Damaged vending machines. "No change" messages on broken ATMs. Pepsi ads sponsoring diabetes research. These images may have little in common, but transmit a widely shared yet subtle sensation — they’re the unsettling reminders of a dark and strange twist in the reality we find ourselves in today. And unfortunately folks, it’s also a pretty bleak one.
Let me present to you the 'Boring Dystopia' subreddit, an online community dedicated to "chronicling how Advanced Capitalist Society is not only dystopic, but also incredibly boring." In case you've never heard of this term, it was coined by the late British academic and cultural theorist Mark Fisher. It refers to the feeling of unease in the form of mildly coercive signs that flourish in a late-stage capitalist society.
We at Bored Panda scoured the online group and handpicked some of the most vivid examples that illustrate there's something not quite right with this world. Continue scrolling and be sure to share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. And after you’re done reading this piece, take a look at our earlier compilations full of dystopian madness right here, here, and here.
This post may include affiliate links.
We're All Just Profit Potential
It's so well-written as well, sounds like a passage from a dystopian novel, but the dystopia is our reality.
From A 7-11 In Allen, Tx
Real Nice System We Have Here
To learn more about boring dystopia, we reached out to Macon Holt, Ph.D., a researcher at Copenhagen Business School and author of Pop Music and Hip Ennui: A Sonic Fiction of Capitalist Realism. He told Bored Panda this phrase is related to Mark Fisher’s critical term capitalist realism, "which he used to describe the pervasive belief that capitalism is the only viable form of the political, social and cultural organization following the end of the cold war."
It may be difficult to wrap your head around the term "boring dystopia" but once you get the hang of it, chances are, you’ll start seeing it everywhere. "[It] is more about the aesthetic experience of living in capitalist realism at a point in time when the system appears ever more unsustainable (ecologically, [politically], and in terms of increasing inequality and decreasing standards of living) but in which no other way to organize society has emerged," Holt explained.
“If I Had A Super Power, It Would Be To Fly. I Would Tell Other Children From Around The World To Come And Play With Me And My Sisters, And To Drink Tea Together!” – Mohamad, A Syrian Refugee In Lebanon
Sadly, This Situation Is Only Gonna Get Worse
It's sickening how screwed up the economy is. All we can do is hope it gets better in time, but unfortunately, that seems like wishful thinking. I'm so used to living in apartments (and now a trailer in a trailer park because rents for apartments are ridiculously high) that I have no idea what it's like to live in a house. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough. But only maybe.
Wait? Am European Lol
While freedom is still a glorified statement against healthcare or weapon laws- my mind humming some lines of Bobby McGhee. and it 's gettin louder everyday
Although most of us grew up imagining a dystopian future full of terrifying end-times scenes, brutal police states, and decadent rulers, it is more likely to consist of mundane and unappealing scenarios. Holt mentioned exciting movies like Blade Runner or The Matrix from the '80s and '90s that offered depictions of going out with a bang, "But as the years in which those images came around, none of the dreams or nightmares came true," he said.
"Instead, space travel is becoming the hobby of billionaires while they ignore the ecological crises they could perhaps help with, AI and robots seem either to be surveilling us while they vacuum or when we click on a link, and the VR worlds of the metaverse are just ways to charge us more rent for spaces that we can't actually occupy."
"Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag", From United Auto Worker, October 1937
This one made me kinda smile, but it is sadly true. 1937 authors knew what was up!
Normal Country
Cool Era We're Living In
The media needs a dose of reality. (also, yes we should allow trans bathrooms)
Typically, the most evident samples of boring dystopia are senseless ads and ordinary images of broken machinery. When asked about other examples of this experience, Holt mentioned we can find it in bureaucracy, "like the terms of a rental contract that forbid tenants to use cooking oil on the stove, so a landlord can keep the deposit if a single drop is found on the extractor fan hood."
"NFTs are perhaps a good example of boring dystopia,” he continued. "If a sci-fi writer were to dream up a situation in which people paid the money they had earned doing actual work for a certificate of verification that they own a .jpeg of a bored ape, their editor would probably say the world the story depicted would be too depressing to publish."
