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95 Dystopian Things That Have Somehow Become A Normal Part Of Everyday Life
Every once in a while, you’ll be in a customer support chat and realize you’re talking to a bot. Then you take a step back and realize there are quite a few things like that have permeated modern society.
So we’ve collected posts and pictures that folks online thought were deeply dystopian, from faucets with screens to ads inside of fortune cookies. Get comfortable (before that becomes a subscription) as you scroll through, upvote the worst examples and be sure to share your own thoughts in the comments below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Pretty Weird
Robert Millar 1 month ago
It is just one of those things because the victims vote for the perpetrators.
RELATED:
#2
One Day The Masses Might Cotton On
Becky Samuel 1 month ago
People being trained to blame the 1% when it is the 0.00001% draining away money like Smaug, so that they can show off their vast shiny piles of gold.
#3
Apocalyptical Fiction Books Are Now In Current Affairs
Every dystopia owes its existence, weirdly enough, to a word that meant the opposite. Back in 1516, English lawyer and eventual saint Sir Thomas More published a book called Utopia, describing a fictional island with a supposedly perfect society. More was a bit of a punster, and he built the word from Greek roots that could mean either "no place" or "good place" depending on how you squinted at it, which was kind of the joke. The island was an ideal so perfect it might as well not exist.
For a couple of centuries, nobody had a proper word for the flip side of that coin. There are scattered traces of writers reaching for something darker, including an obscure 1747 poem that used the spelling "dustopia," but the term most people credit didn't show up until 1868, when philosopher John Stuart Mill stood up in the British House of Commons and tore into government policy on Irish land rights.
#4
$280,000,000,000
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 1 month ago
If course we could not possibly tax the rich, they do so much good for us! Like replace workers with AI and automation, increasing their own profits.
#5
Dressing As Your Other Job, Fun
#6
A Letter To Humans Of The Future On The Site Of Iceland's First Dead Glacier
He argued that what people called "utopian" was usually just too good to work, while what the government was proposing was too bad to work, and he suggested calling that second kind of thing "dystopian." He simply swapped the "u" for the Greek prefix "dys," meaning bad or diseased, and stuck it onto "topos," meaning place. A bad place, official and on the record.
#7
Glad Critical Medical Care Is Being Taken Care Of By Private Companies That Definitely Care
#8
It’s Some Twilight Zone Stuff
#9
Seems About Right
It almost didn't catch on. Fellow philosopher Jeremy Bentham had already floated his own term, "cacotopia," decades earlier, and for a while dystopia mostly sat around gathering dust while writers used other labels for grim fictional futures. It wasn't until the twentieth century, once books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty Four had thoroughly rattled readers, that dystopia became the word everyone reached for.
#10
Graffiti Keeps Rent Low
#11
Must Profit First
Becky Samuel 1 month ago
Don't forget good ole' NordVPN, who freely give your information to the feds and make a lot of their profit through data harvesting.
#12
School Bus Advertisement For Body Armor
So what actually makes a dystopia a dystopia, beyond the vibes? Fiction in this genre tends to circle back to the same handful of ingredients. There's almost always some authority watching everyone a little too closely, whether that's a government, a corporation, or an algorithm nobody fully understands. Individuality tends to get flattened in favor of conformity, with citizens nudged, or forced, into thinking and behaving alike.
#13
Rows And Rows And Rows And-
Phantom Phoenix 1 month ago
🎶 Little boxes on the hillside. Little boxes made of ticky-tacky 🎶
#14
Someone At My Doctor's Office Made A Paper Bikini To Censor This Medical Illustration
The_Nicest_Misanthrope 1 month ago (edited)
Free the anatomically correct n****e! Edit: Oh fùck off, BP! Nìpple nìpple nìpple!!! 🖕
#15
My City Rolled Out A Yearly Ems Subscription
Technology is usually a double edged sword, promising convenience while quietly working against the people using it. Language itself often gets twisted too, with propaganda dressing up bad news as progress. And underneath it all, there's typically a thin layer of shiny, cheerful branding stretched over something rotten, which is exactly why dystopias are so unsettling. They rarely announce themselves. They look like normal life until you notice the cracks.
