A dystopia is society stuck in a state of oppression and suffering.
Prior to this last blog post, we have been learning a lot about dystopian societies and factors that make a society dystopian. However, Before we started learning about what a dystopia is, we were asked to define it in our own words. My initial definition was along the lines of a post-apocalyptic society drenched in wretchedness and despair. Now, my definition and knowledge of a dystopia has broadened.
I now know that a dystopia doesn’t have to be post-apocalyptic, if can be now in the present. Incorporating Young’s “Five Faces of Opression,” we learned that subjects like Marginalization, Powerlessness, Expolitation, etc. are factors that contribute to a dystopian society and we definitely have those present in our society today. We can also talk about Leviathan’s Hobbesian Jungle. The Hobbesian Jungle’s state of nature is characterized by “war of every man against every man.” We definitely have riots and things like black-on-black crime happening daily in our society and all over the world. Overall, a dystopian society can in fact be developed and I do believe we are currently living in one.
