In England during the summer of 2024, enraged crowds wreaked havoc, looted stores, set fire to buildings, and assaulted police, seemingly influenced by online falsehoods.
During these riots, it dawned on me that rampaging mobs are a common element in dystopian fiction.
I started to wonder if our current reality was a type of dystopia? Are we living in dystopia?
In Sir Thomas More’s 1516 book, the philosopher described a highly desirable or near-perfect society and he nicknamed his fictional place ‘Utopia.’ His word probably derived from the Greek eutopia that meant ‘the good place.’
The term “dystopia,” first coined in 1868, refers to the opposite of the Utopia described by More, i.e. an imperfect and undesirable society: a society that is not a good place!
True dystopia is not about fantastical zombies stomping through streets, but rather it's just regular people —people like us— behaving like zombies, with zombie attitudes and zombie perspectives. True dystopia is people willing to become zombie-puppets for unseen manipulators.
True dystopia doesn’t require lethal cyborg-automatons. All that’s needed is regular people—people like us—turning into mindless robots so unseen manipulators can control and profit from events.
The initial sign of dystopia is the collapse of rational structures —built over generations— that were put into place to defend the vulnerable & innocent.
Society establishes straightforward rules and standards of behaviour to uphold stability.
What is the societal response to the breakdown and destruction of these protective systems? Society faces a choice: either it must enforce stricter rules and suppress the mob, or it must risk falling into tyranny and end-up submitting to mob rule and autocracy.
When exploring dystopian novels, have you ever thought about the resemblance of the fictional world to our reality? Are we living in dystopia?
I’ve put together a helpful list (below) that outlines the essential elements of dystopia. See how many you can cross off!
List of common elements found in dystopian fiction
Individuals struggle to exist beyond basic survival
Ancient religious beliefs crumble, while false beliefs gain excessive attention
As “big” government takes away freedoms, they exempt themselves from the regulations they enforce
Every aspect of daily life is controlled by technocratic corporations and technology
In daily life, big pharma becomes a key player. Citizens can’t live without a “dose” of a wonder drug
Elites indulge in luxurious lifestyles while lower classes suffer poverty
The very richest individuals in society are in charge of owning and operating vital technology
With reduced economic competition, a handful of global corporations dominate all essential goods and services
The prevalence of vulgar perversions leads to damage in proper relationships and an increase in unhealthy promiscuity
Art serves the purpose of providing sensual pleasure rather than aesthetic enjoyment
Political power is wielded by uncontrollable super-rich oligarchs
Continuous surveillance of citizens is initiated by a “big brother” state
There is a systematic destruction of the natural world, which leads to a surge in natural disasters and an increase in global epidemics
Long-standing judicial systems become dysfunctional
Dysfunction becomes prevalent among the political classes
Individual distinctiveness fades as mobs take control.
People transition from being autonomous-thinking humans to become easily influenced “sheeple.”
The elites exploit hunger, poverty, and disease to maintain or gain power
The perception of older persons as “expendable” results in a devaluation of all human life
Education is frequently dismissed as insignificant or unproductive, causing learning to be undervalued and undermined.
Work is never done by elites; plebs handle all chores
Everyone tries to manipulate and exploit everyone else
Maximizing short-term profit takes precedence over safeguarding sustainable life and trying to protect the environment.
Common citizens are held responsible by elites for all the catastrophes, all the downturns, the strife, and the panics
The purpose of creating new products is to maximize profits, not to benefit consumers
Patriotism & nationalism take precedence over basic education and common sense
Elites exploit distrust between faiths and ethnic groups to accumulate and strengthen their power
How many did you tick off? Are we living in dystopia?
Words: Neil Mach 2024 ©
Neil Mach is highly regarded in the field of fantasy studies and has been described a fantologist. He authored So You Want to Write Fantasy? The book is an enlightening easy-to-read manual that delves into fantasy perspectives.