#16
This Display Is How I Learned That Missouri Banned An Introductory Book About Oil Painting
Bonesko 1 month ago
I looked this up. The book about oil painting was banned because they featured reproductions of classical n**e artwork. And "Because of you John Lewis" was banned due to pressure from local political groups to restrict books that mentioned race, civil rights, and social justice. John Lewis spent 60 years fighting for equality and he co-founded and chaired the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), organizing peaceful lunch counter sit-ins and participating in the historic Freedom Rides to challenge illegal bus segregation. Certainly can't have children reading these books 🙄
#17
This Restaurant's Bathroom Faucet Has A Display For Ads
#18
Went To Buy Formula For My Friend. Can't Find An Employee To Unlock The Case
Becky Samuel 1 month ago
The craze for 'protein everything' has pushed the demand for whey powder through the roog, which is having the knock-on effect of making baby formula more expensive. People are really prepared for babies to starve so long as they can keep up protein-maxxing.
That last part is probably why the word gets thrown around so much online these days, usually with a laugh rather than a shudder. Nobody scrolling through pictures of a vending machine with a facial recognition ad panel thinks they're witnessing the fall of civilization. But there's something familiar in the pattern anyway.
#19
My Fortune Cookie Had A Qr Code Ad Inside
#20
They're Editing Digital Books To Contain Ads Now
Beak Hookage 1 month ago
A publisher tried slipping an ad for Campbell's soup into a novel written by a friend of Sir Terry Pratchett. Author famously ripped that page out in front of the editorial team and ate it.
#21
Did You Know We Don't Pay Our Servers A Living Wage?
A little surveillance here, a little forced cheerfulness there, a subscription fee where a one time purchase used to be. It's dystopia in miniature, the genre's DNA showing up in the small print of everyday annoyances rather than in a sweeping fictional regime.
#22
Oh Fun
#23
School Put Gates To Lock Bathrooms Between And During Classes
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 month ago (edited)
Thankfully, there has never been a child with bladder, bowel, or menstrual issues who might need the restroom during class. Otherwise, this would be a very bad idea.
Calling your smart fridge dystopian is obviously a joke, mostly. But jokes like that stick around because they're pointing at something real, the sense that modern conveniences occasionally come with a faint aftertaste of control. So as you scroll through the examples below, keep an eye out for that mix of slick design and quiet unease. It's the same recipe Mill was gesturing at back in 1868, just running through a much smaller, much stranger set of appliances.
#25
#26
After The Government Let Companies Influence School Curriculums, My Exams Now Look Like This
#28
This Store Announces They Collect Your Biometric Data
#29
🗣
#30
Had My First AI Drive Through Experience
#31
Having To Scan A Qr Code In Case Of Emergency
#32
How Did We Go From Paper Cups And Plastic Straws To Plastic Cups And Paper Straws?
#33
They Used The Key Word
#34
A Sign To Hand In Your Notice
#35
Dystopian Storage Container Walls Around People’s Park In Berkeley CA To Keep Homeless Out
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 1 month ago (edited)
How about convert those containers into homes for the homeless? It has been done elsewhere.
#36
My Son’s Kindergarten Class Is Being Exposed To Gambling To Win Snacks At Lunch
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 month ago
What grade do they have to be for the elective Gambler's Anonymous?
