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50 Photos From Real Life In The US That Look Like They’re From A Dystopian Movie
Most folks had some science fiction or fantasy universe they would have loved to live in as a child. After all, the future, with its flying cars, robot assistants and magical long life seemed like it would all be a great time. But the last few years have done a lot to diminish that optimism.
We’ve gathered images from current America that might be more reminiscent of dystopian fiction, from bosses with bizarre, controlling rules, to how hopeless the job market has become. So settle in, brace yourself, upvote the most interesting submissions and be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments down below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
We Owe For A Surgery That Was Pre Approved By Our Health Insurance
BCBS is completely screwing my wife and I with 45k in medical debt over a surgery that was pre approved and accepted by them. I’m so sick of the health insurance scam in the US.
RELATED:
#2
On A Beach Vacation, I Walked Out On A Pier To Watch The Sunset When This Hideous Electronic Billboard Cruised By Scrolling Ads In The Middle Of The Ocean
It felt so dystopian. Nowhere is free from advertising!
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 months ago
They are putting adds at gas station pumps and Tesla's are now showing ads on their screens after the latest update to the software that RUNS THE CAR. The newest car I ever owned was a 1987 and it was a stick shift so...
People use the word "dystopia" in two overlapping meanings: as a genre of literature and as shorthand for future-or-present-that-doesn't-feel-so-good. Ultimately it's the opposite of utopia, a world imagined to be imperfect, not as faulty but as corrupt, where one or two plausible changes to our world have been extended too far and recreated as known. When someone says "this is dystopian," they usually mean something more than "I don't like it": they mean the system itself controls people's lives in ways which feel inevitable, oppressive, or morally degrading.
Most readers recognize a dystopia by trope rather than by a single prop. There usually is a break,an authentic hinge, like some technological breakthrough, some climatic catastrophe, or some political fusion, and a set of institutions that form around that hinge and make institutional sense of its rationality.
#4
"I Hope I Make It"
#5
This
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 months ago
Reminds me of a guy here in town who does itinerant bike repair. He hauls his tools around in a little van and he fixes bikes. Portland is a very bike-centric city so a lot of us bike. Some employers call him up and everyone working at the business gets a free tuneup. That reminds me, I'm due for a wheel true in a month.
#6
Unlock This Post
Multa Nocte 2 months ago
It's nice when they provide an actual demonstration of the word "irony."
Folks envision the rules those institutions promulgate: what permits you to have on hand, how speech is regulated, what kind of jobs there are. Those institutional details are what make abstract fears more concrete. The average person sees dystopia as a world where everyday habits, rituals and forms constantly remind you who's in charge.
#7
A Vendor Selling Bullet Resistant Glass To Schools At A Teacher Convention In America 10/17/2024
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 months ago (edited)
Columbine was 1999. Has ANYTHING changed? It's been over 1/4 of a century and almost half my life.
#8
Amazon Won't Let Us Listen To Music Or Sit Down But We Get These "Motivational" Messages All Day Long
Cee Cee 2 months ago
I have stopped buying from Amazon. Horrible company. Local newspaper (UK South West) has an article today showing piles of plastic pee bottles outside the horribly named fulfilment centre. Amazon disclaims responsibility as most drivers are employed through a third party. Disgusting way to treat employees.
#9
Seen At The PBS Building In Boston Today
Multa Nocte 2 months ago
Because Bert and Ernie were, er, uh, "roommates," so the Feds thought.
The second element of the popular idea of dystopia is the built world and sensory feel of life within the regimes. People imagine isolated cities, gated enclaves for some and abandonment for others, blaring loudspeakers and public spectacle, ration tickets and synthetic food. All the small, repetitive things,the smell of water rationing, the hum of the drones, the announcements, that's how the notion of "dystopia" is made real and tangible. When a world is described only in sweeping ideology, people are preached at; when it's shown in the grain of ordinary life, it reads as dystopia because you can almost do the routines yourself.
#10
Start Their Influencing Career Early
#11
Solving The Homeless Crisis With Tickets
Savannah greenleaf 2 months ago
If you neglect to pay them you could potentially be jailed for unpaid fines. Depending on the weather jail may be better than the street, and that is just a sad observation.
#12
The Grocery Robot Pleaded For 15 Minutes For Cleanup In Aisle 16 For A Square Of Tissue. No One Came
Technology is at the center of much of our modern use of the term. Informally, "dystopian" often means "surveilled" or "algorithmically regulated": cameras, facial and voice recognition, social credit, predictive policing, constant targeted advertising. But devices themselves, no, but a kind of sixth sense whispers that dystopia emerges wherever technologies making life easier or healthier also produce new mechanisms of control and new markets for power. Popular perception is that technology is a miracle and trap, convenience will come at the cost of privacy, autonomy, or dignity, and that conflict is a synonym for dystopia.
