Is the US a dystopia?

option 3 ftw

US perfidy always comes back to tea

not really

hm sounds like you're either a "no" or "The Beatles" but afaict you can still secretly vote however you wish

it's going to take a lot of restraint not to shoehorn this in to thread connections

I figured it was what it was for.

least serious answer is the correct one

by that you mean "yes"?

oh misread "least" as "last" nevermind

This question is unhelpful and I have no idea why it is being asked.

Badly trimmed shrub = dystopiary

Dropped the clay - dyspottery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jeu3iH0R_GM

I mean, pulling up the forecast today and seeing tornado warnings for Chicago in mid-December doesn't make me not think it's a dystopia.

an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.

not imagined, authoritarian rather than totalitarian and pre-apocalyptic instead of post IMO

so maybe it's not a dystopia but merely dystopic

dystopic? I dunno. but ilx is def dyspeptic today.

I did not remotely intend this thread to be serious, but there's an argument to be made that 1492 counts as the apocalypse

Can the apocalypse be local?

Americans rly struggle with not being the world and i think its quite telling tbh

let it beatles

Climate catastrophe is going to be pretty universal IIRC.

which is v little to do with the point about 1492 is it

you can get with dystopia, or you can get with datopia

just throwing this out there but maybe dystopia fans are blind to dystopias

I dunno I think most fans of the crust punk band Dystopia probably would agree that the USA is a dystopia fwiw

let me see, is the US a dystopia.

the republican party is trying to actively KILL a lot of people. let me just see how that plays in the polls

The approval rating among those who voted for [Biden] has dropped from 80% to 69% in the April survey. There have been notable declines among Americans 18-34 and suburban residents, both of whom, in dramatic swings, now register net negative views on the president.

As bad as Biden’s number may be, the polling data for Democrats in Congress is far worse.

Republicans now sport a historic 10-point advantage when Americans are asked which party they prefer to control Congress, holding a 44%-34% margin over Democrats. That’s up from a 2-point Republican advantage in the October survey.

In the past 20 years, CNBC and NBC surveys have never registered a double-digit Republican advantage on congressional preference, with the largest lead ever being 4 pints for the GOP.

“If the election were tomorrow, it would be an absolute unmitigated disaster for the Democrats,″ said Jay Campbell, partner at Hart Research Associates and the Democratic pollster for the survey.

yes it's a full blown dystopia

nah but rich people have never had it better tho

A 4 pint lead is difficult to overcome tbh. sorry

Can the apocalypse be local?

Americans rly struggle with not being the world and i think its quite telling tbh

― fix up luke shawp (darraghmac), Friday, December 10, 2021 8:10 PM (one hour ago)

I was addressing "the apocalypse" that it could be argued helps to confirm the US as a dystopia, the subject of this important poll. So I guess I do think it can be local, idk, why not? Anyway Columbus never even entered future-US territory, it's more of a symbolic hinge year for everything being terrible from then on

I'd figure most people using the term think in the sense of dystopian science fiction and I kinda think 2021 has quite a few elements that seem like out of such.

There's no utopia that's not someone's dystopia, and vice versa.

The notion of local dystopias is an interesting one. Could be that there was an egalitarian paradise unfolding just a continent or two over from Mad Max.

If the US ticks all the boxes- and there's a case- then clearly plenty of very nice places to live in exist besides so id say thats a clear yes

Have we ever not been? Slave state — apartheid state — Vietnam/Watergate — Corporate state — Fury Road (2016-present)

the people in the mayfield candle factory that collapsed worked 12-hour shifts that paid $8 an hour. 110 ppl were inside. 40 ppl are still unaccounted for. they haven’t recovered a survivor since 3 am. pic.twitter.com/CsIIfLw3Pc

— Tracy Moore (@iusedtobepoor) December 11, 2021

it’s legal in kentucky to fire someone for refusing to work mandatory overtime

— Tracy Moore (@iusedtobepoor) December 11, 2021

The notion of local dystopias is an interesting one. Could be that there was an egalitarian paradise unfolding just a continent or two over from Mad Max.

Zardoz is another one. Although The Eternals are mainly a bunch of insufferable bores and their egalitarian paradise is pretty lame, but you wouldn't complain about it if you were being held captive by Charlotte Rampling.

Slave state — apartheid state — Vietnam/Watergate — Corporate state — Fury Road (2016-present)

We didn't start the fire, etc.

Let's see what all we have...you got this one.

US combined laissez-faire capitalism on it's drug industry and combined with heroin blow-back from the 'war on terror' created the opioid epidemic for fun and profit killing over a million Americans since 1999.

Getting back to the topic at hand, Le Guin wrote a book about a moon. Also was there some Cold War global political framework in her gender-bender book? I don't recall.

