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These 30 Pics Show How Dystopic Our Society Already Is, And It’s Pretty Terrifying
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While we may imagine a dystopian future of thought police, killer robots, and nuclear fallout, the real future predictions are much more boring. Instead of being brutally brainwashed and enslaved by fascist, authoritarian regimes, we have willingly enslaved ourselves. By allowing the top 1% to get exponentially richer, we drown in a sea of debts, tech, advertising, endless wars, environmental destruction, addictions, depression... the list goes on.
Brilliant, isn't it? But it's ok; there's always Facebook to scroll through (Bored Panda too, obvs), Netflix to watch, chemical-laden meals to consume, manufactured outrages over a mermaid's skin color to comment on. Who's got time for thoughtful resistance in this sick, sad world? Even those that think they are resisting by electing bigoted billionaires, bankers and Eton toffs to represent them are simply playing into their hands, as their dishonest, scaremongering claptrap divides us ever further over political, racial and gender lines!
Sometimes we need to take a step back and see the forest for the trees. This list, compiled by Bored Panda, contains some pretty terrifying examples of present-day dystopian society, things that make you realize that beyond all the distractions of trying to survive and thrive in the rat race, something's not quite right with this world.
So if you didn't find the sinister scenes of mindless automatons chanting “send her back” chilling enough, scroll down below to get a reality check on the spookily Orwellian society we are allowing to be constructed, and let's see if we can fix our near future in the comments! If you want to see even more proof of our dystopian world, be sure to check out our previous list!
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The term 'boring dystopia was coined by the late academic and cultural theorist Mark Fisher in 2015. He used it to refer to the "bland, mildly coercive signs that abound in late-stage capitalist society, which foster a vague sense of isolation or unease."
He started a Facebook group that documented these signs as a way to develop consciousness about the world around us. "It was understood from the start to be a consciousness-raising exercise, encouraging people to perceive the actual state of Britain rather than the PR state," Fisher said in an interview with Vice. "Which is surprisingly hard, because there's this mixture of Silicon Valley ideology, PR and advertising which distracts us from our own aesthetic poverty, and the reality of what we have. Which is just all these crap robots…"
This Is Caleb. Caleb Has A Degree In Zoology And Asks His Customers What Their Favorite Animal Is. He Gives Them Facts While Completing Their Orders!
"Boring Dystopia was partly about the fact that no one can care about stuff any more," said Fisher. "It's not that they don't care, but in a city like London, or any intensely pressured urban metropolis—add to that the pressures of capitalist cyberspace and people just feel like they perpetually have no time."
"Our resources for caring are depleted, and that has aesthetic consequences."
Charity
Saddest part is that a lot of celebs even get paid to promote a charity.
Put The Blame Where It Belongs
Let's not forget the politicians and celebrities who fly all over who have huge SUVs .
The Facebook group was short-lived, with Fisher quickly becoming disillusioned with Facebook itself. "For me the point at which the group started to go downhill was when it became like every other Facebook group. It was just recirculating 'content' and sending links, keeping people inside what I would call capitalist cyberspace instead of looking outside at their own environment. It felt like it was reinforcing the condition it was intended to displace," he explained.
"It didn't work at that scale, and you could feel that it wasn't the right place for it… It was just an experiment, and Facebook probably wasn't the right platform. I didn't want it to be diluted."
A Child Can’t Stay On The Transplant List, Solely Because He’s Homeless
After Fisher's tragic death in 2017 at the age of 48, his work remains as his legacy and is as important and relevant as it's ever been. His 2009 book Capitalist Realism is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand the modern world, and his 'Boring Dystopia' group lives on mainly in the subreddit r/ABoringDystopia.
What do you think? Are we truly living in a boring dystopia? Scroll down below to see the rest of the examples for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments!
Anything Different Would Simply Be Un-American
There is one thing we can do: Get out and vote. Vote for the senators and representatives who aren't afraid to push for single-payer, universal health care. And if someone calls you a socialist, tell them to look at Japan, which a) is hardly socialist, b) has the world's longest life expectancy, and c) has a well-established universal health care system.
Health Care
Don't have to wait for it. Come to Ukraine, we are constantly crowdfunding some sick child's care.
Watch This Advert Or Choke To Death
If you need to watch a video before trying to do something to help, it doesn't matter whether there are ads or not; the person will probably die anyway. That's the reason why everybody should learn some very basic first aid skills, like the Hemilich Maneuver, at school, instead of soooo much useless rubbish.
Only In America Would A Restaurant Display On The Wall That They Don’t Pay Their Staff Enough To Live On
Public Relations
And people working in the media industry earn way more than any manual laborer or most of the engineers, scientists, medical doctors...
"Today My Client Was Excited To Push The Elevator Buttons On The Way To Her First Deportation Hearing"
My niece is 5. I cannot imagine her having to represent herself in any legal matters. I'm 30, and I can't imagine representing myself in any legal matters.