#13
This Rejection Email
#14
10 Years Of Paying School Loans, I’m Almost Back To The Principal Balance
#15
This Sign On A School Near Uvalde, TX
The_Nicest_Misanthrope 2 months ago
Horrifying message? Check. Grammatical error to showcase the terrible US school systems? Also check
Language, symbols, and memory are another vector to which people associate dystopias. If history has been rewritten, words have become weapons, or propaganda slogans occupy the public square, then the world is closed and constructed. Ordinary citizens identify these acrobatics as attacks on shared meaning: when you cannot speak truthfully of the past or call what is happening in the moment, disobedience is not merely dangerous but ideologically complex.
#16
Love That A Software Update Can Make You Not Be Able To Drive Your Car
Multa Nocte 2 months ago
I think the word "dystopian" was created specifically for situations like this.
#17
At A UPS Hub - Do Borderline Impossible Work For The Chance To Be Hydrated
#18
They Started Replacing The Refrigerator Doors With LED Screens At My Local Supermarket
Scarcity and stratification are what readers also seek in a dystopia. Not necessarily famine; rather more frequently that goods needed are being rationed, access is partitioned, and small comforts or basic rights are now class markers. Black markets, forged documents, or furtive exchange in everyday life apprise readers the system is under stress and unequal, which is central to the common perception of dystopia: living under structural shortage, where survival requires moral sacrifice.
#19
My Ambulance Bill
I was very sick last month with myocarditis and had to be transported off site for cardiac MRI and had to be on oxygen and EKG. Although it was down the street and a short 3 minute ride in Boston. Unfortunately since I was having difficulty communicating due to shortness of breath and leaving my house with not even my ID or belongings. Clarified with them about my insurance and will hopefully be resolved. Will hear back in a few weeks. Stressful
veirdbuttrue 2 months ago
OMG This is all so awful, honestly I feel sorry for Americans rn. Terrifying.
#20
Absolutely Dystopian
Lady Chelsea (LadyChelseaoftheVoid) 2 months ago
No, unions are the things that keep workers from killing your greedy asses.
#21
Police Officer Halloween Costumes Have Been Militarized. This Is Just So Depressing
#22
If I Didn't Have Insurance, I Would Have To Pay More Than 400 Dollars For A Single Bottle Of ADHD Medication. How Did We Normalize This???
Upstaged75 2 months ago
I'm pretty sure that's the insurance price. Self pay would likely be a bit less. Which is really a moot point because we shouldn't have to pay anything at all!
#23
My Apartments Trash And Recycling Chutes Lead To The Same Bin
#24
Uber Eats Dystopia
#25
Delta Airlines Says Don’t Unionize
#26
This USPS Mail Sorting Facility Where You Read And Enter Addresses All Day And Are Not Allowed To Speak
Glen Ellyn 2 months ago
Is this something new? Or is it a directive made by former postmaster general Louis "no joy" DeJoy, who resigned in March 2025?
#27
The United States Secretary Of Defense Just Promoted A Clip Calling For Women To Lose Their Right To Vote
Multa Nocte 2 months ago
Well, I can pretty much guarantee you that the real Jesus wouldn't have put up with that shit.
#28
Apple's New "Privacy" Ad Creates Dystopian Effect By Appearing To Record Me In My Apartment
#29
My Corporation Is My Religion My CEO Is My God, I Don't Question I Consume
#30
California Is Under A Tsunami Advisory But The States Tsunami Evacuation Map Is Down
The Majestic Opossum 2 months ago
People seem to forget that virtual platforms still rely on physical bandwidth to operate. This is why you print and prepare ahead of time.
#31
My Toothbrush Wished Me A Happy New Year
Dragons Exist 2 months ago
Imagine you time-travel to the past, say 1922. Someone asks what technology in the future is like. You reply with "my toothbrush wished me a happy New Year"
#32
I Wonder What Else They'll Make Into A Subscription
#33
The Bojangles Near Me Has Started Using AI To Order
#34
Pay For College With Your Blood
#35
School Supplies Expensive? After All, Taxes Don’t Pay For Pencils Or Tissues! Why Not Take Out A Private Loan?
#36
Two Men Carrying Shoulder Mounted Devices. Each Person Has The Device Strapped Around Their Waist. They Appear To Be Adwalkers
Mel in Georgia 2 months ago
A bit of history: Walking ads, or "sandwich boards" carried by people, emerged in 19th-century London as a way to avoid competition for wall space and an advertising tax. Terrible to think that paying people a minimum wage would be cheaper than posting an ad somewhere now.
