Dystopic societies, anyone?

[mama_lotus]

This is my thing and I would love some more material. Just because it doesn't seem obscure to you, doesn't mean it isn't new to me. I am a preschool teaching mama of 2 young children, I don't have the time to fawn over my special interests like I used to.

 

[King_Oni]

Well, if you look at literature describing such societies, we might just as well be living in one now, lol. The obvious example of 1984 comes to mind with the entire NSA thing going on nowadays.

 

[mama_lotus]

Indeed, indeed. This is actually how I got my bipolar diagnosis, but I won't bore anyone with details. It sounds like you already get it, anyway. I was considered to be in a "dysphoric mania" because of my obsession. So I am looking for fiction. So nobody will throw antipsychotics my way.

 

[King_Oni]

Heh... that's quite interesting, since they've assumed I was chronically depressed as well. I just have an interest for the darker things in life, including dystopian stuff and the "ugliness" of humanity (well, that and I have a general interest in certain aspects of sociology). So far I kept meds and such far away, lol.

I did quite some "scouting" (since research sounds so serious) for a media project I was working on (it's on ice for now), so I've played a lot of games, read comics, watch movies and got into some books. Eventually I got a big more engrossed in it and looked at how smaller societies can exist within bigger ones as a form of segregation. That interest got a bit out of hand eventually.. life got in the way, hence it's one ice now, heh.

1984 (Orwell), Brave new world (Huxley) and Fahrenheit 451 (Bradburry) are probably the most prominent examples of literature on the subject.

Any aspect in specific on the subject you're interested in? Within dystopian fiction there so many different angles that cater to many sciences

 

[wyverary]

When it comes to cinema, it absolutely does not get any better than Children of Men. The dystopia is mostly just a backdrop, but still, its portrayal is extraordinary. (And the film has many other wonderful qualities...oh man, I could go on and on about it...)

Children of Men (2006) - IMDb

 

[mama_lotus]

Hmm... the more sci-fi involved, the better. Gattaca, etc. I liked the Divergence trilogy but could go a little deeper and darker.

 

[mama_lotus]

Actually, come to think of it, could even go more the way of comics, too.

 

[King_Oni]

Equilibrium is pretty much a combination of the aforementioned novels as far as movies go. Children of men is a good example as well. I've found Elysium to be an interesting take on the difference between rich and poor. In Time gives an interesting spin on an alternative to money.

As for comics; Transmetropolitian is probably as dystopian as it can get. Even if it might be really over the top gritty and somewhat humorous. Though it does have a cyberpunk feel to it. Dystopian cyberpunk stuff in general tends to feel a bit less grey and dull.

 

[mama_lotus]

Awesome, thanks!

 

[dragonwolf]

I'm a big fan of dystopian works (not obsession level, but a big fan nonetheless). Here are the titles I've read/watched over the years (some might qualify a little more than others).

Books/Stories
Fahrenheit 451
1984
Brave New World
The Giver
The Hunger Games Trilogy

Movies/TV
I, Robot (loosely based on the premises that Phillip K. Dick and Isaac Asimov set forth in several of their works)
The Hunger Games (saga, later parts are still being released)
Once Upon A Time (TV series)
V for Vendetta
Gattaca
Continuum
Christopher Nolan's renditions of Batman
Arrow (TV series)

I also happened across this list, which is quite a bit more exhaustive (and has a link at the bottom that links to lists of comic books and films): List of dystopian literature - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The TV show portion of the Wikipedia link also lists the following as dystopian, I've seen them and don't really get where it qualifies as dystopian (I think some of them are listed because of dystopian elements, not necessarily that the whole story is dystopian), but they're pretty good nonetheless and figured I'd vouch for them:

Firefly (and it's movie, Serenity)
Falling Skies
Sliders (a little campy, and the episodes are kind of cookie-cutter, but pretty good, only some episodes are really dystopian, though)
The Walking Dead
Avatar: The Last Airbender (a particular town is kind of dystopian, I guess)
Jericho

I'd considering Falling Skies, The Walking Dead, and Jericho more post-apocalyptic than dystopian, but there are some dystopian elements to them, and they're good series anyway.

If you're into video games, there's also Borderlands and Crackdown (and their sequels), which are pretty good, albeit rather graphic (they are M-rated, just a head's up). Crackdown is a little more dystopian than Borderlands. Borderlands is, in the sense that the planet it takes place on is hyped up as this flourishing, profitable place, when in fact it's a barren wasteland that will drive visitors insane if it doesn't kill them, first.

 

[Judge]

"Rollerball" (1975) would be my absolute favorite of such a genre. Perhaps because I can see it coming in the future. Maybe not in my time, but probably yours.

NYC Coach: I don't want another man on that track. Houston, what are you trying to do? Nobody's gonna win this game?

Rusty, Team Executive: Game? This wasn't meant to be a game. NEVER!

 

[mama_lotus]

Awesome! I have read and/or seen some of these, but not all, and some I had forgotten about! Thank you kindly!

 

[Loomis]

Lord of the Flies

 

[mama_lotus]

Lord of the Flies was my gateway dystopia! I don't believe I have paid it a visit since my childhood. Long overdue. Thanks.

 

[Judge]

Lord of the Flies was my gateway dystopia! I don't believe I have paid it a visit since my childhood. Long overdue. Thanks.

I always figured most people accessing Facebook get their Lord of the Flies "fix".

 

[mama_lotus]

LOL.

 

[King_Oni]

It might be worth mentioning that, despite most being quite time prohibitive, some games give you a great insight and feel to some dystopian societies as well. As Dragonwolf pointed out Borderlands and Crackdown, but what about Bioshock? I mean, taking the rich and gifted to a new city built way below sea level and eventually the entire city crumbling because of a scientific breakthrough (basically, a genesplicing drug) and the city crumbling to addiction. Half-life 2 with the Combine (aliens) putting strict rules on living. And Dishonored which feels awfully dystopian in a plagueridden, steampunk inspired world. I even got a sense of dystopia when I was playing Batman: Arkham city, where they sectioned a part of the city off with high walls and just put criminals in said area. It does give an interesting view to all the "top villains" in the batman universe all fighting for their own cause. Though sectioning a city is small scale.

And on the notion of games; One of the tabletop wargames I play; Warhammer 40.000 has one of the most grim backdrops. Set in the 41st millenium, where humans and aliens all are out for war. The "good" guys are in fact the most facist, xenophobe faction around, all the other races and groups at war are infinitely worse (there's an alien race that depletes planets by devouring every living organism and then there's one that's just in it to acquire more slaves. And there's a whole list of races; getting shot is you're best bet in said setting)

 

[Kirk]

Farnham's Freehold (Heinlein) was my gateway at around age 6 years, followed shortly thereafter by Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Animal Farm, but the writings of Ayn Rand defined dystopia for me, and we are now living out the premise put forth in "Atlas Shrugged". One theory is that the book was published as a manifesto for the Illuminati.

For gaming I think of the Bioshock series of course, the Fallout series, Starship Titanic by Douglas Adams was fantastic. Wait, aren't most video games about dystopia? Maybe we are manifesting THIS dystopic society.