Sign Here
One Day The Masses Might Cotton On
You’re Not Wrong
He also noted that outlets such as Bored Panda draw attention to the conditions of contemporary boring dystopia in its name and try to break up the monotony of the everyday. "In boring dystopia, people are often anxious about work, housing and the future of the planet, and there's very little to alleviate this. As Mark Fisher put it 'No one is bored, everything is boring.'"
Unions Are Needed!
The American Dream: Move Out
Don't assume it's all peaches and daises in Europe, people are broke here too, with the same ridiculous housing costs and everything else, In the U.K. for example we just have universal healthcare, no guns and nowhere near as much racism but it isn't perfect by any means.
2% Of Musk's Wealth Could Help 42m People
Boring dystopia tells us that while capitalism is often labeled as the most efficient economic system out there, it is not necessarily geared toward human flourishing. "Depending on who you ask, it can be argued that in some particular corners of the world at a certain point in history when there was a relatively strong welfare state and high tax regime, capitalism was part of what brought a good number of people out of poverty."
Siri To Stop Bad Cops
Back To School
Honestly heartbreaking that they have to take precautions like that.
Validating Your Employees By A Pointing System
If my boss tried any of that s**t (not that she would), I would sue the company to the ground, holy s**t!
However, other people will point to the historical and contemporary violence, the destruction of the environment, and the inequality and exploitation required to make such "market dynamism" possible. According to Holt, capitalism has only ever been efficient at producing more capital. But "capital doesn't care who holds it. How it is made, what it is spent on or invested in and who gets to decide these things have always been political questions. And the answers to these questions have been, largely, deferred to the market for a long time, which has produced a world of increasing inequality, anti-democratic power structures, ecological ruin and boredom," he told us.
Glad Critical Medical Care Is Being Taken Care Of By Private Companies That Definitely Give A S**t
American Healthcare In A Nutshell
After The Government Let Companies Influence School Curriculums, My Exams Now Look Like This
How about this: a) keeping coal in the system means more jobs open for coal miners. More people get to work their heads off for minimum wage to feed and take care of themselves (forget about their family!) and shorten their lives a few years. B) solar panels are expensive! Five hundred bucks a panel in some places. Once set up, it's so easy for other, poor people to use this energy free without affecting its performance at all for those who bought it. And of course, that's not good at all! SARCASM 2/10
Load More Replies...When the facebook moms said the government was controlling the school system this is what they actually meant.
What the actual fück is this?! This has absolutely no place in a classroom!
Windmills kill hundreds of birds every year. Coal kills hundreds of thousands of birds. And tens of thousands of humans. Every year.
My environmental science teacher mentioned that nonrenewable sources of energy actually kill a lot more birds and bats than wind turbines do. He's absolutely right.
Load More Replies...Advantages= some people making lots of money while wrecking the planet. Disadvantages= Those same people not making lots of money while other people make the air , land and water less polluted for us.
Lmaoo, those are the exact same questions that were in my homework today, wtf?
Hmm smells like that 'indoctrination' they are so worried about, just in a different topic.
If a certain former Monkey in Chief made this one then the scoring answer is windmills cause cancer and kill birds. It's not the correct answer, but you can't win with a dumb test like that
Is that Cloud Strife as your profile picture??
Load More Replies...Coal definitely has some advantages and solar panels definitely have some disadvantages, but that doesn't mean coal is suddenly the best option!!!!! Especially with the cost of solar panels plummeting in recent years. it's even more affordable than fossil fuels, which I find to be rather amazing!!!! :D
The advantage of coal is that it causes climate change, so that the areas that are not flooded, by the time that coal runs out, won't need it anymore (if humanity has survived the burning hot summers that will come with it)
First, what does mean comanies influence scholar curricula? How is that? Second... well, knowing advantages and disadvantages of things is a great way to make these to improve... but, yes, this look biased.
This is incredibly biased. It's deliberately worded to say coal is good and solar is bad. Companies can influence what schools teach because they lobby and donate to school boards and Congress people who set the standards. Money talks; a lot of money dictates.
