“A Boring Dystopia”: 50 Highly Disturbing Posts That Reveal We’re Already Living Through An Apocalypse (New Pics)
Dystopia is a world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, and fearful lives.
If you need a more vivid example, think of the novel The Children of Men (1992), by P.D. James where the human population has become infertile and lost all interest in politics, allowing the authorities to install various regulations such as mass "voluntary" suicides by the elderly, rampant cruel treatment toward prisoners of the state, and mandatory sperm testing and female inspections. Fatalism, boredom, crime, and religious hysteria are abundant, and it's not that pretty.
While such an environment might seem possible only in fiction, there is a subreddit whose members think we're actually on our way to making it a reality. It's called 'A Boring Dystopia' and these folks regularly share real-life examples of what they believe to be societal decay. Here are some of them.
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One Of The Two Remaining Northern White Rhinos In The World, Guarded 24 Hours A Day To Guard Against Poachers
A Gallery Owner Was Arrested After Leaving A 10-Foot Heroin Spoon Sculpture Outside Oxycontin Maker Purdue Pharma
Nowadays, artificial intelligence (AI) is widely considered to be one of the primary suspects that can send us humans into doom and gloom. And for good reason: this technology has brought many good and bad things into our lives, and it will have an even greater impact in the coming decades.
Naveen Joshi, who is the founder and CEO of Allerin, a company that develops engineering and technology solutions focused on optimal customer experiences, and has extensive experience in AI, big data, IoT, and blockchain, thinks that there are legitimate reasons to be concerned.
"Current AI research is overly focused on making advances in a narrow set of domains and pays insufficient attention to the disruptive effects on society's fabric," Joshi wrote in Forbes.
Three Socioeconomic Classes In The Philippines
First Time I've Seen A Message Like This On A Vehicle
There's Nothing Good About Goodwill
According to Joshi, if AI technology continues on its current path, it will likely cause social upheaval for at least two reasons.
"Firstly, AI will have an impact on the future of work. Our current trajectory over-automates work while refusing to invest in human productivity. Further advances will displace workers while failing to create new opportunities and, as a result, miss out on AI's full potential to boost productivity."
"Also, AI has the potential to undermine democracy and individual liberties."
Cheerfully Snipping Some Plastic Soda Packaging To ~save The Turtles~ And Realizing I Fully Expect This To End Up In The Ocean
Imagine getting hit by a freakin' UwU shell
Reminds me of Baldrick from Blackadder goes forth. He writes his name on a bullet because he heard that everyone has a bullet with their name on it, if he has that bullet then he'll survive the war.
The Wheel Of Fugitives
Nike Sending Plastic They've Taken From The Environment To Show They Care About The Planet. Wrapped In Plastic
If things do not change, Joshi predicts that we will see massive unemployment, as many jobs will be replaced by machinery.
"Wealth inequality will be created as AI investors take the lion's share of the earnings. The gap between rich and poor will grow wider. The so-called 'M' shape of wealth distribution will become more apparent," he continued.
The System Is Broken
The American Dream
Passenger Photo While Plane Flew Near East Palestine, Ohio ... Chemical Fire After Train Derailed
Why We Have Curfews, Can’t Make It Illegal To Protest, But Can Make It Illegal If There’s A Curfew
Not really sure most people realize how significant this was, both to a b******t war on drugs, but more importantly to blatant and persistent racism that continues until this day. Nixon sucked!
"Issues emerge not only in the social sense but also in AI itself, as the AI that is trained and taught how to operate the given task can eventually take off to the point where human control is lost, resulting in unanticipated problems and consequences."
"It refers to AI's ability to function autonomously after being loaded with all necessary algorithms, ignoring the command given by the human controller," Joshi said.
U.S. Wealth Inequality
A Beer Bottle Discovered At Challenger Deep, The Deepest Point On Earth At -35,000ft
Ah The Good Old Times
Words Fail Me
Many AI experts have openly spoken out about the negative effects of AI going rogue on human society, asking researchers to investigate these scenarios. The rapid advancement of AI technology necessitates constant regulation and monitoring before the negative consequences become too severe.
