Having lived in the United States of America all my life, I believe that our system of a Democratic Republic is the least dystopian out of many other systems because it is the least oppressive to its citizens and allows you to really voice your own opinions. In dystopias such as 1984, Big Brother watched over everyone’s actions and propaganda is used to control the citizens. In contrast, in a Democratic Republic, there is no one person that is in charge of making sure all the laws and regulations are fair and just. While the President of the United States may be the leader of the nation, there is a set of checks and balances between the three branches of government so that one branch may not overpower the other. If unjust laws are passed, it is the job of the three branches to congregate and really reform the system to make society better by upholding the safety of its citizens. Additionally, people in a Democratic Republic have a right to vote for the leaders they desire and voice their opinions freely without the fear of being punished because of what they believe. Overall, although the United States of America is very far from achieving a perfect utopia, the system of a Democratic Republic ensures that one individual does not have the power to control his/her citizens and allows people to really have a say in what is to be done to reform our justice system.
In contrast, dictatorships such as North Korea are a real life example of how a dystopia can come to life. Under that totalitarian government, citizens of North Korea are taught that places like the United States are terrible and that Americans are horrendous people. This propaganda that is enforced by this totalitarian government gives its citizens a false impression of what life is really like in America. In addition, the North Korean government limits what people can look at on the internet and allows the government to further spread propaganda. Additionally, there is no system of checks and balances, and everything is under the control of one dictator at the head of the country. Because of this, the citizens have no say in what is to be done, and if a person were to go against this dictator’s views, they are likely to be put in concentration camps to serve the rest of their life. From this type of government, an individual can really see the characteristics of a dystopian society come to life.
Overall, while I do believe that the US’s Democratic Republic results in the least dystopian society, I believe that there is still much to be reformed, especially issues such as gender-payment gaps and racial discrimination. Without this system of government in place though, people would not be able to stand up for what they believe in and fix these social injustices by conducting peaceful protests. While I do think that the United States is the least dystopian, there is still much to be fixed to achieve that perfect utopian society that we one day dream of.
