30 Examples Of Modern Day Dystopia That Might Inspire You To Change Something (New Pics)
In 1982, ‘Blade Runner’ introduced us to a bleak vision of what the year 2019 might look like: evil corporations rule the world, the planet is polluted beyond repair, and people suffer in destitute conditions.
But although 2019 passed without any androids running amok, we still live in a world not far from that idea. And it seems that this dystopic future has arrived sooner than expected.
Bored Panda has found the perfect subreddit that shows us examples of how we are living in this strange reality. r/ABoringDystopia holds a mirror up to our society and makes us feel uneasy over the influence of capitalism on our lives.
We’ve allowed these disturbing issues to happen without us realizing it, almost to the point that it’s become predictable. And this is where the term ‘boring dystopia’ comes from. You can read more about it from Bored Panda here and here.
Read on to see my interview with John A. Lancaster and his expert take on the current state of the economy and the situation with COVID-19.
This post may include affiliate links.
"Who’s Going To Pay For It?"
The posts shared here emphasize how greed and a lack of empathy affect the daily lives of people worldwide. With the cost of living seemingly out of reach for the everyday person, we have to ask ourselves: how did things get so bad?
I asked John A. Lancaster what we should expect from the economy in the near future. Being a political commentator who gives straightforward and concise takes on the most controversial issues, John told Bored Panda, "Assuming there won't be any more lockdowns, a significant issue to worry about is the return of 'Industry Policy', which is basically the government subsidizing certain industries in hopes of spurring development and innovation in those industries."
Essential Employee
He explained further about the issues that 'Industry Policy' can produce: "This means that vast amounts of funds can be (and practically always are) squandered on economically unpromising projects with little to no consequences to the government officials. These officials are going to get reimbursed with tax revenue regardless of how their subsides pan out financially."
John considers that 'Industrial Policy' is: "an extremely inefficient way to boost innovation that wastes immense amount of money and resources that would have been best left up to private firms."
He also drives home the point about where the control of money lies. John notes that: "It's important to note that government funds come from the tax paying public. Whenever there is a push to 'stimulate' new jobs, money is being taken from the public and directed as bureaucrats and elected officials see fit. When this happens wealth is not being created, but redistributed."
In America, We Got Celebrities Singing Imagine
Pretty Weird...
So businesses under the 'Industry Policy' profited massively, whilst the people that needed help the most, struggled to survive and make ends meet.
Regarding the government's control of the finances, John also raised an important question: "If the general public would've preferred to spend their money in different ways than the government, then how beneficial are the government ventures and what was potentially sacrificed for those ventures?"
You can see from the ‘boring dystopia’ subreddit exactly how people across the globe have been affected. There’s the illogical ideas put forward by these businesses that are meant to help people, but do anything but that. And astounding hypocrisy of the rich and powerful.
Found In The UK
Apparently Actually Reading A Bill Before You Vote Is Cause For Hilarity
‘Murica
There are advantages and disadvantages both to socialized healthcare and to simple free market healthcare (though between the two, socialized healthcare wins). The neat thing about the private insurance system is that it combines the flaws of both, which is great if you really hate healthcare.
It makes you think twice about who’s running the world and if they should really have this much power. These are some of our top selections from the subreddit. These examples are a cautionary reminder to reflect on society, and question what we should consider the norm. We hold the power to make a change to our society, so we should make it a positive one.
You Think 4 Billion People Could Take The 8 In A Fight
When People Try To Act Like Companies It’s Illegal
[Screw] Me
![[Screw] Me](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Boring-Dystopia-Capitalism-22-6112141179659__700.jpg "[Screw] Me")
You Can’t Afford A Home, But You Can Pay Rent
Yes, lenders should be FORCED to factor in the savings in rentals that would result when calculating affordability. It is ridiculous that the monies that will become available when rentals cease are not factored in to the calculation.
The best apartment complex I ever lived in would give you a certain amount per month that you lived there to use toward buying a home. Granted that home had to be in one of the communities they built so you have to take that with a grain of salt.
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There's so much more that go's into owning a home. I've seen this post several times and it's not that simple
Except that it is. If you can spend $1400 per month on rent, you're able to buy a house with a $950 mortgage and still have $450 per month for insurances, maintenance and all taxes that the government comes up with to sustain the socialist renting system.
