the best we’ve had, and it’s still still terrible.
Reminded me of this:
https://ourworldindata.org/much-better-awful-can-be-betterI’m still to pessimistic to feel hopeful by this, but maybe someone else can :)
That whole article you linked is about convincing you to be optimistic.
Yes, the world is awful. But it is so much better than it ever was before, and we have proven that we have the means to make it so much better still.
Even if all we did was get everyone up to the standard of living where they experience first-world problems, that still means making the world so much better than it was. And we can make the world even better than that. Even if you’re pessimistic, you should still be optimistic.
I totally agree with your assessment. I think it’s just that maybe something inherent in me is hopeless/pessimistic that I can’t bring myself to see/have this positive outlook, also in my personal life. Maybe it’s just a phase or something
Well, I don’t know your life, but I do know that even if you feel that way, it can still get better. Even if you’re pessimistic about their chances for success, there are resources and people available to help. I have hope for you, even if you don’t.
Thanks for the kind words! I am actually trying to get somewhat rid of these patternes of thought. It’s a long journey, though
You’ve got this.
I’d argue we peaked between 25 and 50 years ago, and now we’re sliding back down the hill.
I’d argue you’re not very familiar with recent history. Also, who is “We”?
Yeah, life without a dishwasher, hot water and toilet was so much better!
In a lot of ways yes this is the best humanity has ever had, but it’s also the first time we’ve had the means to completely eradicate life on earth, and still seen to be barreling towards it. (If you consider the last 80 or so years to be “now”)
reading 1984 as a kid: Wow how could anyone live in England?
understanding the world a bit more as an adult: The overwhelming majority of people just live where they were born and accept whatever good or bad things come along. Making positive changes to our system is a slow process, not unlike planting trees so that future people can enjoy the shade.
me now: Wow how could anyone live in England?
The overwhelming majority of people just live where they were born and accept whatever good or bad things come along.
This!! I’ve been trying to tell people this for so long but no one every listens. Most people especially Americans are the boiling frog. They choose to live in blissful ignorance because it’s easier than actually fixing the problem, and now the rest of us who can actually acknowledge what’s going on have to suffer
Can’t even plant a tree because someone “owns” the land.
LOL… how could anyone live in a country with free healthcare, subsidized higher ed, public transit that covers the vast majority of the population, practically zero gun battles daily… oof, yeah, how could anyone?
pfft
Imagine not having the freedom to have your daily gun battle!
I don’t have that hope. There’s plenty of gun violence in my country and state and neighborhood. I’m not anti-guns per se, I’m anti-fuckwits and universal firearms access is leading to the a real dystopia.
I think this vision usually comes to be when people aren’t aware of how much worse other people have it, or how much worse was in the past.
Sure nowdays there are a lot of terrible things happening, but we have the best tools ever to fix them.
The world needs a bit more of optimism, the only way we can start fixing our problems is acting like we can.
How do you know how bad many of the people have it here? Also, in general, I reject the premise of your comment.
Just because people may be suffering more elsewhere, doesn’t mean we don’t have a right to be frustrated by our current systems. This is especially true in a society that allows absurdities like billionaires to exist.
It is Nice not having to worry the black lung.
Yes, this system absolute madness only equaled by the madness of the mass tolerance of it.
And NOT the fun weekend bender kind of madness I haven’t had time for in years due to capitalist exploitation.
Potential convicted felon president with many active indictments looking to give himself blanket immunity for all crime and appointing himself dictator president for life. All while every year is the hottest year on record, there isn’t enough housing, actually nazis feel safe to actively demonstrate in public, a million less Americans are alive post COVID and all of the world’s wealth is split between 7 people and all the world’s companies owned by 4 parent companies…
What the fuck are you talking about dystopian?
Those in that million category were probably the lucky ones, the afterlife’s probably pretty dope.
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And so we go, on with our lives
We know the truth but prefer lies
Lies are simple, simple is bliss
Why go against tradition when we can
Admit defeat, live in decline
Be the victim of our own design
The status quo, built on suspect
Why would anyone stick out their neck?Fellow members
Club “We’ve got ours”
I’d like to introduce you to our host
He’s got his and I’ve got mine
Meet the declineNOFX - The Decline
This song, by a comedian, is a showcase of the hopeless, fucked up, irredeemable, state of humanity.
These 2 particular lines brings a tidal wave of emotions:
20 thousand years of this, seven more to go
The quiet comprehending of the ending of it all (Actually, the whole song, the whole album gets me)
That Funny Feeling ~ Bo Burnham
Stunning 8K-resolution meditation app. In honor of the revolution, it’s half off at the GAP. Deadpool’s self-awareness, loving parents, harmless fun. The backlash to the backlash to the thing that’s just begun.
