These 50 Pics Show How Dystopic Our Society Already Is, And Maybe They’ll Inspire You To Change Something
What comes to mind when you think of a dystopian universe? is it Dali-esque surrealist landscapes or is it a more realistic world like 'The Handmaidens Tale' or '1984.' Well, according to the late Brtish academic and cultural theorist Mark Fisher, we are already living in a present-day dystopian society and folks - it is very boring.
The term 'boring dystopia' was coined by Fisher in 2015 and refers to the subliminal coercion that abounds in a capitalist society. So subtle that unless you're looking, you might not realize these problems with society are actually already happening. Charlie Booker's Black Mirror is the closest fantasy depiction of this theory, with his episodes questioning how far is too far when it comes to our evolving technology and how close we are to the dystopian future.
However, for real-life examples of this theory, and social issues coming together with, it look no further than the sub-Reddit titled 'A Boring Dystopia,' which is dedicated to sharing images that are disturbingly unassuming. From the poster that reads "Sleep deprivation is your drug of choice. You might be a doer," or a bus passing by with bold black letters stating, "You don't need therapy you just need a new car," the following photos may make you question every society problem in a different light.
Scroll down below to see the Orwellian thread of signs on problems with the world!
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Peak Bureaucracy (Happened In Toronto)
Boring Dystopia
I Guess We Just Have To Get Used To This
Well, this is sad. But it's a description of "Better safe than sorry"
Drink Soda To Help Fight Diabetes
You Must Be Noteworthy To Take A Selfie At This Spot
Look At All That Freedom
Reminds me Henry Ford "A customer can have a car painted any color he wants as long as it’s black”
The Only Way To Live
Healthcare Described In One Picture
Based on the ATM symbol ("bankomat" on yellow background with Raiffeisen logo) and the uniform of the paramedics it is from Croatia. The photo dates back to September 2016, and the Photographer's name is Sandra Krunic. The original title of this photo said something about American healthcare, which doesn't fit.
You Get 3 Minutes
Boring Dystopia
"How Can We Decorate Our Lobby To Look Refined While Still Being Utterly Devoid Of Character?"
And people who decided this didn't think that this would make a perfect joke?
"Anti-Homeless" Bench
This one is a German art project - it's more of a commentary on the things than anything else.
Load More Replies...So it activates the spikes when you don't put money in it? That sounds like something the Ferengi would do.
Nice to see fellow Trek fans here! Makes me feel better after seeing these things.
Load More Replies...You don't realise it, but a lot of urban furnitures or urban planning are ment to make it hard for the homeless. When you'd rather wast moner to hide the homeless that useit to help people....https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/jun/13/anti-homeless-spikes-hostile-architecture
So instead of putting that money towards helping homeless people they put it towards this???
I can totally picture Super Mario running on that bench, avoiding these moving spikes and the turtles between them. Meanwhile missing coins in the air.
that is inhumane and ridiculous. we would rather spend money on "anti homeless" instead of helping the homeless? where's your freaking logic
The amount of money spent on this system could have been used to pay for shelters, so the homeless wouldn't have to sleep on the bench in the first place
This isn't even anti-homeless.... This is anti-poor. Paying to sit on a bench is ridiculous
Somebody who's not homeless and has a little money should make/buy hard plastic sheets (big enough for one butt) that can sit on TOP of the spikes and GIVE (not sell) them to people who are homeless or disabled or pregnant.. beat the system- find a way around s**t like this.
Though I realize this specific example looks to be an art project, it could easily become a future reality....
Load More Replies...Jesus Christ. Invest the money it took to manufacture that bench and actually help people instead.
I know that is an art project. But most of society accepts homelessness or are blind to it. We also prevent the homeless from sitting on park benches in very clever ways. To bad we can't use that cleverness to get homes for all those homeless souls.
C'mon, nobody is homeless because they literally lack a home. It goes a little deeper than that.
Load More Replies...I would never trust that bench even if I had put in all the money needed..