Findings From An Undercover Shein Investigation
Huangjuewan Interchange
McDonald's In The 1980s Compared To Today
Honestly, I don't mind this. This hardly qualifies as dystopia, and I prefer the sleeker look. Besides, I don't want a tree that's high on meth staring at me while I eat.
When I was a child the Meth Tree from McDonald's had a speaker and if you booped its nose you could talk to it and it would answer you back. Plus an outside Playland with scorching hot playground made of steel.
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I actually miss the old fun McDonald’s 😆 I miss the hamburger shaped stools and the random characters on the playground and the parties 🎈
The reason is lawsuits in the late-80s or early-90s that claimed that McDonald's was contributing to childhood obesity by marketing to children with mascots, interiors that appealed to children, and play areas. So they gave it a more grown up look to avoid future lawsuits.
No character in anything anymore. Everything looks the same. It's boring AF.
They've become a lot less child oriented in recent years, it seems. It's interesting.
I agree. It's almost like they're streamlining it towards closing the seating area completely ... so it's drive through or delivery only...
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Yeah I am glad that tree is not staring into the deapths of my soul
I mean. We have WAY too many junk food outlets and the real issue here is the industrial farming that happens to facilitate cheap bad for us food. BUT I wonder if maxamalism will take off again or if we will live in greige minimalism forever
The top one looks like a crazed acid trip. The bottom one looks like a space station canteen.
Side note ... McDonald's lost a lawsuit over the McDonaldsland theme. They actually stole the idea from another franchise.
Who cares? McDonald's isn't and never was something anybody needs. Don't like it, don't eat there.
"but it's modern" I don't give a c**p, just let me laugh at the funny chairs.
McDonalds was originally meant to target kids, not adults. They just followed.
Because in the 80s McDonald's was food for children. Now it's food for infantilized adults.
Yes, let the kiddies have their play area and adults have the sleeker look.
Too sterile for my tastes, but then I don't patronize MacDonalds anyway.
When I was a kid, the McDonald's had tables with benches, but also some 2 seater tables that had "real" saddles as stools. I was always so proud when my brother and I were allowed to sit on the saddles, because to me, it meant we were old enough not to have to sit with our parents. I haven't a clue how I came up with that, but I loved the saddle seats both as fun and Independence.
I never went to McDonald's for the décor. I went for the fries. Post-lard fries didn't have the same je ne se quois, and the décor still didn't register with me because I'd already resigned myself to the bad decisions I'd made that brought me here.
We used to go as a fun "treat" have lunch and then burn it off on the playground.
Won This At The Xmas Bingo At Work
I don’t get it. Who would be stupid enough to unwillingly stay at work after hours?
"AI takeover will be limited to the entertaining plots of dystopian movies and fictional worlds if proper laws protect the users," Joshi said. "The omniscient and nearly omnipotent power of AI has been called into question. There may be no definitive answer to the question of AI replacing humans in various industries. Only predictions and observations are available."
The future of AI remains hazy, but if you would like to explore the current state of our society a bit deeper, check out Bored Panda's earlier publications 45 Pics That Show That We’re Already Living In A Dystopic Nightmare and This Online Group Is “Showcasing The Idea That We Live In A Dystopia That Is Boring” One Post At A Time.
Malthus Would've Blushed Looking At This
She had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. There is no cure for EDS, and Jennyfer was in constant pain. That being said, she did NOT want to die, and wanted treatment/healthcare, but she was not able to secure the treatments and care she wanted and needed. She was, however, eligible for medically-assisted euthanasia. In the end, her mental and physical suffering grew so great that she felt pushed into choosing euthanasia. I am a supporter for assisted euthanasia for those who have terminal diagnoses, but ONLY AFTER medical assistance is exhausted or refused entirely! Jennyfer did not REFUSE medical assistance - SHE was refused it.
Feel Like This Fits Too Well. The Rich Stay Rich/Get Richer
You know those are song lyrics and not courtroom testimony, right? John Lennon wrote "I am the walrus", and he wasn't actually a walrus.
Privatized Prisons Lead To More Inmates, Longer Sentences, Study Finds
Now THIS is truly dystopian. It's absolutely UNCONSCIONABLE that we use the power of the state to incarcerate people, and then hand them over to private industry. And no one seems to GAF.