There it is again, that funny feeling That funny feeling There it is again, that funny feeling That funny feeling
The surgeon generals’ pop-up shop, Robert Iger’s face. Discount Etsy agitprop, Bugles’ take on race. Female Colonel Sanders, easy answers, civil war. The whole world at your fingertips, the ocean at your door.
Live-action Lion King, the Pepsi Halftime Show. 20 thousand years of this, seven more to go. Carpool Karaoke, Steve Aoki, Logan Paul. A gift shop at the gun range, a mass shooting at the mall.
There it is again, that funny feeling That funny feeling There it is again, that funny feeling That funny feeling
Reading Pornhub’s terms of service, going for a drive. And obeying all the traffic laws in Grand Theft Auto five. Full agoraphobic, losing focus, cover blown. A book on getting better hand-delivered by a drone.
Total disassociation, fully out your mind. Googling “derealization”, hating what you find. That unapparent summer air in early fall. The quiet comprehending of the ending of it all.
There it is again, that funny feeling That funny feeling There it is again, that funny feeling That funny feeling
Hey, what can you say? We were overdue But it’ll be over soon, you wait Hey, what can you say? We were overdue But it’ll be over soon, just wait, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da-da-da-da
This the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper.
T.S. Eliot - The Hollow Men
About a year after it came out, I was singing along with it during a depressive episode and realized ‘seven’ wasn’t accurate anymore. It freaked me out, but I realized that part of the nature of the song is the impending doom, and I have to change the lyrics when I get to that part.
…Four more to go.
Don’t forget to factor in the time between him writing, recording, and releasing it.
One of my favorite songs of all time. I revisit it once a year or so but have to be careful because as much as I love it, it can put me in a dark place. I’ve urged a lot of friends to give it a listen while paying attention to the lyrics but that seems to be quite a commitment for most people 😂
Just in case, this year is your last chance to see them live. Thought you might want to know that 😊
Yea I just saw that in my feed. I’ve never seen them live (though I hear they suck live 😜) so I should def try.
I missed them my whole life, until this year. Crossed half the country. It was amazing.
Like as in you traveled across the country to see them? If so, that sounds fun. I’ve driven across 3-4 times (assuming you mean the US) and it’s been a lot of fun each time.
It would be really great to see them for me this time since they are playing with the Descendants (the two were my introduction into punk music)!
Like as in you traveled across the country to see them?
Yes! Although in a smaller country than the USA, with high speed trains 😇
they are playing with the Descendants
Oh cool!
Only moron and genius would fight a losing battle against the super ego.
No. I’m familiar with history. It is normal.
What’s the other option?
We just need to have some bell riots and WW3 and then bam star trek
Don’t forget to add a little bit of post-atomic horror!
Are you telling me you can’t even imagine a better world?
I think that they mean you still have to eat and sleep and try to have joy in your life.
It’s easy if you try.
Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too
Can you simply imagine things into existence?
You can act them into existence, but you’ll never even start if you can’t imagine anything better, even if that’s just “we should improve society somewhat.”
Not a dystopian nightmare?
Your nightmare is someone else’s dream.
My nightmare is a libertarian’s wet dream?
No idea. Never met a libertarian.
No realistic society can satisfy everyone, because when it comes to individual desires, “we the people” falls apart.
How about a society that isn’t predicated on the exploitation of others?
Some societies are objectively more pleasant to humans than others, otherwise we wouldn’t strive at all
Any society needs resources. In order for a society to grow or maintain itself, their consumption of resources must not exceed the production of it. Should we pursue a society that doesn’t depend on the heavy exploitation of resources, it would mean to severely limit the reproduction of its population within the society’s means of sustaining them. Our planet does not have the capability to sustain our current 8 billion population.
Many of us will die and after that many would be restricted in their rights for procreation.
As such, while those societies might be pleasant for some humans, the ones it needs to get rid of to achieve its desired status won’t be too happy with it needing them gone.
I think it’s doable. Sure we won’t have so much cheap crap in the north, but no one needs to starve.
Moving on from class society
People all over the world have agency.
People are not acting, they are desensitized… we all are in some capacity, the difference being the few who can recognise this😅
I’d say it’s less about being desensitized, and more about the fact that the world has never been a utopia. This “dystopian” stuff has always been happening.
That’s because a lot of people are profiting from things being the way they are. And the rest of them are too scared and traumatized to risk saying anything.
Literally gives me anxiety to the point I need meds
With you.
Nice that meds exist though.
That’s how it always happens, unfortunately. “Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me.”