They put these up somewhere in Illinois I think it was and then gathered up all the homeless there put them on a bus to Kalamazoo MI under the promise they would recieve food and shelter and help to get on their feet. Well they got none of those things really. They began to protest at the large park downtown and yes some were being lude... But that is some of our own homeless peoples doing also. But our downtown area is full of yuppies that are bothered by these people. The police came to tell them they would vacate the park or they would be arrested. Officials said they would give them tents and food and water and a portapotty in a more obscure alley out of sight of the rich folks. A harsh storm came through.. Ripping and flooding tents. Doesnt help this area is in a ditch and we already live in a valley. The portajohn overflowed into the already flooded site and still so many people citizens and officials alije are saying they just need to get a job or move on to sonewhere else.
Also. There is a pregnant woman with children. An old home owning vet who is on the streets bc his roof had a leak and then there was black mold and he is disabled and on social security and couldnt do or afford the repairs and the city has not condemned his home just he cant be there and so no insurance money. Just tragic. It can happen to the best of us. Many people in my area cannot afford rent with a full time job. Let alone support a family esp as single parents. Min wage is around 9.50 and rent for a two bedroom on the lowend without being under a slumlord is about 700 a month. And yet my fellow citizens are so easy to condemn these people who are already suffering and need help.
Load More Replies...In the USA - California, if I remember correctly - a church set up automatic sprayers to discourage the homeless from sleeping on its property. They really got castigated for it. People signed petitions and contacted them directly. As far as I know, they did remove the sprinklers.
there are benches in the city in Calif where I live that are slanted so nobody can lie on them. Nobody can put their food or drink on them for a second either as I found out.
Load More Replies...where in the heck is this bench at? I would not agree to have those in my city.
This makes me SO F*****G MAD. It's like when they put bars on benches so that no one can lay down
Spike up the a**e! Though there is a warning sound when the money is due to run out.
Load More Replies...what if you're not homeless but don't want to waste money on a frickin bench. what if someone has a medical emergency and needs to sit/lie down but the person helping them doesn't have any change. it's a bench for god's sake.
This could be deployed on all TriMet buses and trains (Portland Oregon transit agency) to help operators clear their conveyances at the end of the night. It must be noted that the operators are NOT allowed to touch any sleeping or passed out passenger, only things that is permitted is to make a loud noise, rarely works. Also could be installed in the operators seats as automated "fit for duty" field tests to make sure the operator is alive. The old saying, " The company is out to get me." Takes on a new poignant meaning. So it goes... Two Bells.
Iventors be like : Hey people should pay to sit! Me: Ill just go sit on grass lmao
I have to feel there’s no way this is real; They would be sued so hard the first time one of these breaks down and accidentally releases spikes
whoever gave the idea is a genius!!! we should make him sleep on this, ask every homeless guy to come & press the button..... every homeless guy in this world!!! then only people will know the value of human being
I wouldn't sit on it for fear of it malfunctioning and giving me a metal enema.
Is this real or fake? If it’s real, then it’s also heartless‼️
You mean you have to put money in to sit down for a certain amount of time?? What the hell is this
Why does it bother people that someone lies down on a bench to catch a nap?
So sad that you have to put money in to sit down - how long do you get?
and the money it cost to set this up? enough to house at least one person.
So who carries around coins these days and then to have the proper coin.
I would have no choice but to vandalize that monstrosity beyond repair.
I'm just not surprised that something like this exists. Whether real or as an art project, it is the real reflection of our society. We are heading to such exclusiveness.
Ah yes. Publicised electric chairs. That won’t backfire. Oh hey I forgot ductape and arseholes exist. Whoops.
Have you noticed how uncomfortable restaurant seating is? They don't want even good paying customers to sit for long.
Wow, that art project (and idea that some will no doubt want to emulate) looks like the table they stuck Blade on in Blade II. What happens if one is a deep sleeper and doesn’t hear the warning chime?...other than extreme acupuncture
What evil nasty person came up with this? How much time for a senior citizen to catch their breath do they get for their quarter!?! Probably 30 seconds if their lucky!
