How We’re Manifesting a Dystopian Future: Are the Odds Really in Our Favor?
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An apocalypse.
Debris beyond belief.
A city of ruin. A world in catastrophe.
That’s what a dystopian society looks like…right? (well, alongside some attractive young people overthrowing their government). But what if I told you that “dystopian” doesn’t necessarily need to look like what we typically envision? It’s not just what we see on screen. Although, watching Dylan O’Brien fight zombies is pretty mesmerizing. What if dystopian is what we’re turning into? What if we’re turning into a different, yet comparable, version of what so many stories try to warn us of? To me, it seems like those brain-eating zombies didn’t scare us enough.
The idea of dystopia has been around for centuries and was created in response to the idea of utopia, which is defined as a place or situation consisting of ideal perfection. Naturally, dystopia takes on a different stance. A not-so-idealistic one. A dystopia, or dystopian society, is often defined by the level of injustice and suffering taking place in the specific society. In the stories we’ve all engaged with (The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Divergent, The Last of Us, Black Mirror, etc.) there are unifying factors such as this: there’s loads of fear, censoring of the media and free thought, and a loss of individuality. When we think of these stories, they sound unfathomable and impossible for us to ever relate to. We can’t bear the thought of living in these characters' shoes. Each story acts as some type of warning or message, whether it be a warning to steer away from specific types of governments, to be wary of propaganda, or what our world may look like if we continue to misuse the resources we have. We would never be that society!
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It’s 2023. Post-pandemic. A new age filled with artificial intelligence. Tiny mobile devices practically control us. Climate change is more important to discuss than ever before. Because, you know, the Earth has a bit of a fever right now. But no, we’re not turning into a dystopian society at all. Just an average life!
Seriously, when do we ever zoom outward and truthfully analyze the kind of society we’re living in? This would send someone from 1600 straight into a coma. We’ve been dealing with upheaval our entire lives, especially after 2020 (which I’m sure we’ve all trauma-blocked by now). If these events and technological developments continue to happen, which they will, what does this mean for us in the future? I, for one, am curious to see what the United States will look like in a few decades. What’s even more interesting to me is how I’ve never seen this pointed out. And how we keep eating up these types of stories. I absolutely do; I would pay money to watch Divergent again for the first time. To this day, Shailene Woodley and Theo James have me in a chokehold.
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Beyond the more mainstream dystopian films, there’s a slew of video games, books, and all types of content in-between with similar airs about them: The Giver, Fahrenheit 451, Station 11, Blade Runner, The 100, The Society, The Handmaid’s Tale ... you get the gist. We can all agree there is not a lack of this genre. I think some of us (totally not me) have a weird internal desire to feel like we’re the chosen one. That we’re meant for something greater. To be a badass who saves the world. The Katniss. We borderline overinvest in these narratives, to a point where society is subconsciously shifting that way. It’s undeniable: we’ve grown up with these stories at the forefront alongside the lightning development of technology and globalization.
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At least for me, these narratives played a vital part in my childhood and have always grabbed my attention. The telling of these tales has a way of tricking us into thinking we’re meant for more. And gives us the skill of being on alert 24/7. It’s a bit abnormal to realize we grew up reading books about literal children being put into arenas to fight to the death. We were doomed from the start. Despite these stories being considered fiction, there’s a heap of truth in them. They honestly point out patterns within society and human nature. How funny that we’ve heard the same story in a million separate ways. We continue to listen yet refuse to think it could ever be us.
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Exposure eventually leads to consequences…or in our case, accidental manifestations. We’ve heard the theories, the hypotheses, the warnings—but here we are, barreling towards a reality where the narratives we fear are becoming our own. You can’t tell me artificial intelligence and a pandemic aren’t textbook dystopian. Need I remind everyone we’re sending billionaires into space for fun?! It sounds like we’re living in a movie. Honestly, I’m ready for them to cut the cameras. The plot is thick enough!
This leads me to question...
Why are these stories so popular? Why are we obsessed with the idea of an apocalypse? Because society teaches us to glorify and romanticize this type of living.
Deep down we all want that story...
That we survived,
That we’re that guy.
I’d argue we’re already dystopian. Just in a different font.
Strike Out,
Writer: Dani Hernandez
Editor: Cristina Angee
Tallahassee