You should probably read the banned book list to find books that were somewhat on point. Just mentioning the first that came to mind. Handmaid's tale. 1984.
Small consolation, but anyone that thinks the idea in their dystopian fiction is too stupid to work might find comfort that their idea actually isn't stupid enough.
Exactly this. I have so much material to work with now, which should thrill me as a writer, but the constant dread of it all sorta puts a damper on things... *sigh*
Remember when we watched Idiocracy and said, wow it would suck if everything turned out like that? Now we watch it and hope that eventually they will listen to the smart people again like in the movie
So true, um sorry to be the bearer of bad news, if any of those dystopian novels included prurient scenes, a bill was just introduced to Oklahoma to make the writer a sex offender…. It’s a test case for a national bill that according to Project 2025 would include librarians and consumers.
A friend and I have been talking about this. How would you even write a dystopian story that reflects today’s climate? So much of what’s happening would get an eye roll if you saw it in a movie 15 years ago…it’s so on the nose. It’s so corny. The villains are so unbelievably…nefarious and corny.
But it was happening all around the world, and sometimes it was our country behind it. Our country removed duly elected leaders from power. And now here we are, shocked. 😭😭😭
Read The Parable of the Sower. Written in the early 90’s. Feel like I’m on the exposed highway! Then also read The Parable of the Talents. It provides some hope. Kind of like Handmaids Tale and The Testament.
Remember when Marvel had that ridiculous movie with remnants of the third Reich, infiltrating the US government that required such an absurd degree of suspension of disbelief. Heil Hydra.
WHERE IS THE MOTHER FUCKING DEMOCRATIC JUNTA? I DEMAND A JUNTA TO JAIL TRUMP, MUSK, VANCE, VOUGHT AND ALL THE NAZIS TOFUCKINGDAY. NOW. RIGHT MOTHER FUCKING NOW.
I figured that one out, first term. I've always loved dystopian fiction. I was really interested in Handmaid's Tale. I watched about 15 minutes and it felt too much like the news.
I read the book when it first came out and loved it. Had some narcissists in my life after, paid attention to politics so when the tv series came out I couldn’t watch it. Way to close to reality and at that time voicing my opinion about it brought ridicule. Now, not so much.
Aliens who find our ruins in the future will discover that we wrote countless novels describing future dystopias in great detail, and we still marched straight towards it. They will not find us to be highly intelligent.
And we shock our heads when other country’s did this shit never thinking it would happen in the so called free world,while we procrastinate and worry about mindless crap
The western world is sleepwalking into dictatorship
Of her novel The Handmaid's Tale, the author Margaret Atwood says she didn't make up a single scenario or detail, merely rearranged historical and current facts about how women have been and are currently treated on the planet.
I grew up on their deep communism in eastern Poland and I can attest that it was worse than 1984. Things worked in the novel, technologies, administrative channels,infrastructure. In a real life broken state, life is broken - blackouts, boring all day lineups, dentistry with no anasthesia.
Seriously... Feels like they used the dystopian stories as user manuals instead of warnings.. And seems they're actually doing way worse 😢 it almost feels like it's so nightmarish that it must be a nightmare and any morning we'll wake up and realise that.. Thus far, no hint of it 💔🙄
You mistakenly believe all people agree on what is good. I can almost guarantee these people think they are good even as they cause great evil in the world.
At this point I feel like some of the Captain Planet villains whose objective was to pollute for it's own sake were more decent people than some real ones...
Currently reading several dystopian novels where things look similar to the orange felon’s America. Unfortunately, I did read one where the author said, within the story, people prefer to be ruled by leaders who handle everything & leave nothing for the masses to worry about. Perfect for dystopian.
I'm actually mad at dystopian entertainment because they promised me interesting characters and gripping plot arcs! Instead, we get milquetoast tech bros who can't scrape together a personality between them and a 'Weekend at Bernie's" situation with decaying politicians.
I have been thinking the same thing! Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, Soylent Green, not to forget Handmaid’s Tale and Parable of the Sower. Thought we would go more Star Trek than Star Wars. No, no we get Christian Nationals that don’t follow Jesus’s teachings. I don’t want to be in the Rapture.
I watched the film Interstellar the other day, and I was surprised to realised that its earth scenes aren't dysopian any longer but just how it's gonna be in a few years.
