Every day.

Everyone just keeps acting like its normal
That's a common trope in dystopian settings.
The youngest people in the society don't understand that anything is even wrong. The rich folks have a vested interest in people being more afraid of foreigners and domestic terrorists than any government malfeasance. And the working class is so occupied with simple survival that they see no real opportunity to revolt... until something really falls off the rails, at which point the military moves in to suppress dissent with maximum bloodshed.
- In those dystopia settings however, they never seem to have all the literature describing dystopia. We do here
  
  Eh, it depends on the author. I've seen a lot of modern Post-Apocalypse/Cyberpunk stuff make comedic quasi-self-references by way of media-within-the-media (A piece of modern literature in the Fallout setting describing a "dystopian" world in the self-proclaimed utopian Vaults, for instance).
  But the point of the media-within-the-media is often to illustrate how we fixate on the drama of dystopia without acknowledging the banality of social evils.
  
  Right now, in the mostly-free-press parts of the world, I now think that dystopian scifi no longer serves as a warning of what not to do but instead acts as a numbing agent to increased oppression.
  This is going to sound very Maoist or whatever but we need more utopian scifi like Star Trek TNG. We need utopian visions imagined for us so we have something to work towards.
  It was so refreshing to watch the Chinese TV show for Three-Body where the world was at peace with each other and trying to solve this bizarre global mystery. Sure, the Chinese government was painted as much more competent than American & European governments but Hollywood does the same thing with the US government too.
  
  1984 literally has a manifesto describing what's happening.
  In fact, the brainwashing of the kids in 1984 to report on their parents having / reading / discussing "controversial media" is a major element of the dystopia. Those media are not explicitly named, but I don't think they have to be.
- I feel like this describes pretty much every western society since we moved beyond tribalism.
  
  I don't think tribalism was the apex of greatness people seem to think it was.

I'm too broke to worry about much more then working enough to feed myself and afford my shitty apartment for another month.
- So what your saying is the system is working as intended.
  
  Oh well, at least frogurt is still relatively cheap.

It's really not. At least no more than it has been in the past
- Yeah, there are tons of things to make better and improve on, but things could be a lot freaking worse. (For more people, anyway, for too many people it’s already terrible currently, e.g. Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen, Haiti … )
- The same people that quote that these are the least violent and most progressive times we live in will turn right around and say we're in an ever increasing dystopian hellhole despite all the scientific evidence to the contrary.
  They will continue to bemoan mainstream media and social media pushing propaganda on them they continue to link on THEIR better social media.
  You'll then be yelled at for Green washing and unironically saying that progressives are in the democratic party for a reason despite saying all politicians are the same from their useful idiot basements while pretending to be a Bernie Bro despite him endorsing Hilary, and Biden lol.
  
  What would you have Bernie do after loosing his primary?
- The world looks like a horrible place, barely hanging on by a thread, until you step outside and see that society and the people in it are generally pretty chill.
  Of course, that said, I don't live in the states. Everything could be literally on fire there for all I know.
  
  some of it is!
  
  It's a pleasant surprise every time I visit how chill the US is, you see so much news and fear mongering but it's super friendly and nice everywhere I go.
- Yeah standard of living overall is factually better than at any other point in the last few hundred years.
  Medicine alone has made getting to or living past your mid-30’s far less hard or filled with pain - even for those in poverty.
  And hell I’d argue that if the original commenter really believes it’s a dystopian shit-show…it’s crystal clear how to make your own lot better.
  
  Yeah standard of living overall is factually better than at any other point in the last few hundred years.
  Really depends on who you are and where you live. I'm watching my Houston ISD getting torn apart before my eyes. Police were running around UH campus clubbing students and dragging them into squad cars just a few weeks ago. The derecho that blew through downtown knocked out 5-10% of the windows in various buildings and killed the power for a few days. Electricity costs have doubled in the last ten years, while summer heat is up a sold five degrees Fahrenheit on average.
  Is my standard of living better than it was for someone living in the city a generation ago? Doesn't look like it. But hey, we've got weird new AI and the stock market is very up. Is it better than someone living in Houston in 1824? Yeah... I guess? But so much of that seems to hinge on having electricity and running water. And the more pipes keep bursting and lines keep getting knocked down, the less reliable these services seem.
  Medicine alone has made getting to or living past your mid-30’s far less hard
  Average life expectancy has been over 60 years of age since at least the 19th century. A lot of that came entirely out of the advent of vaccinations.
  Good think we're not having trouble convincing people to get vaccinated in the modern era, I guess.
  