#37
I Have To Fight My Insurance Every 3 Months To Fill This 1 Prescription
Mel in Georgia 2 months ago
I wanted a specific antidepressant that I knew worked for me. My insurance insisted I get the generic version. The generic version did not work for me. My doctor said, yeah, the formulation is not the same and it doesn't work the same way. He petitioned to have me use the name brand. Was denied. I ordered the name brand and the bill for a month was like $230 - maybe higher (a while ago). We. are. screwed. when it comes to health care in the US.
#38
Light Pollution From The Sphere In Las Vegas
#39
Some Kroger Grocery Stores Are Now Implementing Slot Machines Inside
Nikki Sevven 2 months ago
The US is not homogenous. Some states allow these machines outside of a casino. Many states don't, mine included.
#40
Steak Prices In Florida Are Wild
Bored Sailor 2 months ago
I am ~4-5 hours from this store and this quality of NY strip is ~$12/lb here. This is Orlando and everything is supper up costed because of Disney.
#41
You Don’t Say
#42
Breaking News: Gen Z Has Discovered Vacations
sturmwesen 2 months ago (edited)
jup (written while having 2 weeks off..wait..am I micro retired?)
Load More Replies... Anthony Elmore 2 months ago
Not if your employer doesn't offer the days, unfortunately. More of a US problem.
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HeavyMetalHeart 2 months ago
What. I never got less than 20 days off from a job (plus public holidays and almost two weeks over Christmas). And you had to take them. Two weeks every 18 months is brutal.
JoRo 2 months ago
Are you UK? I love that we have a minimum of 28 days for all full time workers and many companies also let you buy or sell up to 10 days (5 to sell I think!). My 16 year old son has just started a small part-time job (13 hours a week) at the local chippy and they also get holiday and have a full employee manual with a grievance procedure and everything!
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Bonnie Blue Bird 2 months ago
Since it's a micro-retirement does that mean I do not come back to 900 emails?
#43
I Don’t Even Have Words Anymore. I Don’t Need A Job Bad Enough To Talk To A Robot
#44
These Ads I Just Saw On My Feed About Personal Armed Robot Guards
Mel in Georgia 2 months ago
"Metalhead" was one of the scariest Black Mirror episodes ever. And here we are.
#45
Meta’s Official “AI Character” Pretends To Donate Clothes To Charity
#46
What Is This?
#47
I Tried Using An App To Make A Budget Because Money Is Tight, And This Is What I Got Back. I Didn’t Even Realize It Had Gotten This Bad. How Are We Supposed To Survive Like This?
Aballi 2 months ago
Oh yeah I tried to create a budget with ChatGBT and was also told I can't save money. I work 40+ hours a week as an a*******n counselor and case manager, which I love but is so draining. The suggestion I received was that I open a side hustle offering one on one counseling. Basically competing with my employer. Just what I want to do in my free time!🙄
#48
I’m Pregnant And Had Some Dehydration From Hypermesis Gravidarum. I Went To The ER For Fluids And Monitoring For About 3 Hours. Here Is My Bill Before And After Insurance
Multa Nocte 2 months ago
This is so sad. A year and a half ago I went to the ER here in France late at night for a kidney stone (thought it was appendicitis). I was there 5 or 6 hours, had IV fluids, plenty of tests run, and an MRI scan. They diagnosed the kidney stone, gave me pain meds and a referral, and three months later sent me a bill for 350 euros, most of which is covered by the carte de séjour. My friends asked why I didn't call an ambulance because I was in so much pain and I explained that in the US an ambulance would cost thousands and thousands of dollars and they laughed and said, "Well, it's free here." Live and learn.
#49
Had To Pay 50 Cent To Use The Restroom, But There Is A Cutout For Kids To Use It Free
#50
Unskippable Ads When Turning On Your TV
#51
New Sign In Idaho Public Libraries Requiring A ID To Enter
#52
I Bet You Haven’t Heard Of The Tote Taxi
#53
New Inconvenience - Receptionist-Free Doctor’s Office
#54
Mcdonald’s Flag At Half-Mast Today
#55
Work. Work. Work. Work
#56
"Tablet Strollers" At Mall. Let Your iPad Kid Watch Even More While You Shop
George Costanza 2 months ago
If it shuts the little monster up just enough that you can get your shopping done it might totally be worth it. Although most people just hand their kid their phone these days.
#57
Target Employee Told Me They Lock Up Necessities Because Those Are The Most Likely To Be Stolen
#58
This Means That All Water Is Now Unsafe To Drink, There’s No Safe Drinking Water Anymore. The People That Poisoned Our Water Must Be So Proud
Multa Nocte 2 months ago
But remember folks, "climate change is just a stupid hoax promoted by the leftist liberals!"