Wisdom comes at a steep price, doesn't it, I never imagined this could ever happen, I thought too well of my fellow citizens, that they would never be foolish enough to just throw away our Democracy to an obviously sick psychotic piece of shit like Trump, forgot how dangerous stupidity and money are
Absolutely true! Even after Nov 5th, I thought we have checks and balances! Thought GOP had some decent congressmen/women more than three! But Jan 20 came just like Jan 6!
We are just coming into 3 weeks now. It only took a lot of really big actions that nobody in the driver seat had ever even considered doing before, and those on the receiving end never thought they would have to face in their careers and fight to keep those careers going. But they are facing it now.
My Grandfather flew with the RAF in WWII. He was a POW of the Nazis for four years. I'm originally from the UK, and had no doubt it can and does get that bad. I studied the Holocaust for decades. As I have mental illness diagnoses, people have considered my concerns and fears as merely symptoms.
Trust me when I say I truly wish I were simply paranoid, and that my life threatening (to me) Depression were all this is. But the fact is America really didn't pay attention to not only history, but the very dystopian lives lead by millions around the world. America is going to experience pain.
If they paid attention and took notes, as you say, then they must have wanted this. Or, is it simply that racism and sexism mean no woman is ever good enough, particularly one of colour, whilst no man is too bad? Paying attention and taking notes, my arse. And here we are, Trump's Pathocracy. FFS.
True, sadly. The Religious Right and The Heritage Foundation have been working on this for fifty years. I keep forgetting how vile a vast swath of Americans are. I suppose I've lived in areas where this isn't really the case, quite so much. Thanks for reminding me of something I keep ignoring.
Imagine a nuclear war. Yes, it can get bad, and it will. Trump is mad. There is no telling what he would do, and he has sole access to the codes. He doesn't need Congress, the Supreme Court, or even the military. His aide has the nuclear football.
Short article out this week, you can find it online:
"The Logic of Destruction" by Timothy Snyder is an exploration of how certain political forces and ideologies can lead to the deliberate dismantling of democratic institutions and societal structures. Snyder argues that some leaders and oligar..
Short article out this week, you can find it online:
"The Logic of Destruction" by Timothy Snyder is an exploration of how certain political forces and ideologies can lead to the deliberate dismantling of democratic institutions and societal structures. Snyder argues that some leaders and oligar..
My anxiety knew. I’ve never been able to read dystopian novels or watch dystopian movies or shows. I only got through one episode of Handmaid’s Tale. That was enough for me. Now here we are matching right into it. sigh….
Soon. Soon. Birdflu spreads between cats and humans. Spanish flu and covid killed millions. Birdflu could be worse based on people who have had it so far. Then we also have Monkey Pox spontaneously showing up every few months... Only a matter of time before a large outbreak.
The Handmaid's Tale was based on historical events throughout the world,pointedly realistic,on purpose,to illustrate that everything we have forgotten existed at one time,even is still around in places we don't realize,now. Margaret Atwood tried to warn us.
Had a discussion about this very thing with a co-worker a few days ago. Along with other things that have gotten us (Hell. Humanity in general) to this point.
I underestimated how fucking dumb the people orchestrating dystopia would be. Or at the very least I underestimated the stupidity of the ones fronting it.
In my novel, the people refuse to believe that an event happened in the far past, and call that a fairytale... all the while believing a child in their midst is a changeling. I thought this was really stupid and nonsensical but then I looked outside...
I read 1984 in 80s when in college. It seemed so unrealistic that would be cameras/microphones everywhere. Who would ever agree to that? Yet I’ve watched it happen. Ppl have put their homes under surveillance & internet accessible. 🤷♀️
‘Live and learn’ isn’t really a positive thing, sadly.
Sure a lot, and I mean a LOT of people are finding that these days.
The Road should bum you out as much as any dystopian movie. Should give that a watch, mind you Soylent Green has an interesting intro and is also a good watch.
Every day I think we slide closer to Panem, or Mad Max. Hell, I would take a zombie apocalypse and be ready for it, but White a Supremacy on the rise is scarier than 28 Days zombies.
Mad Max is a wonderful fantasy - where does all that gas come from? All those small engine and mega engine vehicles tearing across uneven land for hours and hours, as if! It's going to be closer to zombies because people will be on foot ffs...
Gas Town and scavenging(unrealistic as gas turns to varnish and gets unstable over time). You are right it would be hard to run a real ICE vehicle in a Mad Max future. I would argue our dystopia is going to be more like Snow Crash.
It’s already been this bad for the extremely marginalized and it was less than 100 years ago since then. The rest of Americans decided to get embarrassed and didn’t want to participate in racism and classism. So, the gov’t pretended for a while but no longer. We’ll all suffer for not being nasty.
