Dystopia; /disˈtōpēə/
an event, society, thing, or place that is classified as inhumane or ‘bad’.
I chose to define dystopia as something that is not a fictional or imagined society as I believe dystopia can be used to define anything that one views as ‘bad’. Furthermore, what I may view as good the next person may not view that same thing as being a good event or thing. Therefore, I believe labeling something as ‘bad’ is subjective, making ‘dystopia’ fluid in the different ways and aspects it may be used. Even if we look at the word from the sense of being ‘inhumane’, we would assume that inhumane is inhumane and it is not fluid but everyone does not carry the same esteem, ethics, and morals. Unfortunately, everyone may not believe the same things are inhumane or bad. For example, the genocide that is currently taking place in Gaza; although many of us side with Gaza and believe this is inhumane, those of the Israelis and those that are supporting Israel do not believe the same hence the reason they support Israel. One may argue that everyone knows right from wrong and knows when something is inhumane, rather they just do not care. Although this can hold truth, there are many people I have encountered who do not believe the genocide is inhumane, which is odd.
I do not restrict ‘dystopia’ to the imagined world because we live in the most unimaginable, craziest world one could ever dream of. At the rate the entire world is going, especially the United States, there is no reason to dream of an inhumane, unjust, or bad society, or however else you may want to portray it because we are already living in a state of dystopia. But, once again, not everyone thinks that what we are living in is dystopian, which aids in proving my point that dystopia is fluid!