Load More Replies...Your'e allowed to answer the questions. You're just not allowed to ask "advantageous to _whom_?" The predator parasite class know precisely what they're doing and why.
In Germany: Big Business tells us how when they have to invest in sustainable development it will ruin the economy. Meanwhile they have destroyed 80.000 Jobs in renewable energy in the last 10 years (and invested in Northstream 2, thanks greedy idiots!).
What government let companies influence schools?? What fresh hell is this???
Hahaha, you're not American, are you? Anything can be bought in the US, particularly influence
Load More Replies...This is disgusting!!!!! I don't understand how this can be allowed. My mind is blown.
I would not judge this till I know the context. My daughter is in debate team and their topic this year was fracking. Two teams get to debate each other on the subject BUT it is assigned randomly who would be for and who would be against. And sometimes you have to argue that fracking is good although you personally believe it is bad. And vice versa. I think it is a great exercise for the brain and it is helpful to know your opponents' reasoning. This could be one of such examples. If you know WHY people think coal is great you can argue against them better. In short - know your enemy!
To be fair, that's a pretty easy question. Coal definitely does have advantages, and solar does have disadvantages. That's why people use coal over solar.
Haha now the leftists know how the majority of the world feels when you push that woke BS on everyone. "Tell us why it's bad to be white" and "tell us why no one in these minority groups could possibly have mental issues"...
In the same breath this is a good exercise - being aware of both sides is an excellent way to form concrete opinions which can change as your values change
This is clearly taken out of context and the intent is to have the student do some critical thinking and provide an unusual argument.
Because the "business model" is absolutely the right one to use for education, according to the scumbags who wind up running schools (and/or their "trustees," whom you may trust to live down to the foulest aspects of the Boring Utopia I mean Dystopia. (Retired college "adjunct professor," which means I am not jeopardizing any actual retirement.
Why it is bad? There are downsides of both. The matter is in the details.
It's bad because of the way the questions are worded. They don't ask the same thing (i.e. What are the advantages and disadvantages of coal and solar power?) The questions are worded so you only think of the advantages of coal, thereby not thinking about the terrible problems with coal. The solar question is written so you focus only on the disadvantages. This is biased in favor of coal. Courtesy of rich people getting rich off fossil fuels, who do not care about killing the planet.
Load More Replies...Can I just say, as a teacher who teaches sustainable development, I would TOTALLY do this to my students. 1) We spend a lot of time talking about the disadvantages of fossil fuels and the advantages of renewable energy, so answer those questions is easy. 2) In order to understand why people are resisting changing to renewable energy, I think it's important to devil's advocate their motivations and the arguments they might have. 3) As an educator, where possible, I try not to tell my students WHAT to think, but rather HOW to think.
Hum... while many will joke about the advantages of coal and disadvantages of solar power, both does have actual serious answers. The thing is, does either one actually outweight reasons to find better alternative. Over time, many disadvantages are solved. Another questions is, does it need sacrifices till then and are they worth it, can they be done with respect to environment and individuals.
using solar panels is just a sticking plaster for a long term problem- same as windfarms...
Advantages of coal: Delicious and flavourful air to breathe. Why buy cigarettes when you can get the same smoky flavour for free? Disadvantages of solar: Sun go byebye at night night and I don't understand that Solar charges battery cells and so it doesn't need to be sunny all the time to work.
Every 100,000 years, our planet goes through major changes. Polar ice caps melting, flooding from melting ice, animals migrating to find food, because their eco system is changing. Granted, we do need to curb what is helping the climate change. So many use natural gas. we heat, dry clothes, and use hot water with it. Could you see the expense to change all of that to electric? So many can barely afford a car, how long would it take to see used electric cars for sale so the poor person might afford one? We need fossil fuels! We need pipelines here in the states to stop relying on other countries for gas! Most Americans can't afford to go all electric!