Good Article. No Surprises. “It’s Not About Wanting A Pay Raise Or Extra Income, It’s Just About Wanting A Livable Wage”
And yet Trump has the audacity to say how amazing the country is doing and how everyone is wealthier than ever. Prick.
Both Are In The Wrong But Look At How The Pictures Are Depicted
The blindfold of Lady Justice is eaten by the moths and she turns out to be a racist, conservative b!tch.
Not A Bad Plan
I knew a girl who got Hep C from her ex-boyfriend. Her insurance would not pay to fix it unless she was very very ill. As far as I know she still has it. Had she gone to jail she would have been treated and it wouldn't be an issue anymore.
Teeth Are A Luxury Only Paying Customers Are Allowed
I still have all of my teeth- one of them just stays in my drawer now.
Ambulances For 3k? Lets Just Call An Uber
in the US, the cost for an ambulance to take you to the ER is as expensive as buying a new car.
This Is How Expensive It Is To Attempt Suicide In The US
Open Office
The 90s when people were angry about their well paid, stable jobs and about their peaceful life...
Note: this post originally had 62 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Lot of those is solved by not living in America.
It's still a threat, because the leaders of many countries look up to the USA and want to follow their political and economic example.
Do they? Which countries?
I can assure you, nobody here in Europe looks up to the USA's political and economic system. Lol
Surprisingly a good number of countries, Moira. Including Croatia (which is surprising, due to the German influence) and S. Korea, my two homes.
@moira Lomas @Cloud The Netherlands biggest political party (VVD) are free-market liberals who strive to give big cooperations tax cuts, privatise public systems and reduce social equality through free-market thinking (survival of the fittest). So yeah, they want to be just like the USA.
Oh honey, no they don't.
Tremble with fear, all of you who are enjoying the NHS. If Brexit becomes reality, the US will want to have unhindered access to your medical care system in exchange for a trade agreement. "Take back control"
Ok, Croatia is full of nationalists that take the US as something to support them against Serb nationalism. Korea is basically a US colony. So, you mentioned two half-hearted examples...any more on offer?
Daria B, that is not true, at least not in Europe or Asia. Everyone looks with disgust at America.
It seems like the UK wants to be like the US, after all they elected a Trump clone.
Moira, Australia is trying very hard to be like America :( (we have conservatives in government :( )
I would argue UK wants to emulate US. It is becoming separate from EU. It has high tuition fees. The privatisation of NHS is happening slowly. There is poor social mobility. There is a huge pride in its military. There is a rising nationalism, not yet becoming patriotism. It can difficult to buy a house.
Daria B most of the European countries absolutely hate USA. I can't think of countries that actually look up to USA.
Also most people can't afford to leave the country and start from scratch
If you get such an outrageous hospital bill, you are essentially starting from scratch...
Now I'm imagining Americans turning up in boats and on plane undercarriages to start a new life in Europe.
Wouldn't that be ironic? Ha!
Yet the "Exit" line is shorter than the "Entrance" line in America.
careful eddie i think you're upsetting someone's narrative. keep it up and they'll ban you from the internet
if only the whiny socialist wannabes would actually leave the US. things would get so much better here so quickly. sadly they don't want to leave because then they'll have to find something new to complain about in whatever country they move to, so they follow the path of least resistance which is simply to stay here and keep whining and complaining forever
A lot of countries have at least some of these problems. I live in England, and only have work thanks to my main oncologist thinking that I would be a good counsellor
careful i think you might have actually upset someone's narrative. i see they even downvoted you for containing too much truth
When I was a teenager my dad was given the chance to move to the USA and the entire family got green cards and social security numbers. I’ve never been so happy that he turned down the job and we stayed where we are. While some of my family did go back in later years for a few months, no one wanted to live there full time and moved to Australia instead. :-)
Welcome to Australia! Thankyou for bringing your culture, cuisine, language(s) & contribution to our beautiful, multicultural, multilingual community. <3
Not that easy to get in Australia now and to be honest i never wanted even though my husband had a chance of going there with his company, I refused to go
I'm visiting there for the third time later this year. Excited to just be able to experience the multicultural vibe I get here. Plus the coffee in Melbourne, wine from Chandon and beer are awesome! And don't get me started on ramen and Korean food. omg i love em so much i wanna go back alr askkskks
i like how Jace basically just confirmed what I knew all along and that he's an american who has never actually lived in a socialist country before. notice the recurring trend of americans complaining about their own country and how much better other countries are without ever having actually lived in them while immigrants like me are clamoring to get into the united states and never want to live anywhere else. interesting phenomenon folks!
cool story bro
I also am so happy that you did not become a citizen. If you do not want to be part of the American experience, you should go where you are more comfortable.
omg - Aussie is bad too, Manus Island, current government - killing great barrier reef, zero Aboriginal rights etc etc...not the best pay off.
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The people in America are glad you got turned on also
They didn't "get turned". They were offered entry into the US, were *already* accepted, and *chose* not to go. You may want to re-read Frances M's comment again, for clarification.