#37
My Favorite Motivational Quote From The Window Of A Local Goodwill
#38
This Is Veterans Row. A 3 Block Homeless Camp In West L.A. Where Homeless Veterans Live In
#39
Family Friend Sent Me AI Generated Response To News Of My Father Passing Away
#41
A Vendor Selling Bullet Resistant Glass To Schools At A Teacher Convention In America 10/17/2024
#42
Painfully Accurate
#43
I’m 23 (Ftm) Found This In A Stack Of Books My Mother Recently Purchased
#44
Security Tag On Cheese In Aldi
#45
When You Live In America And Go To The Hospital For Food Poisoning
#46
Buy Now, Pay Later At The Local Grocery Butcher
#47
Outshine The Owner, Earn $15/Hr
#48
My Bill Is $250k In A Day Stay At Hospital Having Appendectomy
#49
Housing Destroyer In Dieppe, France
#50
Ads Playing On Repeat Inside My School
Verena 1 month ago (edited)
Language is Dutch. Philips is an by origin Dutch company with its HQ in Eindhoven. Eindhoven has very good universities, of which Philips is a sponsor. So it would be possible that this is the Marketing & Design wing of the university, displaying the winner of a competition. Text says "Shave. Shaves less close to the skin than comparable razors".
#51
A Grim Reality Sets In
#52
AI Company's 'Stop Hiring Humans' Ads All Over Sf
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 month ago
When I was a girl, the science fiction stories were all about how robots would do the grunt work, leaving humans free to create art, music, and literature. Why is it that we're doing the grunt work, and AI is doing the "creating"?
#53
This Was The Hospital Bill We Received Today
Lukas (he/him) 1 month ago
From OP: "I should clarify since this is getting somewhat popular.... My son was born with a congenital heart defect. We spent 6 weeks in the hospital after he was born in the CTICU. He had heart surgery when he was 10 days old. Countless medications, specialists, doctors, procedures, and more. Thank God for insurance otherwise we'd be paying almost $2M out of pocket. On the flip side of this whole debacle, my son gets to live a long normal life and I would work to pay back $10M if it means I get to have him in my life ❤️"
#54
What I Got For ‘Employee Appreciation’ After Working An Entire Year During A Pandemic
#55
C O N S U M E
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 1 month ago
But we are being paid less and less each year. We will soon not to be able to afford to shop.
#56
Having To Pay A Fee So An Obituary Can Be Seen Ad-Free On A Funeral Home’s Website
Beak Hookage 1 month ago
There it is: the crassest thing I've ever seen. Which is impressive given what I've come across in this list alone so far.
#57
And Youtube Wonders Why We Use Ad Blockers Or Pirate Stuff...and They Have The Nerve To Raise The Premium Prices? And The Ads Are Either Scams, Surveys, Or Three-Second Movie Trailer Clips
Laszlo Larthlanc 1 month ago
I do not actually need any of the entertainment I'm paying for -- I merely want it, and I occasionally give up one thing or another just to send a big FU to the provider. Anyway, I have more books than I'll ever be able to finish in my lifetime.
#58
Great News!
Beak Hookage 1 month ago
In fact let's stop reproducing altogether and let the human race end.
#59
The Joys Of Finding A Career!
Beak Hookage 1 month ago
I've got a Master's degree and have finally resorted to applying for jobs at the supermarket, so this is way too relatable.
#60
225 Dollars For Just A Non Refundable Application Fee
#61
Fees For The Pickleball Court That Replaced The Free Basketball Courts In My Gated Community
#62
*hrmph*
Luke || Kira (he/she) 1 month ago
"But landlords provide housing!!! 😭😭😭" About as much as scalpers provide concert tickets
#63
Whoever Made This Billboard Can Shove It Up Their Behind
#64
Single Use Packaging And Healthcare Extortion. 2 For 1
#65
My Local Drugstore Locks The Beef Jerky In Anti-Theft Boxes
#66
Fees 2 Pay Rent ...even Option 2 Pay With Cash
#67
I'm So Fd: Insane Health Insurance Increases 2026!
Pernille 1 month ago
I've might have paid the same amount in tax in Danmark, but for that I also got good infrastructure, education, healthcare, at home help for the elderly, and a well educated police force that doesn't for shoot first. I do not understand why US americans keep thinking their country is good, it is such a shithole.
#68
Hundreds Of Fake Posts Promoting Gambling To Vulnerable Communities
#69
Blueberries Skyrocketed!