  People in the ukraine are like: man this is great, imagine living in the 30's
- Except now there's nukes, end stage capitalism, and climate change... Sure up until like 100 years ago shit sucked hard for just about everyone, but at least there was no way they could literally end all life on earth
  
  Even if we set out to do so we couldn’t end all life on earth (literally)
  
  Lol, you high?

It's always been terrible, this the best we've had, and it's still still terrible.
- Reminded me of this:
  https://ourworldindata.org/much-better-awful-can-be-better
  I'm still to pessimistic to feel hopeful by this, but maybe someone else can :)
  
  That whole article you linked is about convincing you to be optimistic.
  Yes, the world is awful. But it is so much better than it ever was before, and we have proven that we have the means to make it so much better still.
  Even if all we did was get everyone up to the standard of living where they experience first-world problems, that still means making the world so much better than it was. And we can make the world even better than that. Even if you're pessimistic, you should still be optimistic.
- In a lot of ways yes this is the best humanity has ever had, but it's also the first time we've had the means to completely eradicate life on earth, and still seen to be barreling towards it. (If you consider the last 80 or so years to be "now")
- I'd argue we peaked between 25 and 50 years ago, and now we're sliding back down the hill.
  
  I'd argue you're not very familiar with recent history. Also, who is "We"?
  
  Yeah, life without a dishwasher, hot water and toilet was so much better!

I think this vision usually comes to be when people aren't aware of how much worse other people have it, or how much worse was in the past.
Sure nowdays there are a lot of terrible things happening, but we have the best tools ever to fix them.
The world needs a bit more of optimism, the only way we can start fixing our problems is acting like we can.
- How do you know how bad many of the people have it here? Also, in general, I reject the premise of your comment.
  Just because people may be suffering more elsewhere, doesn't mean we don't have a right to be frustrated by our current systems. This is especially true in a society that allows absurdities like billionaires to exist.
- It is Nice not having to worry the black lung.

- The overwhelming majority of people just live where they were born and accept whatever good or bad things come along.
  This!! I've been trying to tell people this for so long but no one every listens. Most people especially Americans are the boiling frog. They choose to live in blissful ignorance because it's easier than actually fixing the problem, and now the rest of us who can actually acknowledge what's going on have to suffer
- Can't even plant a tree because someone "owns" the land.
- LOL... how could anyone live in a country with free healthcare, subsidized higher ed, public transit that covers the vast majority of the population, practically zero gun battles daily.... oof, yeah, how could anyone?
  pfft
  
  Imagine not having the freedom to have your daily gun battle!

Yes, this system absolute madness only equaled by the madness of the mass tolerance of it.
And NOT the fun weekend bender kind of madness I haven't had time for in years due to capitalist exploitation.
- Yeah. Your free time is very limited by the fact you live under capitalism and not magic fairy dust.
  I mean, compared to all the other economic systems, capitalism provides more leisure time. But compared to magical fantasy circumstances, capitalism’s a drag.
  
  Never heard of Europe, eh?
  
  Communism limits free time, too. You still have to work under that system. And pay bills. You have to pay for childcare, dental work, travel, food, housing, and just about everything else. Except medicine. But you have to wait for that, and have no choice in who you see.

Potential convicted felon president with many active indictments looking to give himself blanket immunity for all crime and appointing himself dictator president for life. All while every year is the hottest year on record, there isn't enough housing, actually nazis feel safe to actively demonstrate in public, a million less Americans are alive post COVID and all of the world's wealth is split between 7 people and all the world's companies owned by 4 parent companies...
What the fuck are you talking about dystopian?
- Those in that million category were probably the lucky ones, the afterlife's probably pretty dope.

