A dystopia is a society of people who endure harsh suffering from their oppressors, while still fighting for their liberation either passively or actively. What I mean by this is, those living in a dystopian society are often always looking for a way out so they can be free from totalitarian leadership. Although they are seeking freedom, they understand that they are not superior to their oppressor so that results in those who still try to actively fight back regardless of their consequences or those who discuss ways to fight against their oppressors but are afraid of those consequences so they remain silent. “A dystopia is, therefore, a place in which humanity is dehumanized and people live fearful lives.” The citizens remain fearful because the oppressor shows little to no remorse for those who act against them. They often inflict fear on those living under oppression in a vast amount of ways, often times it results in death and/or an extremely harsh punishment. Since the beginning of class, I have been making connections to the Black American and a dystopian society. When you think about the oppression of black Americans and the many ways white colonists have enforced fear amongst black Americans, you can see those relations. “In the present day, Black Americans still continue to live in the dystopia known as the United States. One act of racism can rob an innocent Black person of their life, as in the case of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, and so many others publicly known and those we will never know.” It is important to understand how dystopian society tends to create a false narrative of what things truly are. When you explore different definitions of the word dystopia and look at the fictional examples, you can find many similarities with the Black American life. One thing all dystopian societies have in common is, finding out how they will take upon the task of breaking the oppression.