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A bank will lend you money based on their confidence that you can repay the loan - it is based on income, job stability, credit score, and your debt to income ratio. It has nothing to do with how much you pay for rent. That said - I applaud your ambition to buy your own place! Please don't quit trying... ask your bank why they turned you down, then start working on that deficiency. (poor credit? too many outstanding debts? et...) Once you have identified the issue, you can fix it. Good luck !!
Also don’t stop after just one denial. I just bought a home after getting denied 3 times in a row. Real estate agents sometimes know the easiest bank to get a loan from. Also try to find a job in an area with cheaper homes. Went from a 160k 800 sq ft living space to a 80k 1800 sq ft living space because of location.
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If where you live is anything like Auckland, the places that are $950/month on paper are crapholes where the amount of repair work that’s needed, plus the rent you still have to pay to the owner of the apartment building, pushes them right back into unaffordable territory. I saved a deposit and got told I’d be approved for an amount of money that would technically cover the cheapest apartments around here, and then discovered that those so-called $950/month mortgages came with exorbitant hidden costs. Those who say it’s just banks being irrational are VASTLY underestimating how much other bullshit is keeping property purchases out of our reach.
Where I live, the landlords require you to earn 3.5 times monthly rental, so you often can't get either.
All the apartments I've lived in make you still prove income/that you can pay
It's the damned down payment every single time. I pay $1500/mth rent, however, how do I save the down payment for a house that may cost me $800 in a mortgage payment when I'm paying all inflated rent monies? Yes, I budget, I do without. I can afford all utilities, groceries, rent, car payment. I just can't save enough for the down payment.
leave the banks out of it & buy "for sale by owner"... be sure & hire your own lawyer to look at the contract... do not buy a house with a clause in it that says the deed will not be transferred until the last payment is made... this is called the dreaded "Contract for Deed" type purchase... all the rights still belong to the original owner... make the original owner sell acting as a bank with a regular mortgage/deed of trust type contract. RUN RUN RUN if the owner insists on using his own hand-written contract. One mistake can put a cloud on the title that may cost a bundle for a judge to fix in court later when you want to sell... So beware... for US readers, look into getting an FHA or VA repo... this can save 10 to 30 percent of the cost of a comparable new house... beware of bank repos...
Yup, tried to buy a very modest little house, payment would have been $95/month (yes, it was a long time ago). Rejected for the loan, so we ended up renting an identical house in the same neighborhood for $105/month.
30% limit on other expenses also. Not just the rent amount but your car, credit card, and credit rating.
I still don't understand why banks reject loans like that. They have the house as a secure regardless so they won't be at loss even if we can't pay the mortgage
Technically it should work like that, but in reality banks now that real estate is tricky. And foreclosures always means that houses are sold at very low prices, because the bank wants to get rid of them fast.
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Seems About Right
My son works 2 jobs, in a store and on a garbage truck. We live in a small town and STILL had to gift him a small house that we own just so he can live on his own. He couldn't do it otherwise.
Only The Rich Can Be Brave
And Call People Back
I once had a man from a firm tell me to come do an interview for a job he knew I was not qualified for and I had told him as much. I had to cycle about an hour to get there - no public transport, no car. He told me ' the cycle trip would do me good'. I cycled for an hour, got soaking wet and got told I was not qualified as soon as the interview started. I had to go as refusing could cost me my unemplyment benefit, which I couldn't afford. The power these people think they can wield over the unemployed. Psychopathic is the word I would use for these kind of people.
The Ruling Class Wins Either Way
Why Did Blue Collar Become Unskilled Labor?
All Too Common
$280,000,000,000
This Might Be Too Crazy But Hear Me Out, The System May Be Rigged
When I was 10 years old I received a birthday present from an aunt of 1 share of McDonalds Corporation (~$12). To this day, the transaction fee for selling that 1 share would cost more than the share is worth, so I just enjoy my quarterly dividend check for $1.19.
Oh Fun
What I Got For ‘Employee Appreciation’ After Working An Entire Year During A Pandemic
Did You Know We Don't Pay Our Servers A Living Wage?
Bc Itd Be Just Horrible If Homeless People Were Allowed To Sleep
They Used The Key Word
That's what astounds me about Americans who don't / won't / haven't travelled to see how good life is in other parts of the world. They cling to ideas that are not true like children told fairytales they believe as real. It's bizarre. And sad for them.
Billionaires
Really people! Do you actually need a new iPhone every 5 minutes? Apple and their upper echelon just get richer and richer because you fall for it. Learn to spend money on needs not wants. Do it now. Because if you keep doing this you may need to learn to do that the hard way. Your not the one accumulating all the money here. They are.
