A Dystopia is an undesirable society faced with oppression. A common theme I have noticed throughout the dystopian films, books, and articles we have studied has been oppression. After reading Young’s five faces of oppression, the specific elements of oppression became more evident. I believe it is actually a key element in dystopia. Dystopias are commonly ruled by a controlling government or a group of elites. This kind of control over society can be seen as marginalization and powerlessness. Society is forced to blindly follow the lead of their government without any backlash. Completely stripping society of its uniqueness, autonomy, and free will is a cruel yet important aspect to define Dystopia.
A dystopia can also be the opposite of a utopia. We have learned the idea of an anti-utopia through Kim Stanley Robinson’s article. An anti-utopia is the opposite of a Utopia where things are so pleasant, that it is unpleasant. Therefore, a dystopia does not always have to be a “bad” place. It can be an undesirable place due to trying too hard to become a good place. Dystopias can be intentional like in slavery or fascism or it can be accidental like in trying to achieve a utopia.