Fossil fuels are used to generate most electricity. So even switching solely to electric still means fossil fuels are burned and polluting the planet. Public transportation in the US needs to be greatly improved, although too many Americans are too good to ride the bus and will still drive their cars. The US can require car companies to create more efficient engines so that less fuel needs to be burned and a gallon of gas goes further. Americans can stop buying vehicles that are bigger than they actually need. You can hang your clothes to dry; if not outdoors, then inside. We can stop washing clothes in hotter water than needed. In fact, we can just stop letting the water run while washing dishes or brushing our teeth, and taking shorter showers. If we invested government money into improving renewable energy, rather than continuing to invest in fossil fuels, we'd have much better and cheaper methods for utilizing renewable energy.
Load More Replies...Everyone spouts the disadvantages of coal and advantages of solar, this is an excellent exam as it makes you think beyond the pushed narrative. There are always two sides to a story
This is not an excellent exam. It is biased. A good exam would encourage critical thinking, and word the questions in equal terms, ie.: "List the advantages and disadvantages of coal and solar", etc.
Load More Replies...Well the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind. The answer is blowing in the wind.
Easy A, Cost effective. Creates real jobs Is not reliant on erratic weather conditions Does not take up huge swathes of land with solar panels Makes energy available at very short notice Does not saddle people with green taxes that never pay back Is a local producer of power B Just put No or Not in each of the above answers Except for the solar panel question, it does take up huge swathes of land
Solar panels don't have to block huge swathes of land, they can easily be installed on roofs and walls - and it's local power, too. Building and installing them also creates jobs. You miss out on a lot of traditional side effects of mining, though, like silicosis, mining accidents, sinkholes and structural long term problems for real estate owners. Solar isn't perfect, but I'm not sure if overall coal is that much more cost effective.
Load More Replies...I suggest those of you under the impression that solar energy is good for the environment look at the component parts of the solar panels and the materials used and the toxic waste produced to harvest and refine rare earth minerals. Nothing is completely green, and there is a high price to be paid for solar energy.
There's nothing wrong with this. One should be able to articulate advantages and disadvantages to a system, even if they fully support it. No system is perfect, and admitting & discussing those imperfections isn't blasphemy.
It's the wording that's problematic: it asks only for advantages of coal and disadvantages of solar, thus skewing thinking in favor of one over the other. A balanced test would ask for advantages and disadvantages of both.
Load More Replies...You have no idea what critical race theory actually is, do you?
Load More Replies...For some, pictures pointing out our dull dystopian reality could be a source of entertainment. For others, they may create a daunting sense of a lost future. Speaking of the latter one, Holt said that the material things that make people feel that way (skyrocketing housing prices, student-loan debts, insane medical bills — the list goes on) stem from actions at various levels of society. "It is just what happens when the interests of people with power align," he added. "Boring dystopia is the experience of our faith in the future having been betrayed. There is not a quick fix. Instead, to quote Donna Haraway, we have to "stay with the trouble" if we want to commit to a future we can flourish in."
Epstein's Homie
Capitalism At Its Finest. Smh
the $150 is a fair price, giving that they need to do a mass amount of tests (aids on of them) and store the blood. They also do a lot of non-profit support. But charging thousands for a blood transfusion is criminal
Found On Linkedin. Fantastic
"One piece of advice that is really easy for coming to terms with and starting to imagine a way out of boring dystopia would be to read Fisher's Capitalist Realism: Is there no Alternative? It is an incredibly accessible piece of critical theory and is only about 86 pages long. It is a great jumping-off point for finding out more. Read it with friends and talk about it after. It is a great way to feel less alone in a world that seems to be ever more isolating," Holt concluded.
Gen Z And Millennials Are Ruining This Country! How Dare They
Capitalism Leads To Concentrated Wealth. Concentrated Wealth Means Concentrated Power. Therefore Capitalism Is Incompatible With Real Democracy, Which Requires Dispersed, Not Concentrated Power
A Grim Reality Sets In
I feel this. You just work and work everyday with the aim of life or economic status getting better. But it feels as though it never does.