Mumbai, India. The Divide Between The Richest People In India vs. One Of The Poorest. Extreme Wealth Inequality On Display
If you really sit back and think about it it’s a really sad, selfish, and completely unfair world we live in. In every country, relative, of course. Division, nationalism, classism…it’s all evil!
My Wage Cage. Nature Is Begging Me To Leave!
Silicon Valley Everyone
I Can’t Put The Feeling Of This Picture Into Words
Middle Class Neighborhood In Dubai, UAE
Crime Against Humanity, But Ecological
Not Even Death Stops Work
This Old Toys R Us Is Now A Gun Store
I miss toys r us... the good ol days of buying a new pawa patrol toy every weekend.
A Stroll Through The Ruins. Parisians Rioting Against Pension Reform
Most Grateful Employer
UK's Oldest First-Time Buyer Finally Gets His Own Bungalow Aged 86
His happy face <3 How can something be so sweet and so depressing at the same time
Local Supermarket Has Started To Put A Protective Barrier Around The Employees Whilst They Put The Reduced Food Out On The Shelves. Out Of Shot Is A Horde Of Eager Pensioners Ready To Pounce
£2100 Per Month For This Airbnb In Central London
Get Back To Work Toilets
Londoners Trying To Survive Like
“Finally, No Human Employees At Our Grey Minimalist Mcdonalds”
There's also no one there to spit in your food, and robots don't have saliva!
Can't Even Get A Bathroom Break At Home
No Worries
Sacred Advertising
It Will Cost An Extra $50 To Use The Fridge In My Hotel Suite
As a person who traveled frequently during his career, I give you a big, Big, huge, f**k you!
El Salvador - Center For The Confinement Of Terrorism (Cecot)
Sorry…but this s**t don’t work! Just another band-aid to try and stop the bleeding. Gotta figure out how to get to the source….
We Steal Your Water And Sell It Back To You
This Packaging Uses An Optical Illusion To Make The Vegetables Look More Green
Are we talking about the green lines? Or does the plastic wrapping have a shade of green?
Paid Toilets With Ad Displays Instead Of Mirrors
When A Billboard Is More Important Than A View. A New Way To Crush The Souls Of Office Workers
Note: this post originally had 89 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
I just came back from a week long hiking trip in southern Spain, and I've concluded a few things (all of which I actually already knew): internet is a blessing and a curse, social media is obsolete, and advertisements are the bane of my existence.
I hate the advertisements in mobile games the worst. It used to be a 5 or 10 second ad. Now it’s 30-60 seconds per ad, where it will pop up a download screen 10 seconds in to stop the timer to make sure you’re paying attention to the ad. Imagine a tv commercial that tracked your retinas and wouldn’t restart your show until you’re through. I download the games in those ads just to give them a 1-star and then delete it.
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I’ve been convinced we are living in a dystopian society since last year, and this is REALLY convincing of that fact! Where are the posts showing all of the GOOD things about modern society?
Quite honestly, if you read old religious texts and even old texts in general (I'm talking ancient, two to four thousand years ago!).... "We are living in an age of irretrievable decay and doom! The end is near!" features quite a lot. I think this is a human thing. Unfortunately....
Well, I was having a great day until now. Sometimes I think I'm too curious.
I just came back from a week long hiking trip in southern Spain, and I've concluded a few things (all of which I actually already knew): internet is a blessing and a curse, social media is obsolete, and advertisements are the bane of my existence.
I hate the advertisements in mobile games the worst. It used to be a 5 or 10 second ad. Now it’s 30-60 seconds per ad, where it will pop up a download screen 10 seconds in to stop the timer to make sure you’re paying attention to the ad. Imagine a tv commercial that tracked your retinas and wouldn’t restart your show until you’re through. I download the games in those ads just to give them a 1-star and then delete it.
Load More Replies... I’ve been convinced we are living in a dystopian society since last year, and this is REALLY convincing of that fact! Where are the posts showing all of the GOOD things about modern society?
Quite honestly, if you read old religious texts and even old texts in general (I'm talking ancient, two to four thousand years ago!).... "We are living in an age of irretrievable decay and doom! The end is near!" features quite a lot. I think this is a human thing. Unfortunately....
Well, I was having a great day until now. Sometimes I think I'm too curious.