Climate catastrophe is going to be pretty universal IIRC.

― papal hotwife (milo z), Saturday, December 11, 2021 1:14 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

which is v little to do with the point about 1492 is it

― fix up luke shawp (darraghmac), Saturday, December 11, 2021 1:17 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

It is though (unless I'm misreading). The USA is the biggest historical contributor to the climate crisis. An argument could be made that if 1492 never happened, there would be no global crisis. Same for much of global environmental destruction -- Amazon forest all gone? Thank Ronald McDonald.

Local teachers in South Dakota “Dash for Cash” to help their classrooms by fighting over $5,000 in $1 bills while the crowd hoots and hollers. pic.twitter.com/azwGJKhaKU

— Eoin Higgins (@EoinHiggins_) December 12, 2021

they're going to remove that rug at some point

and then charge them for it!

An argument could be made that if 1492 never happened, there would be no global crisis.

Are we talking a world where Europe never came into contact with the Americas?

I can’t live without potatoes

-LL McCooljay

It would have happened eventually.

I can’t live without potatoes

OTM

Lol, Neanderthal.

Rob Worsoff FB post —

Welp. Guess it's time for me to address this publicly. First off, I haven't spoken with Kristi Noem. Not yet, anyway. I have been working with some people under Kristi at the DHS on this project. I also worked with the DHS under Obama and Biden. It was never a flat-out NO from any admin. It was always just about timing. The show itself is literally the OPPOSITE of what it appears to be in the Daily Mail. It's not mean spirited. Instead, "The American" is a celebration of what it means to be... well... American - At a time when our morale is at an all-time low. I am an immigrant to America, and I went through a long process to get here. I think it's time - in a positive and kind and meaningful way - to celebrate that process. To get to know the backstories of our American-hopefuls... and to go on the journey alongside them. To welcome them - with fellow Americans helping in every state along the way. NOBODY in this show will move backwards in the citizenship process, and no - nobody gets kicked out if they lose. When i worked on the earliest iterations of the Biggest Loser - people also assumed the worst - that we were exploiting fat people - shaming them - that we were toying with their health, etc. And they they actually *watched* the show and went "ohhhh - right - of course - that's not what this show is at all." And that's what I want to make here - a heartfelt series with tears of joy and fun loud American challenges - be they mental, or physical. But always safe, and always well-intentioned. A national conversation of what it means to be American. A reminder of how lucky we are - through the eyes of the people who want to be a part of it. I am equally proud of my Canadian citizenship and heritage. It is an honor to be a citizen of both countries. I look forward to more updates on this in the future.

What a bunch of bullshit obviously. The world of docu reality tv like so many industries is full of craven monsters but this is a new low.

lol what a piece of shit

“ I think it's time - in a positive and kind and meaningful way - to celebrate that process.”

So he’s teaming up with Kristi Noem lol, what a worthless guy.

Unscripted TV creators/producers are some of the biggest arseholes in the whole world.

disagree that it would be a bunch of Afrikaners and white Argentinians vying for citizenship, white racists love finding Good Ones, especially if those Good Ones embody What's Great About Being American... then they can flip the channel and go back to cheering with bloodlust when a cop murders a Black child.

like that TV producers line is probably very much what the show would be but gauzy soft focus nationalism with the heartwarming Salvadoran single mom who's definitely not MS-13 (we did the research) is just as dystopian as an openly cruel show

it's definitely a lot of cognitive dissonance. additionally, selectively championing the "good" brown immigrants helps to reinforce the conservative narrative that liberals are obsessed with race whereas conservatives don't see color etc etc

Love it

Three Democrats who would've made the losing vote 214-217 died in office this year. So basically, the budget Democrats have warned non-stop is a disaster will pass directly because of their insistence they stay in Congress until death. https://t.co/Bp0hRNSUb5

— Branko Marcetic (@BMarchetich) May 22, 2025

They would have lost even if all those Dems were still alive

let's focus on the real enemy--Democrats who are dying

I think it's fair to be mad at the tendencies in Democratic politics that result in having candidates who are more likely to die in office, though it's probably a mistake to focus on these particular cases.

Take it to some dumbshit politics thread, waterface. This is the dystopia thread.

fair

TBF it's the dystopia with a question mark after it thread

do we have a "dystopia?!" thread
or an "i can't believe it's not dystopia" thread

just need to add a word to the start of the threat title, like, Boy, is the US a dystopia!

https://frinkiac.com/meme/S07E18/561494.jpg

Better that the aged Democrats die now while they're not impacting control IMO, guarantee some fresh blood.

I want to congratulate @Israel on its mostly peaceful bombing of Iran.

