Dystopia or Utopia — Let us wager on their chances
Most dystopian, classic, and contemporary, paints a future world that puts a twist on present society — a future world that could plausibly happen — Lauren DeStefano
The word “dystopia” often conjures up stereotypical images, likely influenced by futuristic science fiction movies depicting dystopian worlds.
Imagine a world enveloped in darkness and cold, where people huddle around fires for warmth. Buildings, once bustling with life, now stand as hollow shells. The streets are eerily silent, save for the occasional gust of wind stirring up dust and debris. Suddenly, a drone whirs overhead, its red scanning light sweeping the area. Figures quickly take cover behind dilapidated cars, their breath hitching as they wait for the drone to pass.
Why are there more movies devoted to dystopian civilizations than their utopian counterparts?
It is because dystopian worlds are inherently more interesting and adaptable for compelling narratives. Emerging from a dystopian world makes for a captivating story, where the protagonist triumphs over the evil running the police state and restores harmony.
Dystopian worlds provide fertile grounds for heroic journeys and recreations of epic tales like the Odyssey.
In contrast, what story can one write about a utopian state? A place where every day mirrors the previous one, and nothing really happens. Meanwhile, in dystopia, a new story of bravery or treachery unfolds every hour.
Or perhaps the prevalence of dystopian movies is because science fiction writers’ sense that dystopia is a more probable outcome?
If I were to wager, that is where I would place my bet. Deep down, we realize that achieving utopia would require collective human traits we currently lack, and furthermore, what utopia may require could contradict some fundamental laws of nature.
Why so?
Maintaining a utopia would necessitate traits like empathy, compassion, tolerance, and a sense of equity. It would require humanity to adopt a growth mindset, devoting their time to constructive activities and defying the adage that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” After all, this proverb is rooted in the observation that a person with nothing productive to do is more likely to engage in harmful activities, and a bored mind is more prone to negative behaviors or thoughts.
Considering our current state and the state of our world, having such collective traits seems highly unlikely. Of course, we may wise up as we evolve, or after surviving a few calamities (for example, the inevitable consequences of climate change), we might finally realize that if we do not get our act together, there may not be a tomorrow, or we may not get another chance.
The sight of everyone engrossed in their smartphones on the subway or at the airport does not inspire much confidence that we are collectively heading towards a growth mindset or wisely using our time.
Another formidable adversary of utopia is the universality of the bell curve.
The human mind and traits are bound to deviate from the norm necessary to maintain utopia, requiring external control to nip any deviations in the bud. These deviations from utopian norms need to be weeded out before they amplify due to positive feedback. This scenario was vividly depicted in the novel Divergent.
Can we have a utopian society with the freedom for humanity to live on a bell curve? Can we have a utopian society whose norms include freedom of speech, lack of central authority control, and the right to bear arms?
Discussing external controls to minimize deviations from utopian norms certainly echoes elements of dystopia.
Returning to our initial discussion about the prevalence of dystopian worlds in science fiction and movies, it may be rooted in our gut-level sense that a stable state of utopia is an impossible achievement. Furthermore, it seems much easier to descend into a dystopian state than to ascend to its utopian counterpart. After all, gravity is against us.
And then there is the undeniable fact that dystopian worlds make for more intriguing and captivating stories.
Ciao.