The Way Most People Engage In Online Discussion Today Is On A Handful Of Centralized Platforms Owned And Operated By A Few Very Large For-Profit Tech Companies
Don't Solve The Problem, Just Spend Tons Of Money To Ignore It
Reality Is Often Disappointing
Supercops
Walmart Is Selling “Support Local” Shirts
In The Modern Dystopia, You Become The Ad
State Trooper Fired For Disloyalty Simply For Speaking Out And Telling The Truth
How Might This Have Happened
Reddit, I Just Discovered The Meaning Of Life
Arrested For Holding Up A Blank Sign
Facebooks Re-Brand Did Nothing
Anti-Ai Face Paint
There's an AI technique called universal perturbations which subtly changes pixel values which are entirely indistinguishable to humans but completely mess up classification algorithms. You can even train them to cause the algorithm to mistake you for something specific: like a panda! 🐼
Whoever Made This Billboard Can Shove It Up Their A**
Texas Lawmakers Posing As Human Beings, After Passing The New Abortion Ban
After Working From Home For Two Years, "Return To Work" Today
Nbc Is Turning Water Into Thousands Of Pounds Of Real Snow For Their 'Once In A Lifetime' Superbowl Coverage... In Southern California... During A Drought
Haha, There Was A Tussle At The Rich People's Gold-Statue Party
“I think I’ll just watch from here. From my balcony. In my million dollar mansion”
Yea... Let's Go Ahead And Bring Back Slavery
Note: this post originally had 130 images. It’s been shortened to the top 45 images based on user votes.
If you are a bit too mad here is a cat to lower your bp. imagesqtbn...sqpCAU.png
Im honestly scared for the future right now
Load More Replies...And sadly our govt might have a escape clause but if anyone decides that they wish to redo our govt people will be hurt
Load More Replies...I hate how in society, especially American society, everyone is just another cog in the machine, and people aren't treated like actual people.
Every time I read or watch a movie about an apocalyptic future, or those articles about "what would you do in a zombie apocalypse?" I'm like "Die. I would happily die. Hopefully fast enough. Why would I fight to live in a frickin' apocalyptic world plagued by creatures who kill everything that makes a sound?!" (A bit off-topic? Mmm, maybe... But that's what this article made me think of, soooooo... 🤔)
oh what the hell. I hate these articles because they make me feel so hopeless and useless but I always read them. I'm scared, so scared for the future. I'm really into sci-fi and dystopia right now, and those realities keep seeming a little more realistic :(
You live in the wealthiest and safest time in the universe.
Load More Replies...Don't have kids. Don't force them into this horrible world.
Load More Replies...If you made it to the end and haven't realized more government isn't the solution, go back and review the pics. And then your life...
This is not about distopia, it's mostly stupidity, and some of them are simply not understanding how the society works, or not understanding that people are living from money. I think mostly collected by r/antiwork, what i basically like, but there are some wild ideas connected to it :D
Today I was explaining a conspiracy theory to my husband (not supporting it just telling him) I found he had never heard of Q Anon, and he had missed the story about the White House invasion. I think I might change to his news source
I was feeling pretty bad today. Depression and anxiety really has its grip on me at the moment. And then I read this article. It reminds me how I can't treat my depression and anxiety issues properly. So I feel a lot worse. I shouldn't be here.
I'm in the same boat. This really makes me feel hopeless, like I'd be better off gone than living on this horrid world
Load More Replies...And only one or two was even about Ukraine. There's so much more that isn't on the list.
I realized today that most everything is "rant -able" nowadays. Except for cat videos, discussion of the real world leads directly to a rant. Every example above is rant -worthy. So, cat videos!
Is this the world we want to live in? Is this the world we want to leave for our grandchildren/grandpets?
Nope. So I'm not having kids. It's the kindest thing you can do. #antinatalism
Load More Replies...My appendix was in the process of bursting yet I had to sit waiting in a shi**y plastic chair in front of a woman to fill out forms on a messed-up computer before being eventually wheeled back for emergency surgery. Had to wait for her computer to go back online with the internal system before I could "complete the intake paperwork" - ie: deal with the financials. I didn't, and still don't, have insurance...
All of this was heartbreaking. This is our reality. What are we leaving for the next generations? Woke? Are we really?
" Holt mentioned exciting movies like Blade Runner or The Matrix from the '80s and '90s that offered depictions of going out with a bang". - - - - I think Holt has not watched Bladd Runner.