I would give the homeless man or woman coins to put in so that they can take up this bench.
I take it that you have to pay in order to use the bench, right? This is insane!
that is a horrible thing, and whoever thought of it should be arrested. i don't think the person who made this would like to be setting on it and have a spike be shoved up onto their tush, so it shouldn't be done to others. this is a big safety hazard, and needs to be removed. :(
Don't be looking at your phone and forget about the timer. Son of a b***h!
Are they providing an alternative sleeping arrangement for them? Say a shelter???!!! Too bad if a kid sits on it
i wonder what the timer is set to. Cause if its like 10 minutes and you don't watch the clock. Your gonna get told to get up in a real hurry
It must be on some sort of a timer. Just imagine if you don't watch the time and they pop back up well your sitting down.
Sitting on that bench might be the dumbest mistake you'll ever do.
When I see s**t like this I can understand why some people become radicalised because even I would just like to shou and scream and DESTROY this bench
sorry but- https://vimeo.com/1665301 - This is an Art Installation- get over it
Jokes on them. Most homeless panhandle and will have plenty of change to plug the machine. Or they could just go buy some foam pads and it would render them useless
How can this be real? You could accidentally sit on those spikes in the dark. I don't think any council would risk it.
Quick Reminder That We've Been At War For 17 Years. Sure, People Are Sent To Fight And Die Every Day, But It's Just Old News, Right?
Kurt Cobain Was Not Diagnosed With A Mental Illness And Leave A Suicide Note For It To Be Turned Into A Fashion Trend
American Airlines Announces Pay Raises For Pilots And Flight Attendants, And Investors Balk
Investors want to get all the money, while putting in none of the work. It's the workers' labor that creates value, which brings in the money. It makes sense they should be paid appropriately.
Mass Shootings Are Now So Frequent That President Trump Just Copies-And-Pastes His Condolences
Education For Your Kids? Not Important. Buy Our Expensive Car Instead
Trump's Official Survey Doesn't Include Any Negative Response Options
Teaching Kids To Read Via Logos
Boring Dystopia
Totally Normal And Fine
S**t Like This Just Happens Constantly Now
Liquidation Sale
not as bad as 'things to do before you die' why not 'things to do while you're still alive' much more positive.
Plastic, As God Made It
Didn't George Carlin say that the only reason Earth hasn't killed us is that it can't make plastic and needs us to do it?
Gun Show This Weekend
It's been documented that after a mass/school shooting, gun sales actually go up. How sick is that?
Teachers Gifted Supplies For Their Classrooms ...on A Talk Show
Late Stage Capitalism
Shouldn't the simple fact that you're out of blood, solve ALL your problems ? Including housing ? Just a tought
Be Happy
Yeah, if you don't smile, an exec will immediately bolt from his office and grin at the door for you :D
Life Is Beautiful
Jaywalkers Under Surveillance In Shenzhen Soon To Be Punished Via Text Messages
how is this surprising? did you really think they were developing this kind of technology just for your social photo tagging to be easier? come on.
Google Helps Its Sponsors Before Its Users
They Love It!
I Withdrew Some Cash And The Receipt Has The Most Dystopian Bloody Thing On It
I'm Sure The Sermen Drew Some Comparison With Following "False Prophets"
I don't think this challenge honor the Christ... Poor Him, it must be tiredsome to be loved by idiots.
Watch Live
Boring Dystopia
It’s Really Hard Watching Other People Live Out Your Dreams
You Don't Need Therapy
The Fortune In These Fortune Cookies
Bleeding You Dry
Giving your blood is a good thing, having no choice but selling your blood sucks
Aligned With The Holiday Spirit
And? This can be a police parking lot, military base, impound lot, a mint etc.
