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.
The term “socialised healthcare” is right wing propaganda in itself. People in public healthcare countries DON’T CALL IT THAT.
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Don't forget the overinflated prices that hospitals charge to the insurance companies so that they can line their executives pockets as well.
Always contact the billing company after a hospital stay and say you want to itemize your bill. Your cost will be reduced because they end up removing ridiculously priced charges like the $50 toothbrush they provided.
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Here in the UK, our NHS is far from perfect but I can't even begin to imagine the stress of deciding whether or not you can afford to be ill. Americans seem quite keen on protests and marches so why hasn't there been one for healthcare? It's baffling.
and yet, some politicians are still trying to americanise healthcare systems that work.... evil f*****g pieces of s**t that they are.
A National Health system can be set up to be paid for through our taxes—-which is actually way more equitable than the flat rate you pay for insurance through your company. With the flat fee, everyone pays the same amount, even if they make vastly different salaries—-the $8.75/hr janitor is paying the same flat fee as the CEO making 100 times the janitor’s salary, even though that amount takes a much larger bite out of the janitor’s paycheck than the CEO’s. With the taxed payment, everyone pays the same percentage, but the janitor, though paying their fair share, is not paying the same dollar amount as the CEO.
American health care is intended for people who do not need health care.
In New Zealand health care is free. Friend just spent 8 weeks in hospital. One 6 hour surgery. One 4 hour surgery 2 days later. Many scans, tests etc. In Intensive Care and High Dependency Unit for 3 weeks, then rehab unit. Bill?...nothing. All free.
People in US think they are getting a deal with their employee health care. But that is $6000 a year a single person is not getting paid in wages because the employer is paying their share of premiums instead. If they have family coverage, the employer share was an average of over $14,000 a year in 2019. Then the worker has to pay their own share of the premiums on top of that. THEN you have a usually hefty deductible and have to pay co-pays and co-insurance of 20% of the balance, every time you get medical care. Because employer costs are rarely revealed to employees and their direct costs are hidden in the online pay stubs they never look at, they are not required to really think about what they are losing. Money you never get is a lot easier to ignore than money you have to actually pay out of your pocket.
Typical liberal hearing what they want to hear. We aren't against UNIVERSAL health care, we are against GOVERNMENT RUN health care. You need to look no further than this pandemic and the utter chaos caused by the CDC to understand why.
As a paramedic, I know what the advantage of free market healthcare.. Because 7 years I involved in that. The clear advantage is a hefty business, for the insurance company and also for hospital. Hospital usually charged max when patient using insurance.. Using expensive medicine and etc.. And yes, we the paramedics that usually work for the call center (thus rejecting your claim) is NEVER have the same insurance.. Once I have an accident, me only have one day off non-paid
Try getting good service once you are on Medicare. Referral to Gastro doctor when you need a urologist for a kidney stone...referral for torn up knee never made it to the doctor's office. If it wasn't for the dedicated office staff, I would have wasted another day and another $20. Bless the people that follow through.
You have no idea of the peace of mind you have knowing the medical expenses are covered by the taxes you pay when you need an overnight appendectomy.
Healthcare is not a right. In fact, prior to the 1940s it wasn't even an employment fringe benefit. It only came about because there was such a high demand for employees after the war that companies had to be competitive to bring in and retain them. Paid vacation, health insurance, and company sponsored life insurance were just a few ways to lure employees.
Socialized medicine is not about getting all the medical care you need, but about the gov telling you what they will pay for. It's the same problem as before, just different customer service.
The only example of socialised health care I am familiar with is the Uk's NHS. The NHS will cover you for just about everything but dentistry and late stage cancer drugs (I.e. this drug will extend your life 2 months but cost £40,000). You can get fertility treatment on it, weight reduction surgery, sex changes, life long medications like insulin, rehabilitative physio and complex life saving brain surgery. Would your commercial insurance cover you for all that?
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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.
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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