Dystopian Futures

[citali_]

Why do movie producers always depict the future as being dystopian, or hopeless and sad? It really annoys me and this is why I don't watch a lot of movies anymore.

[raklian]

Why do movie producers always depict the future as being dystopian, or hopeless and sad? It really annoys me and this is why I don't watch a lot of movies anymore.

I guess those producers see the worst in people. We can kinda get where they're coming from, given the current state of affairs in the world.

[funkervogt]

Why do movie producers always depict the future as being dystopian, or hopeless and sad? It really annoys me and this is why I don't watch a lot of movies anymore.

Because they know that's what most people would rather see. For the same reason, news broadcasts have figured out that they get higher ratings if they focus on negative events. The human mind is naturally more sensitive to threats and tragedies than it is to good things. Recognizing this inborn bias is a key step towards seeing all the progress that is actually happening in the world, and extrapolating it to develop some sense of what the future will be like.

Also, I think there's probably a positive feedback effect between what people see in the movies, what they come to expect and find familiar, and what the moviemakers create.

[bretbernhoft]

Why do movie producers always depict the future as being dystopian, or hopeless and sad? It really annoys me and this is why I don't watch a lot of movies anymore.

They have an agenda.

[wjfox]

Conflicts can make a plot more exciting and interesting. A utopia is by definition a perfect (or near-perfect) place, with few problems. So a dystopia allows for more action, fighting, suspense, intrigue, etc. I think Star Trek: TNG achieved a kind of "sweet spot" between the two, which is part of what made it one of the greatest ever TV series IMO. It showed the magnificent potential that awaits the human race, while also putting people in a variety of extremely dangerous, unpleasant and tragic situations.

[Cyber_Rebel]

Honestly, part of the blame can be placed on authors/futurist like William Gibson and novels/movies such as Nuromancer & Blade Runner. Remember, these works were a kind of reaction against the previous era of utopian science fiction and were viewed that way. Take existing problems of the time, and rather than solve them, extrapolate them into the future just with better technologies. This is basically how we got the "cyberpunk" genre to begin with.

This isn't a knock on that style of fiction, as I enjoy it myself and can be illuminating. But I think the issue is that is was more meant to serve as a warning to the present so that we might attain a better future by not repeating the narrative's mistakes. I second TNG as amazing sci fi, as even though humanity nearly almost destroyed themselves in the 21st by nuclear war, they bounced back and became a wiser more mature species which atill occassionally has a bit to learn. The basic needs and living conditions are utopian, but self discovery and betterment is a never ending process.

[erowind]

Two wonderful authors I'd recommend if people aren't looking for dystopias!

Greg Egan's books, Schild's Ladder, Diaspora and Distress.
Distress is near future 2060s, 2070s, and the other two are far future sci-fi. None of these are dystopic, Diaspore and Schild's Ladder I'd even call utopian sci-fi.

Ursula K. Leguin's The Dispossed is somewhere inbetween and really enlightening. Some of the world is dystopic and other parts aren't.

[wjfox]

One of the most well-portrayed dystopias.

Probably my favourite movie of 2015:

[wjfox]

[citali_]

Why do movie producers always depict the future as being dystopian, or hopeless and sad? It really annoys me and this is why I don't watch a lot of movies anymore.

I guess those producers see the worst in people. We can kinda get where they're coming from, given the current state of affairs in the world.

Ok. But can they be optimistic? It's not hard. And we need to see the future as better than today. It would give us hope at least.