first post: https://youtu.be/Iyni_oAfOoA
#Dystopias and Utopias Posting?
crimson heart
I like dystopian and utopian fiction and discussion of what makes settings utopian or dystopian, as well as the aesthetics involved
wasn't sure whether to put here or in readings_discussion
umbral acorn
I love the idea of Island's setting
It's also a crime against humanity that highschoolers are forced to read brave new world without island
crimson heart
parents would probably not approve of the way drugs are portrayed in island i suspect ha
compared to brave new world
:/
i wonder if there are any video games based on island
could be fun project maybe i will try to do it at some point
would make it more approachable for some people yeah?
umbral acorn
People often aren't creative enough with what might be possible if we all have high expectations for each other and their politics will reflect that. Why can't we have a ecocommunist peaceful Georgian Cybersyn drugs-as-tools-of-liberation, democratic cosmopolitan world where we work to be nice and better each other
crimson heart
i think part of it has to do with fear and insecurity, a big part of the culture in island is that the education system teaches people how to administer "psychological first aid" from a young age and vulnerability is not considered shameful, which is supposed to encourage people to seek help when they need it
iirc
i don't remember if it says that last bit explicitly but it seemed implied
existing on an island makes it so people can't as easily disregard others and just move somewhere else as easily though, for better or worse
our economy and culture becoming more interconnected (along with mass surveillance/mass camera phone ownership) is kinda making it like one big island though, at least in that sense.
crimson heart
Living on a small island makes externalities more of an issue which means people can't go as long without addressing them, too. Especially if there isn't a lot of importing and exporting going on. Externalities are generally much more obscured in most situations today. You lose out on some of the efficiencies of economies of scale if everything has to be done locally though, which is a problem if you need to support a good quality of life for dense populations.
storm cobalt
this lecture series is a great intro to the topic https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/great-utopian-and-dystopian-works-of-literature.html
also relevant thread: #1031259428558745731
crimson heart
@umbral acorn for some reason i was thinking about the way the culture in Island considers whether and how to use technologies carefully before adopting them, and was considering the idea of how they would react to the kind of technology in Psycho-Pass. Is there any responsible use for such technology?
in any case, how would you describe the aesthetic of Island? it seems like it's supposed to be a society influenced by advancements in psychology applied to improve quality of life, so psychpunk? but it's more of a vibe than an aesthetic ig.
but the focus on the influence of psychology on society is something it has in common with psycho-pass, which I think is why i drew a connection between the two
cold zenith
i was just talking about drugs
idk if its utopian or dystopian tbh
perhaps its just cyberpunk
"watch & punish" etc and sho on
cold zenith
parents would probably not approve of the way drugs are portrayed in island i su...
a aha i found it im sorry i guess
crimson heart
found what?
cold zenith
i think drugs should be decriminalized but fiscalized and there must be a national health system with a safety net and support groups
found the source of the discussion, i mean , rs
also i am quite into drugs myself, ive been reading neuromancer during my job recess and adventures, and thought a lot about neurocapitalism and neurocommunism
crimson heart
i still need to read neuromancer
oh neat short story i heard of that is apparently the first to do to a lot of dystopian fiction tropes is called "the machine stops"
also it basically starts with a lady teaching a zoom class and then her son video calling her to tell her to touch grass. the story is from 1909.
the pdf is available online
crimson heart