Look At The Bright Side
With all those fires burning down the trees along with over-lumbering and deforestation, I think this is the the beginning of the hottest summers we will experience :(
Glad Critical Medical Care Is Being Taken Care Of By Private Companies That Definitely Give A Sh*t
The Truth
I work more hours, am calmer and significantly more productive since work from home started (March 2020) and has been going on since and is an obvious improvement. Yet the company now (at start of Delta variant, looking fwd to Lambda variant) makes me go to the office at least two days, where I will work 8 hrs (and not a minute more, trust me), will be worried about people coughing on me, will spend two hours in traffic....I can go on
Casual Price Gouging
Which Timeline Is This???
"Bruh Walmart has removed nearly all of their stock of video games except for those rated E for Everyone but still has the audacity to keep their entire gun section"
Note: this post originally had 57 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I'm honestly terrified what the world will be like when I'm older (currently 21). When I'm now entering adulthood, I realize I underestimated how hard it is to make a living, and how stressful it is to find an apartment I can actually AFFORD. Its f*****g terrifying knowing I'll be living like this for the rest of my life, supposing it doesn't get worse.
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The rent thing isn't only there, my friend right now is looking for a place in the city, he is on a decent wage around 30k a year but because he's doing it on his own, even on that wage he can only find small places to rent, like studio flats and he has 2 dogs so that can't happen, he will end up going further out away from where he works, to a not so busy part just so he can live comfortably.
Glad I live in Canada. Yes we are a capitalist nation but also but have more equality and more services And safety nets.
Alright then, I’m packing my bags and moving to London. Or the moon. Anyone wanna come with me?
Those millenials blaming boomers for all this are now 40 and are the people in power. Where is the change? Wait, maybe it wasn’t a boomer problem, but a rich people problem all along?
Millenials are not in power, they might be in low management positions but CEOs and CFOs are on average early Gen X. Also, changes don't happen overnight and now we feel the results of legislations and laws that were made a decade or two ago when boomers had the majority of voting power. Boomers voted for capitalism as it is today. There are many poor boomers but as a generation they caused today's situation. The US lawmakers by age are boomers on average. I have nothing against boomers but I can't deny they are still "driving the bus".
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Inspire ME to change something?! Unfortunately, the billionaires and our government has the power to change it. Pretending like we do is just false hope.
This is so true and so heart breaking at the same time. A very hard pill to swallow as an American.
The US is the land of equal opportunities (so long as you're white, heterosexual, male, and middle-class).
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This isn't abt 'stupid Americans' like a lot of the other articles are. This is abt the corrupt social system that provides for no one but the rich. It's abt the money not the people.
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I'm honestly terrified what the world will be like when I'm older (currently 21). When I'm now entering adulthood, I realize I underestimated how hard it is to make a living, and how stressful it is to find an apartment I can actually AFFORD. Its f*****g terrifying knowing I'll be living like this for the rest of my life, supposing it doesn't get worse.
Load More Replies... The rent thing isn't only there, my friend right now is looking for a place in the city, he is on a decent wage around 30k a year but because he's doing it on his own, even on that wage he can only find small places to rent, like studio flats and he has 2 dogs so that can't happen, he will end up going further out away from where he works, to a not so busy part just so he can live comfortably.
Glad I live in Canada. Yes we are a capitalist nation but also but have more equality and more services And safety nets.
Alright then, I’m packing my bags and moving to London. Or the moon. Anyone wanna come with me?
Those millenials blaming boomers for all this are now 40 and are the people in power. Where is the change? Wait, maybe it wasn’t a boomer problem, but a rich people problem all along?
Millenials are not in power, they might be in low management positions but CEOs and CFOs are on average early Gen X. Also, changes don't happen overnight and now we feel the results of legislations and laws that were made a decade or two ago when boomers had the majority of voting power. Boomers voted for capitalism as it is today. There are many poor boomers but as a generation they caused today's situation. The US lawmakers by age are boomers on average. I have nothing against boomers but I can't deny they are still "driving the bus".
Load More Replies... Inspire ME to change something?! Unfortunately, the billionaires and our government has the power to change it. Pretending like we do is just false hope.
This is so true and so heart breaking at the same time. A very hard pill to swallow as an American.
The US is the land of equal opportunities (so long as you're white, heterosexual, male, and middle-class).
Load More Replies... This isn't abt 'stupid Americans' like a lot of the other articles are. This is abt the corrupt social system that provides for no one but the rich. It's abt the money not the people.
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