#70
Used To Think I Was Middle Class
Luke || Kira (he/she) 1 month ago
Middle class is practically nonexistent at this point. Sheer majority of people is now either the working poor or the bourgeoise who "earns" money by owning shㅤit.
#71
I Live In One Of The Lowest Cost-Of-Living States And Still Feel Squeezed At The Grocery Store. How Does $60 For This Cart Stack Up To Other States In The Us?
#72
This Is Not Inflation. This Is Insanity
Laszlo Larthlanc 1 month ago
According to our president and his cabinet we're a bunch of whining peeholes if we complain about this.
#73
Imagine Buying A New Car And Putting Another Dude’s Name On It
#75
This Sandwich Is Being Advertised As Having Its Recipe Generated By AI
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 month ago
That's not a selling point. In fact, it's a not selling point.
#76
My Text Book For School Came In With A Boxed Red Bull
#77
My Company Made $1 Billion In Revenue And We Get Cupcakes To Celebrate
perylousdemon 1 month ago
Yeah, that'll help me pay my rent. You go ahead and enjoy your second yacht. 👍
#78
Fish Rent? You Have Got To Be Kidding Me
#79
Only Machines Are Not Invisible. (Chinatown, Philadelphia)
#80
I Use To Sit On This Ledge Waiting For The Bus. It Seems They Installed This Bar To Prevent People From Sitting Here
#81
Some Will Say It's Inflation But It's Price Gauging At Its Best
#82
This Is What I Picked Up From The Spacex Crash In January. Now With The Recent Crash There Is Even More Out There In The Oceans
Luke || Kira (he/she) 1 month ago
The biggest contribution to the aerospace exploration SpaceX can make is selling all its assets and donating it to NASA.
#83
“I Love Netflix Because It Doesn’t Have Ads”
#84
The Changes In The Costs Of Living For The Basic Necessities In The Us Ranging From Years Of '25-'26
#85
May I Present The (Almost) $6 Orange
#86
Guess I'll Be Single Forever!
Peter Parker 1 month ago
Suuure CeAria.. How about I venmo you another $100 for rent or $5 to see your b******e on OF..
#87
Til Superheroes Make $12/Hr
QuincyForrest 1 month ago
Oh thank God Clark Kent can go back to work since the Daily Planet folded.
#88
My Credit Score Dropped 54 Points Because I Paid Off A Vehicle Loan
Laserleader 1 month ago
Yes, because credit scores are based on how much money a lender can make off of you, and paying balances quickly to prevent interest, and paying off loans means the lender wont make money off you. Missing a month actually can increase your score if you only do it twice a year.
#89
This Dystopian Street Sign In NYC Requests Cash For Diabetic Supplies
#90
The Security Line At Jfk This Afternoon
BK BigFish 4 weeks ago
Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Looks like Osama Bin Laden won.
#91
Our Art Teacher Teaches Us How To Draw Faces Using AI-Generated Images
#92
Mta Installs Turnstile Spikes To Combat Fare Evasion
#94
Becky Samuel 1 month ago
The little flag helps find the cart if it's dumped or if the child goes zooming off when you look away for a fraction of a second. The trite phrase printed on it is irrelevant.
#95
This Antenna That Looks Like A Tree
Lukas (he/him) 1 month ago
I mean, there are going to be antennas for things like electricty, phone service, etc. Why not make them actually look good?
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Beak Hookage 1 month ago
Does shoving more and more aggressive advertising into everything actually sell more product, or does it merely make us loathe your product while contemplating m- uh, unlawful unaliving? (Can't use the forbidden m-word; that would upset Bored Panda's advertising partners whose ads I can't even see because I'm using an adblocker. Suuuuck iiiiit.)
Beak Hookage 1 month ago
Does shoving more and more aggressive advertising into everything actually sell more product, or does it merely make us loathe your product while contemplating m- uh, unlawful unaliving? (Can't use the forbidden m-word; that would upset Bored Panda's advertising partners whose ads I can't even see because I'm using an adblocker. Suuuuck iiiiit.)
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