I completely suspend disbelief when reading literature and usually when watching shows. As a result, when the anxiety is too much, there is not much I can read or watch. But it means my anxiety has been warning about this for about 60 years.
I mean some people aren't registering how bad things have become but I was hitting some proper bad levels of Darkness bad by the end and that's not something my register should be anywhere near ever again.
If you want to read a scary dystopian set of novels check out Paolo Bacigalupi and ShipBreaker, The Drowned Cities and Tool of War about what a future America might look like if there really was a civil war. It’s fantasy/science fiction but some of his observations are scarily accurate.
From the writer's perspective, where the insight & ideas come from, we look around, observe and flash fiction drafts and notes. Of the nine muses in mythical, history - dystopian was represented there too.
Joe Biden illegally mandated a vaccine that he had no legal right to mandate. All of you hypocrites can cope & seethe for the next 4 years while we laugh at your impotent yelps lol
I'm right there with you! We Dems better wake up and get out there! Especially the East Coast states! Mobilize! A whole lot longer and they will be too far to stop them!
Goodness, these Congress people need to wield their POWER! You couldn't write this if you tried!!
They believe they can win the ballot box or the press box and are afraid of the bullet box. I fear it too but it might be necessary to confront it. We need Dems to get in there and Defend Military Brass that Hegseth Threatens or harasses.
There's a very real chance, within the next 4 years, that a great number of states secede. The hilarity of it all is there is some bullcrap law out there saying Congress has to approve secession. Um, no it doesn't. All it takes is the will to say we are, as a group. That's the end.
Well, my wife just found an article where they have stripped every name, of women, of leadership from NASA. They "think" it will go unnoticed. Unfortunately for them, it did not.
I fear you are correct. I study history, extensively, and no empire has successfully defended such a large mass.
Comments
At this point I’m glad we made it this far.
When you think that the bar can not be lower, then they bury it
The western world is sleepwalking into dictatorship
I remember in the TV show Almost Human they went out during daytime and it was kind of refreshing.
Weather
Gibson: "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel"
Most of the time books talk about it being night time, dark, etc. Nobody is sitting on a sunny beach.
Snow Crash had some daylight..?
We tell evil by it's fruits.
https://www.culturenearme.com
rida-transport.blog4ever.com
I 🥰 your first name!!! Is your last name Italian?
1 cup 1984,
1 tbsp Handmaids Tale
Season well with F451
Mix in plenty of nuts.
Stir the pot regularly.
Inflame until thoroughly cooked.
So like, chopped or minced or…..?
Hate to be so violent, but I guess the DOGE boys do need to go somehow.
……
OH! You meant the other kind ?🥜 😅
yeah, so chopped or…
Huxley would not be surprised, I suppose.
We got fascism because people believed they were too smart to vote.
I tell folks all the time that we are practically living every dystopian future laid out in those mediums for the last 100+ years.
Could we not just tax them until their teeth bleed instead?
'A tale as old as time: a revisit to The revolutionary civil world war 2’
Just need a Boston tea party modernized and dump something in a lake. We all know what should be done with confederates and nazis!
"The Logic of Destruction" by Timothy Snyder is an exploration of how certain political forces and ideologies can lead to the deliberate dismantling of democratic institutions and societal structures. Snyder argues that some leaders and oligar..
"The Logic of Destruction" by Timothy Snyder is an exploration of how certain political forces and ideologies can lead to the deliberate dismantling of democratic institutions and societal structures. Snyder argues that some leaders and oligar..
Just a matter of time?
This was all a plan: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2830206?guestAccessKey=9d9212d6-b873-4a61-865d-be14bd850c4b&utm_source=postup_jn&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=article_alert-jama&utm_content=olf&utm_term=020725
I could see some SCOTUS gun rights/control decisions pushing us there.
I also used to go "How can the people just let that happen?"
But not in sci-fi. Real life.
Sure a lot, and I mean a LOT of people are finding that these days.
The Road should bum you out as much as any dystopian movie. Should give that a watch, mind you Soylent Green has an interesting intro and is also a good watch.
I was called a lunatic when I was warning about this….in 2016.
1984
🤓📚
Living in one, not so much.
🥺🪓
Goodness, these Congress people need to wield their POWER! You couldn't write this if you tried!!
I fear you are correct. I study history, extensively, and no empire has successfully defended such a large mass.