I’ve read history. I know what actual dystopian nightmares look like. We’re not in one.
- "Things can always get worse" is a pretty shit justification to say things aren't bad now.
  
  No-one is saying that all is fine. Yes, there are loads of big issues right now, but we're still living better and safer than 99% of all the humans that have ever lived. We are not living Ina dystopian world.
  
  Things are NOT bad now.
- History does not only repeat, and simply looking at the past can make you blind to the novel ways society has transformed. For example, oppression has been a constant throughout history, but it never has been as faceless as it is today. Lords and kings have been replaced by corporations and agencies operating across borders, in ways and with purposes that I don't think anyone who's not actually involved with can claim they fully understand.
  
  You really think oppression is more faceless now than before the existence of cameras? What was the odds that a medieval peasant knew what the King looked like? Or that a slave in Egypt knew the face of the Pharaoh?
  
  And soon no human will be able to understand the main strategy of the company.
  Sure the AI can break it down for the humans, but it’s not always going to be easily comprehensible in human terms.
- Someone in Gaza would disagree right now.
  
  Yeah, and Jews in WWII would disagree with you.
  It's always easy to find a very specific group of people that are having a horrible time, that doesn't mean that on average, humans live better and safer than in the entire history of humanity. Sure, the last 10 years saw a bit of a down turn, but thing are still way better than, say, 40 years ago.
  I guess it's hard to remember how really hard life could be
- Even a poor person in any EU country lives much better than any king a mere 200 years ago. Healthcare, painkillers, food safety, clean water, indoor plumbing, freedom of religion and expression, and in the palm of your hand all the knowledge, pr0n and memes you heart desires. Probably a few items less on that list in freedom land, but still not that bad.
  
  They eat cleaner food and have more amenities than a King, but they certainly don't live better. The point of the article is that the rising tide is floating a few boats wayyyy higher than the rest, and the overall growth does not justify the fact that people still die of hunger, get evicted while working multiple jobs, fall ill and are saddled by medical dept for life (US only), and shit like that.
- The homeless veterans in my city park disagree.
  
  Yeah, it was much better before when vets died from gangrene swallowing their bodies. No vets - no problems!

No. I'm familiar with history. It is normal.

And so we go, on with our lives
We know the truth but prefer lies
Lies are simple, simple is bliss
Why go against tradition when we can
Admit defeat, live in decline
Be the victim of our own design
The status quo, built on suspect
Why would anyone stick out their neck?
Fellow members
Club "We've got ours"
I'd like to introduce you to our host
He's got his and I've got mine
Meet the decline
NOFX - The Decline
- This song, by a comedian, is a showcase of the hopeless, fucked up, irredeemable, state of humanity.
  These 2 particular lines brings a tidal wave of emotions:
  20 thousand years of this, seven more to go
  The quiet comprehending of the ending of it all (Actually, the whole song, the whole album gets me)
  That Funny Feeling ~ Bo Burnham
  Stunning 8K-resolution meditation app. In honor of the revolution, it's half off at the GAP. Deadpool's self-awareness, loving parents, harmless fun. The backlash to the backlash to the thing that's just begun.
  There it is again, that funny feeling That funny feeling There it is again, that funny feeling That funny feeling
  The surgeon generals' pop-up shop, Robert Iger's face. Discount Etsy agitprop, Bugles' take on race. Female Colonel Sanders, easy answers, civil war. The whole world at your fingertips, the ocean at your door.
  Live-action Lion King, the Pepsi Halftime Show. 20 thousand years of this, seven more to go. Carpool Karaoke, Steve Aoki, Logan Paul. A gift shop at the gun range, a mass shooting at the mall.
  There it is again, that funny feeling That funny feeling There it is again, that funny feeling That funny feeling
  Reading Pornhub's terms of service, going for a drive. And obeying all the traffic laws in Grand Theft Auto five. Full agoraphobic, losing focus, cover blown. A book on getting better hand-delivered by a drone.
  Total disassociation, fully out your mind. Googling "derealization", hating what you find. That unapparent summer air in early fall. The quiet comprehending of the ending of it all.
  There it is again, that funny feeling That funny feeling There it is again, that funny feeling That funny feeling
  Hey, what can you say? We were overdue But it'll be over soon, you wait Hey, what can you say? We were overdue But it'll be over soon, just wait, ba-da-da, ba-da-da, ba-da-da-da-da-da
  
