What Are You Going To Do About It?

Is it possible that the near future is neither dystopian or utopian? Could it be that, despite the advances we are expected to see, there will be no meaningful difference in the various roles that people play in society? Will we still have conspiracy theorists, rogue states, people organized around differing beliefs, and competing factions of many kinds?

I’ve done many things in life, and I have definitely changed and grown over time, but I find myself largely reacting the same way in many situations. No matter where I am or who I’m with, I find many of the same societal elements in every circumstance. Growing up in a lower middle class white family, I saw many examples of subtle and overt racism. Living in Hawaii on two occasions, on the tiny island of Molokai for 6 years and in Honolulu for 3 years, I saw many of those same elements emanating from the locals towards white people. The location changed, the ethnicity changed, but several aspects were nearly identical.

To take that a bit farther, I consider Hawaii to be the West Virginia of the Pacific. The predominant people group are fairly poorly educated. Racism is everywhere you turn. There’s a good major university with a few departments that are elite. The scenery is genuinely awe inspiring much of the time. Poverty is everywhere. An industry or two controls most of the economy. The vast majority of the youth who have any kind of special talent leave and never return. Two very different places, 5000 miles apart, and there’s very little difference at all.

What if we still have the same root problems, just encased in a different framework? Can our AI and other advancements overcome our own flaws, even as they develop on their own? What if there is no dystopia or utopia? What if we can’t overcome our sameness regardless of circumstances? I would like to suggest a term to describe my expectation of the future even if all the predictions come to pass: Stilltopia.

Dystopia: an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives (Merriam-Webster, first use 1950)

Utopia: a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions (Merriam-Webster, first use 1533)

Stilltopia: a place where idealism and undo fear give way to the inescapable reality of who we are regardless of circumstances or surroundings

Does this seem plausible to you? Would you lean towards the fairly recent concept of dystopia or the older hope of utopia? Is there shading or degrees here that lean one way without settling into my concept of stilltopia?

I’m currently working on finishing character sketches and the setting for a sci-fi/futuristic novel based on this concept tentatively titled Stilltopia.

Related posts:

The connection between human-caused climate destruction and human tragedy is only accepted when the connection is direct and unambiguous. For example, despite consensus in scientific circles, it is…

Psychische Faktoren spielen bei deinem körperlichen Wohlbefinden natürlich auch eine wichtige Rolle. So lohnt es sich, Kontakte zu pflegen und sich mit anderen Menschen auszutauschen. Einsame…

Maybe even for the ones who are in this weird “internet world”, but are not well-rounded in writing strategy or storytelling. Andrew Tate is a very good storyteller and even though he doesn’t write…