I'm about to head into the workforce 2 years... I REALLY don't want to rn
Hahaha, lies, propaganda and fear mongering, 1st world problems as usual. People rather complain then see how good they really have it. =XD
Whataboutism, "appeal to bigger problems" fallacy. Many of them are simply things that are expected in modern Western democracies. America just sucks too much to provide them.
Load More Replies...Left-wing Americans: too proud to learn a trade, too lazy to get a useful college degree, but stupid enough to think socialism/communism will work.
daniel280456: too ignorant to understand the current situation in society, too lazy to look into it, but self righteous enough to speculate societies problems.
Load More Replies...If you are a bit too mad here is a cat to lower your bp. imagesqtbn...sqpCAU.png
Im honestly scared for the future right now
Load More Replies...And sadly our govt might have a escape clause but if anyone decides that they wish to redo our govt people will be hurt
Load More Replies...I hate how in society, especially American society, everyone is just another cog in the machine, and people aren't treated like actual people.
Every time I read or watch a movie about an apocalyptic future, or those articles about "what would you do in a zombie apocalypse?" I'm like "Die. I would happily die. Hopefully fast enough. Why would I fight to live in a frickin' apocalyptic world plagued by creatures who kill everything that makes a sound?!" (A bit off-topic? Mmm, maybe... But that's what this article made me think of, soooooo... 🤔)
oh what the hell. I hate these articles because they make me feel so hopeless and useless but I always read them. I'm scared, so scared for the future. I'm really into sci-fi and dystopia right now, and those realities keep seeming a little more realistic :(
You live in the wealthiest and safest time in the universe.
Load More Replies...Don't have kids. Don't force them into this horrible world.
Load More Replies...If you made it to the end and haven't realized more government isn't the solution, go back and review the pics. And then your life...
This is not about distopia, it's mostly stupidity, and some of them are simply not understanding how the society works, or not understanding that people are living from money. I think mostly collected by r/antiwork, what i basically like, but there are some wild ideas connected to it :D
Today I was explaining a conspiracy theory to my husband (not supporting it just telling him) I found he had never heard of Q Anon, and he had missed the story about the White House invasion. I think I might change to his news source
I was feeling pretty bad today. Depression and anxiety really has its grip on me at the moment. And then I read this article. It reminds me how I can't treat my depression and anxiety issues properly. So I feel a lot worse. I shouldn't be here.
I'm in the same boat. This really makes me feel hopeless, like I'd be better off gone than living on this horrid world
Load More Replies...And only one or two was even about Ukraine. There's so much more that isn't on the list.
I realized today that most everything is "rant -able" nowadays. Except for cat videos, discussion of the real world leads directly to a rant. Every example above is rant -worthy. So, cat videos!
Is this the world we want to live in? Is this the world we want to leave for our grandchildren/grandpets?
Nope. So I'm not having kids. It's the kindest thing you can do. #antinatalism
Load More Replies...My appendix was in the process of bursting yet I had to sit waiting in a shi**y plastic chair in front of a woman to fill out forms on a messed-up computer before being eventually wheeled back for emergency surgery. Had to wait for her computer to go back online with the internal system before I could "complete the intake paperwork" - ie: deal with the financials. I didn't, and still don't, have insurance...
All of this was heartbreaking. This is our reality. What are we leaving for the next generations? Woke? Are we really?
" Holt mentioned exciting movies like Blade Runner or The Matrix from the '80s and '90s that offered depictions of going out with a bang". - - - - I think Holt has not watched Bladd Runner.
I'm about to head into the workforce 2 years... I REALLY don't want to rn
Hahaha, lies, propaganda and fear mongering, 1st world problems as usual. People rather complain then see how good they really have it. =XD
Whataboutism, "appeal to bigger problems" fallacy. Many of them are simply things that are expected in modern Western democracies. America just sucks too much to provide them.
Load More Replies...Left-wing Americans: too proud to learn a trade, too lazy to get a useful college degree, but stupid enough to think socialism/communism will work.
daniel280456: too ignorant to understand the current situation in society, too lazy to look into it, but self righteous enough to speculate societies problems.
Load More Replies...