— Congressman Randy Fine (@RepFine) June 13, 2025

makes you think

Texas Approves Use Of Fracking Wastewater To Irrigate Crops
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/06/12/texas-approves-use-of-fracking-wastewater-to-irrigate-crops/

texas is the reason

it never whispers

Frackshit has whut plaints crave.

🐦[I want to congratulate @Israel🕸 on its mostly peaceful bombing of Iran.
— Congressman Randy Fine (@RepFine) June 13, 2025🕸]🐦

It is! And still up

Randy's one of our ghouls and he is one of the absolute worst. a complete monster.

but he's our ghoul.

Ran All-Ghoul

Ras Al'Green

Ras Al’Gore

Randy, you're a Fine ghoul

https://i.imgur.com/yV83zW2.jpeg

official Florida GOP web store

https://i.imgur.com/DwSQiaM.png

$25 for a fucking coffee mug

we'll be seeing these in thrift stores for years to come, right next to copies of the Da Vinci Code

Gotta look forward to a future of deserted malls

A couple opened a sneaker retail store which was successful but had to close because the entire mall basically closed down pic.twitter.com/fieWwGkBXn

— Financial Dystopia (@financedystop) July 3, 2025

Expect a large format coffee table book on the abandoned malls of America by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre in about ten years.

malls have been closing for a good while now

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_mall

"Some major healthcare systems such as Vanderbilt Health and the University of Rochester (UR) Health have converted several dying malls into new "health malls" or "mall to medicine"."

okay that is pretty dystopian

I go to that Vanderbilt health center all the time. it's kinda nice?

yeah come to think of it, I think the place where my wife gets quarterly migraine treatment is in a repurposed mall or something.

My son goes to community college at a campus that is a repurposed mall, the same mall in fact where his mother worked when he was born.

Are the bones of the mall left intact? If you need a MRI do you walk past a ENT, OB-GYN and pretzel place?

Dead malls should turn themselves into film locations for post apocalyptic shows

https://hantasi.bandcamp.com/album/vacant-places

I've thought forever that dead malls would make great skate parks, but I haven't heard of that happening yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x61qotePiYQ

LLoyd Center in Portland is a near-dead mall that seems to be perpetually in some state of re-development (something's happening as they are currently demolishing one part of it). It is still open, though mostly empty with the department stores and bigger name-brand stores having gone. Many of the remaining operating storefronts now house smaller businesses / organizations that wouldn't normally occupy a mall of its size. The ice rink still operates. I was there recently to visit an optician (who coincidently are about to vacate) and the whole place definitely has that Dawn of the Dead vibe.

Ford Motor Company leased out the empty Lord & Taylor anchor location in the mall in my hometown, using it as office space (informally it was known as Ford & Taylor.)

i do love lloyd center. i hope portland is some kind of model for the post-apocalypse. there are people who have jobs and money and most of the people i know just don't. i used to have a job and i couldn't keep it because shit was so fucked up. i'm trying to get a new one, but you know, you gotta put in 100 applications to get so much as an interview. the dream is to get government jobs. most of the people i know who still have jobs, they're government jobs, local, county, state. god knows how much longer those will be around when the federal government stops funding anything, but there's no point in worrying about the future.

refugees are constantly streaming in. a lot of them are less fucked up than most of the people i know are. i feel bad about it but hey i'll take any help i can get. it's hard to not live in crisis when surrounded by crisis. that old rudyard kipling poem, "if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you", well, i guess that makes me a Real Man, rudyard.

every four years portland elects another cis white male "leftist" who makes a bunch of promises when he gets into office says "hey i know let's give more money to the cops". we all know the cops are trouble and avoid them as much as we can. i know we hate the cops because the streets are covered with stickers and graffiti talking about how much we hate the cops. because i have friends who work for the government i know that the local, county, and state governments mostly fight over themselves about whose responsibility it is to do things. my friends who work, they're genuinely working, but nothing gets done, not just because of the squabbling but because what can they actually do, really? but it's not like the governmental agencies don't help people, because if it wasn't for them, _none_ of my queer friends would have jobs with benefits.

we make art and we fight about stupid shit and there is a lot of interpersonal drama and all of the chain stores are gone. i try to avoid buying shit from amazon but sometimes i do anyway. people smoke weed to self-medicate because they don't have access to the above-board healthcare system, well, it's better than drinking. there are definitely people who drink - i see them out on the streets screaming and yelling and passersby, particularly when the passersby are queer, which is most of the time because this is portland.

a lot of times people ask for what they need and can't get it because it just isn't there, and we still do what we can for each other. let me know if you're not able to get your meds this week. hey, i haven't seen you in a while, let's go out to coffee, i'll pay. i can't make other people ok, i'm not ok myself, but we get by.