You've Heard Of Elf On The Shelf, Now Get Ready For
How America Ends
The Important News
It's an update. Bus probably fell from the cliff, crashed on a cemetery, and they are keeping the viewers up to date on how many victims they keep finding under the wreck. Chips look tasty though :D
Golden Fistbump
This Escorting Website Features A Live-Updated Student Debt Clock
Happiness Within Reach
Back To School Shopping
Facebook Served Me An Ad Inside Of A Private Chat
Their Main Concern Isn't Population Changes, It's Diaper Sales
Note: this post originally had 73 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
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Load More Replies...Ok, I've seen a lot of comments on this post about how "America is the worst country". You think we LIKE having mass shootings every two minutes? You think we like having a president who puts immigrant kids in concentration camps? You think we like leading the charts in obesity? No. We don't especially like any of that. So please stop acting like the entirety of America is shooting each other in the head. Because we aren't. Only a few are.
If you don't like the state of things in the USA, get off your a*s and make sure that you are registered to vote. If not, go register! Do your homework on candidates, and cast an informed ballot in November. If you don't vote, you don't count.
Load More Replies...What I've learned in life, is that, the Earth is doomed. Whether humanity nukes itself or global warming kills us by 2100 with excess carbon dioxide, I've learned to just accept the time I have. Yes, I recycle and don't use plastic bags, I'm not a savage. But I've learned to appreciate and love life, before the world dies. And fight it anyway... you never know. Sorry for being negative.
This is the first post where I HAD to read through all the comments just to get the rest of the story.
These are just awful. I guess an up vote means they are awful-er than the others. But I wanted to down vote them. So sad.
I bookmarked this under Republicans. If you don't agree, please reconsider what Republican values, and their political platform really supports. Forgive me for stating the obvious, (to most readers I hope), but virtually everything they do is in support of big business, nothing more nothing less.
Bored Panda's showing their political bias a lot with this one......alienating half of your clientele should never be on the agenda, if you want to keep in business.
900 % of this post is nothing but political b******t- as i said repeatedly - eat s**t and die
I hear and read americans complains about their country, but I've been there once 10 years ago. It's a wonderful country. It have some problems but if i look at the big picture, USA is a huge amazing place where everything is possible. Americans that complain about this country, please come to live in my country for a while and then tell me what do you think about USA.
People complained when Obama was president, was that a fashion?
Load More Replies...This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Load More Replies...Ok, I've seen a lot of comments on this post about how "America is the worst country". You think we LIKE having mass shootings every two minutes? You think we like having a president who puts immigrant kids in concentration camps? You think we like leading the charts in obesity? No. We don't especially like any of that. So please stop acting like the entirety of America is shooting each other in the head. Because we aren't. Only a few are.
If you don't like the state of things in the USA, get off your a*s and make sure that you are registered to vote. If not, go register! Do your homework on candidates, and cast an informed ballot in November. If you don't vote, you don't count.
Load More Replies...What I've learned in life, is that, the Earth is doomed. Whether humanity nukes itself or global warming kills us by 2100 with excess carbon dioxide, I've learned to just accept the time I have. Yes, I recycle and don't use plastic bags, I'm not a savage. But I've learned to appreciate and love life, before the world dies. And fight it anyway... you never know. Sorry for being negative.
This is the first post where I HAD to read through all the comments just to get the rest of the story.
These are just awful. I guess an up vote means they are awful-er than the others. But I wanted to down vote them. So sad.
I bookmarked this under Republicans. If you don't agree, please reconsider what Republican values, and their political platform really supports. Forgive me for stating the obvious, (to most readers I hope), but virtually everything they do is in support of big business, nothing more nothing less.
Bored Panda's showing their political bias a lot with this one......alienating half of your clientele should never be on the agenda, if you want to keep in business.
900 % of this post is nothing but political b******t- as i said repeatedly - eat s**t and die
I hear and read americans complains about their country, but I've been there once 10 years ago. It's a wonderful country. It have some problems but if i look at the big picture, USA is a huge amazing place where everything is possible. Americans that complain about this country, please come to live in my country for a while and then tell me what do you think about USA.
People complained when Obama was president, was that a fashion?
Load More Replies...