I just assumed books, but yeah. Still, even in film, even in dystopias, the heroes usually buck against the trend. If you're in a world where you're not allowed/expected to drive, and you're the hero...God dammit, you'll drive anyway. Because you're human, and you value freedom. I can't think of a version of this trend where the protagonist just sits back and takes it.
But yeah, I get that point - the hero is the one to buck trend.
I just still think that the initial impact in films - of the setting, how it's presented, the default state of consciousness... That's all dystopian and I think that repeatedly shoving that in our faces does some rewiring in our brains to eventually accept those visions of the world.
Seen it happen so many times when Hollywood adapts such stories into their (producers') visions
I still think any actual appeal to the setting is because it would let you righteously kick back against tyranny, but I suppose you could be correct that it's all some psyop, where they then yell 'gotcha,' and laugh as they mock your for thinking you might be the main character. It's not even out of the question, with how controlled everything is, but I don't think the message of dystopias is inherently anything sinister, since it's always presented as a bad thing.
That's all dystopian and I think that repeatedly shoving that in our faces does some rewiring in our brains to eventually accept those visions of the world.
Again, I think the vision of the authors was a correct concern that we might be legitimately headed toward those worlds, but yeah, I get your point as well. How much is warning, how much is predictive programming? Who can say?
How much is warning, how much is predictive programming? Who can say?
A lot of the older writers were writing warnings, Bradbury's mechanical hounds in Fahrenheit 451 were a warning. The people who sell the Thermonator have no such excuse. You don't make the Terrorvortex from the classic sci-fi novel 'Don't make the terrorvortex' and get a pass.
The visionaries who see the future and warn us cannot save us from the midwits who read them and make their visions a reality.
I just assumed books, but yeah. Still, even in film, even in dystopias, the heroes usually buck against the trend. If you're in a world where you're not allowed/expected to drive, and you're the hero...God dammit, you'll drive anyway. Because you're human, and you value freedom. I can't think of a version of this trend where the protagonist just sits back and takes it.
Ah OK good to have cleared that up.
But yeah, I get that point - the hero is the one to buck trend.
I just still think that the initial impact in films - of the setting, how it's presented, the default state of consciousness... That's all dystopian and I think that repeatedly shoving that in our faces does some rewiring in our brains to eventually accept those visions of the world.
Seen it happen so many times when Hollywood adapts such stories into their (producers') visions
I still think any actual appeal to the setting is because it would let you righteously kick back against tyranny, but I suppose you could be correct that it's all some psyop, where they then yell 'gotcha,' and laugh as they mock your for thinking you might be the main character. It's not even out of the question, with how controlled everything is, but I don't think the message of dystopias is inherently anything sinister, since it's always presented as a bad thing.
Again, I think the vision of the authors was a correct concern that we might be legitimately headed toward those worlds, but yeah, I get your point as well. How much is warning, how much is predictive programming? Who can say?
A lot of the older writers were writing warnings, Bradbury's mechanical hounds in Fahrenheit 451 were a warning. The people who sell the Thermonator have no such excuse. You don't make the Terrorvortex from the classic sci-fi novel 'Don't make the terrorvortex' and get a pass.
The visionaries who see the future and warn us cannot save us from the midwits who read them and make their visions a reality.