  This the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper.
  T.S. Eliot - The Hollow Men
  
  About a year after it came out, I was singing along with it during a depressive episode and realized 'seven' wasn't accurate anymore. It freaked me out, but I realized that part of the nature of the song is the impending doom, and I have to change the lyrics when I get to that part.
  ..Four more to go.
- One of my favorite songs of all time. I revisit it once a year or so but have to be careful because as much as I love it, it can put me in a dark place. I've urged a lot of friends to give it a listen while paying attention to the lyrics but that seems to be quite a commitment for most people 😂
  
  Just in case, this year is your last chance to see them live. Thought you might want to know that 😊
- Only moron and genius would fight a losing battle against the super ego.

What’s the other option?
- We just need to have some bell riots and WW3 and then bam star trek
- Are you telling me you can't even imagine a better world?
  
  I think that they mean you still have to eat and sleep and try to have joy in your life.
  
  It's easy if you try.
  
  Can you simply imagine things into existence?
- Not a dystopian nightmare?
  
  Your nightmare is someone else's dream.
- People all over the world have agency.
- Moving on from class society

People are not acting, they are desensitized... we all are in some capacity, the difference being the few who can recognise this😅
- I'd say it's less about being desensitized, and more about the fact that the world has never been a utopia. This "dystopian" stuff has always been happening.

That's how it always happens, unfortunately. "Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me."

Literally gives me anxiety to the point I need meds
- With you.
- Nice that meds exist though.

do we tough?
maybe get off the internet and enjoy your life a bit.
- Yes we do live in a dystopian nightmare. It's just that most people posting here, including myself, live a fucking privileged life, where we don't have to share the same worries that about 80% of the world population have, including a large part of even the US population nowadays.
  We (the privileged people) are the baddies from all those dystopian stories.
  
  Doesn’t help when an over privileged brat with full access to devices and the internet then just posts weak ass generalist complaints like this.
  Movements make a difference by targeting problems with specific details. Not just whining about them with general, diluted, unintelligible babble designed around some indescript, unnecessarily abstract problem forever just out of grasp.
  This was a dog whistle for indifference and hopelessness. This was bait and it does fuck all to do with fixing any real problems.
- We do. I've got friends who are harassed because of who they are, or what they look like. I've had friends almost die because of police kneeling their neck because he defended family from an abuser, friends who've been threatened and nearly attacked by homophobes and transphobes, I've experienced cops do everything they can to escalate situations to justify violence.
  So yeah we really do live in a dystopian era where basic rights and securities are not afforded to the people who need it most.
  
  As opposed to the past where black people where treated as livestock?
  Whatever bad thing is going in your life, it used to be worse.

What's the alternatives? Depression & Suicide? Rise up in revolution out of general malaise? Or just post memes and hope something happens to change the status quo? Covid showed us that another world was at least possible, but it also brought on a lot of the ridiculous greed we're seeing now too.

What other dimension can we go to?
We live here
- Soulists can travel to other realities. http://soulism.net
  
  What they said :
  "Soulists can travel to other realities. http://soulism.net"
  What I heard:
  "Choose delusion or the mental anguish of reality"
  
  Soulists choose to build mental constructs to reside in, which is no different from any other imaginary worlds - essentially a form of escapism.
  
  Okay but what can humans do?

It's normal because we kinda live it...

Yes.

First world graffiti-mask-profile-picture cringe.

All the time

Please, for the love of God step outside and connect with your community.
- I definitely do.

Thats part of the dystopia

Ppl in the comments proving OP right
Most of yall are to cought up in your own delusional world of bliss to acknowledge what's actually going on

A Brave New World...