#59
Who Is Even The Target Audience For This?
#60
We’re Living In A Dystopian Nightmare
#61
Are We Really Doing This Now?
#62
Now You Can Get Special Anti-Infrared Lenses For Your Glasses To Defeat Unwanted Face ID Theft!
#63
Dystopian Storage Container Walls Around People’s Park In Berkeley, CA, To Keep Homeless Out
#64
Just Crazy
The Majestic Opossum 2 months ago (edited)
Yes, but most smart devices (all of our family's watches and phones) will contact emergency services. It's still better than nobody being alerted IMO.
#65
Urinal Ads
#66
This Is America In A Nutshell. Sugar Cereal Bacon Found On Memorial Day
Glen Ellyn 2 months ago
Ack! 🤢🤮 I want my bacon to taste like bacon! And it better be crispy. 😠
#67
Long Live Capitalism
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 2 months ago
That was totally 2008. If you were a grad in 2008, you wanted ANYTHING that just paid the bills. It was bad.
#68
I Got A College Degree, And My Job Is Still Getting Replaced By AI
I just earned a degree in paralegal studies. Guess I’m replaceable
#69
Ugh
Schrödinger's Douchebag 2 months ago
I really miss my hour-long rail commute next to the guy with BO and the kids who open face cough onto me.
#70
The Article To Do An Assignment In Class Is Paywalled
Johnnynatfan 2 months ago
Washington post provides free access to students. This person is using it as an excuse not to do their work.
#71
McDonalds Cash Bonuses For High Schoolers In Midland, TX
Savannah greenleaf 2 months ago
In all fairness finding a job in highschool can be difficult. I see nothing wrong with having an after school job, and if the employee gives a reward for good grades that is just a bit extra.
#72
Apparently Now My Local Gas Station Is Posting The Price Of Zyns Next To The Fuel Prices
#74
Hiring 14-Year-Olds
#76
Domino’s Has Sign You Would Normally See On A Zoo Exhibit, Inside New Location
Add New Image
What do you think ?
C B Jones 2 months ago
Most of these posts are either horrifying, heartbreaking or both. I need to look at cute kitty pictures for a bit now, that'll help.
Stannous Flouride 2 months ago
Don't downvote posts like the one from sophiamaegan. Click on the 3 dots and report it as spam. It's faster.
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Uncle Schmickle 1 month ago
I'm afraid the USA is stuffed. However I hope that all this c**p doesn't pollute the rest of the world.
Kitsune 2 months ago
however, then again, Trump won the popular vote, so it was most Americans who did not attempt to stop trump, so your perspective is completely understandable, but so is all of these people who are making jokes about it. plus, I bet half of them are other Americans who can either laugh about it or cry about it, and they chose to laugh
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Nate B 2 months ago
What if there was a post entitled: 76 Depressing Pics Of BoredPanda That Made People Wonder When Did It All Go So Wrong?
Nate B 2 months ago
1. Aggressive ads for Premium subscriptions 2. Ludicrous censorship of everyday words (to the point you can’t understand some sentences) 3. Kardashian articles 4. Bianca Censori articles 5. Quizzes with incorrect answers
Load More Replies... Multa Nocte 2 months ago
Then make America a better place to live instead of blaming the messenger.
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C B Jones 2 months ago
Most of these posts are either horrifying, heartbreaking or both. I need to look at cute kitty pictures for a bit now, that'll help.
Stannous Flouride 2 months ago
Don't downvote posts like the one from sophiamaegan. Click on the 3 dots and report it as spam. It's faster.
Load More Replies... Uncle Schmickle 1 month ago
I'm afraid the USA is stuffed. However I hope that all this c**p doesn't pollute the rest of the world.
Kitsune 2 months ago
however, then again, Trump won the popular vote, so it was most Americans who did not attempt to stop trump, so your perspective is completely understandable, but so is all of these people who are making jokes about it. plus, I bet half of them are other Americans who can either laugh about it or cry about it, and they chose to laugh
Load More Replies... Nate B 2 months ago
What if there was a post entitled: 76 Depressing Pics Of BoredPanda That Made People Wonder When Did It All Go So Wrong?
Nate B 2 months ago
1. Aggressive ads for Premium subscriptions 2. Ludicrous censorship of everyday words (to the point you can’t understand some sentences) 3. Kardashian articles 4. Bianca Censori articles 5. Quizzes with incorrect answers
Load More Replies... Multa Nocte 2 months ago
Then make America a better place to live instead of blaming the messenger.
Load More Replies...
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