I first defined dystopia as a real or imagined world in which one in power attempts to create a perfect world by instilling fear and oppression to a group of people. Since learning more about dystopian elements and now being able to analyze and pick out dystopian elements in movies and stories that I have encountered since being in this class, I would not necessarily change my definition of a dystopia. I would rather like to add to it. I now define a dystopia as a real or imagined world in which one in power attempts to create a perfect society by implementing control, instilling fear, and oppressing a group of people. We have seen elements of fear and chaos in movies such as The Purge and even when considering the Hobbesian Jungle. All too often, we have seen elements in which attempting to create a “perfect society” has led to discomfort, oppression, and many more elements that characterize a dystopian society. Young’s “Five Faces of Oppression” have helped to develop my understanding of how some aspects of society can be seen as dystopian. The five faces of oppression are exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and violence. In some sense, all of these forms of oppression are prevalent in dystopian societies. It all is related to creating an unpleasant situation in society for those who have to endure and live in it. I would like to point out that in “Dystopias Now” by Kim Stanley Robinson, she states that “dystopias are the flip side of utopias” and I definitely agree. Reading about dystopias gives us an idea of how the future could possibly turn out.