Ignore that asshole “wusah”. As an American (born here, and therefore used to believe all the “freedom and opportunity” lies), I am sorry that my country is such a fucking lie and I hope you are doing well in Australia.
I feel like most of these are American issues. I live in the USA, and I'm so sick of everything wrong with our country. My 11 year old sister is already worrying about affording college, and I actually felt guilty for calling an ambulance for my mom when I found out how much it had cost. When I go to school, I automatically make a plan for how I would get out of an school shooting. It cost $300 for me to go to Urgent Care and find out I've had Tendonitis in my wrist for 6 months. And, compared to the kids being held in cages, my family is lucky. I'm hoping I'll be able to save enough money to go to college in Canada, and hopefully live there when I'm old enough. For now I just get to sit and watch while my country falls to pieces :(
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but unless you immigrate to Canada you won't be able to avail yourself of most of the Candian public services. Also, the tuition rates for international students are usually 3 or 4 times the cost for a domestic student. And they still have to get extra health insurance or pay out of pocket in many provinces. Personally, I'd welcome you here - but it's harder than most folks think, so I guess start planning early? One of my American friends even married a Canadian after going to school here for years and she didn't qualify for permanent residence until she was in her 40s. She had to keep going to school (as an international student) for ages because she could only get a student visa - and no school means visa is over and she'd have to leave. We need a swap program where a pro-oil/gun/etc Canadian can just trade citizenship with a socialist American. :p
That would be a good idea !
Does such a Canadian exist? I suppose they must, somewhere, but every Canadian I've ever met or seen on the net seems to have their head screwed on right
YES!!!!
You can search about getting a student visa in other countries, Europe, Asia. It is always good to know another language, moreover, I think the cost of paid education is much lower in other countries.
Come and study in Germany! Or the Netherlands (which has more courses in English). Your sister might like to learn a second language and then go study in that country later. There are ways, and the fee-free study programs are open to students from abroad, too. Good luck to you and your family!
tuition is more but you would have access to free healthcare if you're a legal student.
Those kids in cages are a part of the reason health care is so expensive..if they don't or can't pay..whose bill goes up.. Why yours...isn't the redistribution of wealth great
Imagine the kind of logic necessary to blame the fucking kids.
Lot of those is solved by not living in America.
It's still a threat, because the leaders of many countries look up to the USA and want to follow their political and economic example.
Do they? Which countries?
I can assure you, nobody here in Europe looks up to the USA's political and economic system. Lol
Surprisingly a good number of countries, Moira. Including Croatia (which is surprising, due to the German influence) and S. Korea, my two homes.
@moira Lomas @Cloud The Netherlands biggest political party (VVD) are free-market liberals who strive to give big cooperations tax cuts, privatise public systems and reduce social equality through free-market thinking (survival of the fittest). So yeah, they want to be just like the USA.
Oh honey, no they don't.
Tremble with fear, all of you who are enjoying the NHS. If Brexit becomes reality, the US will want to have unhindered access to your medical care system in exchange for a trade agreement. "Take back control"
Ok, Croatia is full of nationalists that take the US as something to support them against Serb nationalism. Korea is basically a US colony. So, you mentioned two half-hearted examples...any more on offer?
Daria B, that is not true, at least not in Europe or Asia. Everyone looks with disgust at America.
It seems like the UK wants to be like the US, after all they elected a Trump clone.
Moira, Australia is trying very hard to be like America :( (we have conservatives in government :( )
I would argue UK wants to emulate US. It is becoming separate from EU. It has high tuition fees. The privatisation of NHS is happening slowly. There is poor social mobility. There is a huge pride in its military. There is a rising nationalism, not yet becoming patriotism. It can difficult to buy a house.
Daria B most of the European countries absolutely hate USA. I can't think of countries that actually look up to USA.
Also most people can't afford to leave the country and start from scratch
If you get such an outrageous hospital bill, you are essentially starting from scratch...
Now I'm imagining Americans turning up in boats and on plane undercarriages to start a new life in Europe.
Wouldn't that be ironic? Ha!
Yet the "Exit" line is shorter than the "Entrance" line in America.
careful eddie i think you're upsetting someone's narrative. keep it up and they'll ban you from the internet
if only the whiny socialist wannabes would actually leave the US. things would get so much better here so quickly. sadly they don't want to leave because then they'll have to find something new to complain about in whatever country they move to, so they follow the path of least resistance which is simply to stay here and keep whining and complaining forever
A lot of countries have at least some of these problems. I live in England, and only have work thanks to my main oncologist thinking that I would be a good counsellor
careful i think you might have actually upset someone's narrative. i see they even downvoted you for containing too much truth
When I was a teenager my dad was given the chance to move to the USA and the entire family got green cards and social security numbers. I’ve never been so happy that he turned down the job and we stayed where we are. While some of my family did go back in later years for a few months, no one wanted to live there full time and moved to Australia instead. :-)