Thats the point at which you have to close that window to the world and focus on your own.

- Maybe they would have been scared of the society in the past.
  Depending on where you stand in a socio economic racial stance, yes they would have a right to be afraid of the society at almost any time before now and even now. Amazingly a lot of people in this situation would not go compare things generally like this but explicitly tell you where things are problematic. Everything from micro aggression to abuse of power in great detail.
  And then you have the people who may have always been privileged but occasionally something bad happens to them. So they will incur a lasting trauma to something happening to them and decide nothing good ever happens to them and would discount anything good.
  And then you have the do good doomer gloomer. They will surf the internet for material to strengthen their resolution and decide every video where there’s questionable material hasn’t been staged and is the absolute truth. They’ve decided the world is ending. They claim what they are doing is for the better. ‘Open your eyes sheeple’ . But they do absolutely nothing but post general bait like the OP did just to get a reaction.
  But then you have the 15yr old gamers who have all the technology and privilege at their hands and have no gauge to measure suffering. So they decide the moment someone merely doesn’t clap for something they just posted and compare it to being oppressed/holocaust/dystopian nightmare. And of course you can’t possibly know the exact detail they are talking about they would never give it up. You can’t possibly understand their ‘suffering’.

Pretty much all the time no big deal

its because there are no communities anymore. capitalism posioned the nuclear family and communities.

- That's an interesting word, hedonic.

https://www.jamesmollison.com/where-children-sleep
We are privileged. Gratitude is hard.
- We are, but also why can't we make things better? Money is made up and billionaires hoard it all. They should be dangled over shark tanks until they fix everyone's life.
  
  Like I said, gratitude is hard.
  It is hard to have gratitude when there is inequality
  It is hard to have gratitude when competition is encouraged and enshrined by people who benefit from it
  It is hard to have gratitude when the constructs in which we live seem unjust
  It is hard to wake up and look around and find something to be grateful for
  It is hard to be grateful when all you can see is what you don't have
  Being genuinely appreciative of what you do have leads to a quieter mind and a happier life. We have one life.
  It comes across as some stupid bullshit, I know. But the resentment and frustration aren't useful. Clarity of mind and purpose is, and is more sustainable than passion and anger.
  My 2c.
  
  We do make things better every day. You should work on your perceptual filters.

This is the most Lemmy ass shit I’ve seen all day.

Then make things better
- What kind of bootstrap conservative rhetoric is that? I'm powerless to stop oil companies and billionaires and whatall.
  
  Then keep complaining. Someone else might do it instead

You either find a way to cope or live your life worrying about something ultimately out of your control. As long as I'm voting and spending my money thoughtfully then I believe I'm doing enough.
- Food insecurity is something outside of most people's control, last I checked, humans can only cope without food for about a week before death sets in.
  
  Then I guess they will live their life worrying about something outside their control and ultimately die.
- Good for you man. I hope you continue to participate without whining.
  
  Why wouldn't I be able to whine?

UhOh did mum forget to buy Doritos when she went to the shop and you’re comparing your life to the holocaust ..again?

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that many commenting can’t be bothered to look up the definition of dystopia. The laziness and failure to learn is what makes this dystopian.
- hello strawperson argument
  
  Hello rage-bait person.

- Bro you need to touch grass like a lot haha

From my observation, if the western world would just mind its fkin business, the rest of the world would be happy and we wouldn't be thinking about WWIII.
I do hope one day that everything of everything gets declassified. Rip that bandaid off and prepare the guillotines (for all the oppressors and transgressors of humanity).
- This is a very naive observation which assumes that any atrocities commited in China or Africa are strictly the fault of the west...
  
  I don't know if the CIA ever mingled with Chinese politics - I doubt it. But Africa, brah, we have a bad history of what the western world in general has done in that continent, whether directly or indirectly or proxies.
- Happy without the horrors of the western world's education, sanitation, medicine, science, technology, liberalism, or democracy?
  Sounds great! I'm sure you'll really enjoy sustenance farming. If you're lucky, you can get married at a young age and experience the joys of as many children as you (or your wife's) body will bear.