7 ms·

How to Live in a Dystopian Fiction

29 points by dnetesn 8y ago

projectramo 8y ago
I don't know if Handmaid's tale can be considered Dystopian because, frankly, it is not that scary for two mains reason: Firstly, it is completely unrealistic. No one would separate a child from their parent in any world. Secondly, the characters are unsympathetic. Sure something terrible happens to them but then you realize that they broke the law. Clearly, they are at fault for breaking the law.
- comstar 8y ago
  > No one would separate a child from their parent in any world. Is this sarcasm? We are literally less than a week off the tail of the US government doing literally this.
  - CocaKoala 8y ago
    I'm pretty sure both of their points are sarcastic, yes.
- riku_iki 8y ago
  > No one would separate a child from their parent in any world. Except current US immigration policy..
  - RightMillennial 8y ago
    > Except prior US policy for illegal border crossing due to disparate laws and judicial rulings. FTFY
    - deadmetheny 8y ago
      It astounds me that people get downvoted for the factual observation that illegally crossing the border is, in fact, illegal and results in deportation.
      - riku_iki 8y ago
        But topic is about subsequent parents and child separation, with putting children into foster care.
        hguant 8y ago
        Which is what happens (or, should happen) to citizens who are criminals and endanger their child's life for familial gain.
        riku_iki 8y ago
        They are forced to make these crimes not because of good life and equal access to opportunities, and likely want better future for their kids. It is very easy to look on those people from above sitting in office chair, empathy only distracts from first class citizen problems.
        zyxwvu 8y ago
        Children shouldn't be placed into concentration camps. That should be the end of the argument.
        auntienomen 8y ago
        The "crime" in question is a misdemeanor.
      - zyxwvu 8y ago
        I think they (original comment) were referring to the recent activity of separating and detaining children on a large organized scale.
  - raven105x 8y ago
    After fighting for a decade of my adult life to even get a green card, the corollary of "Sneak into our country and have sex here for free citizenship" is not appealing.
  - j-c-hewitt 8y ago
    Try it in China and see what happens!
- jhauris 8y ago
  > No one would separate a child from their parent in any world. This was regularly done in the USSR for idealogical reasons. > but then you realize that they broke the law. I'm not familiar with the show, but the law isn't the ultimate arbiter of what you should do all the time. I think this should be obvious from history.
  - richmarr 8y ago
    Presumably OP is satire, since parents are being separated from children by the current US administration.
    - stronglikedan 8y ago
      And the previous few administrations as well, if we're being concise. (even if this entire comment thread is OT to begin with)
  - dredmorbius 8y ago
    Whoosh!
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- nugget 8y ago
  >No one would separate a child from their parent in any world. I'm guessing very few HN readers have exposure to this, but Child Protective Services removes hundreds of children per week from their parents and sends them into foster care. Usually for the justifiable health and welfare of the child, but sometimes for very controversial reasons that the public does not support. So there is precedent already that society can, and does, exercise this power. There are about half a million kids in the US foster care system at any point in time.
aphextron 8y ago
Maybe I'm not alone in reaching a breaking point recently. Kennedy retiring and giving Mitch McConnel two supreme court picks has pushed me over the edge. We're heading for a dark, dark place as a country and I just can't care anymore. It's too much. It's not even anger, just inconsolable depression. I'm turning off the news and going back to playing World of Warcraft.
- bigtech 8y ago
  Please be sure to vote!
- mandelbrotwurst 8y ago
  I haven't read the article yet but just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. May you be well and may we all find strength, together.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- existencebox 8y ago
  How is that in any way a response that shouldn't engender more frustration and anger that you're suggesting it be a viable course of action? Be angry. You should be. Get your friends angry. Don't let people shut off and tune out. That's a large part of how we got to this point, to my eyes. When we truly give up, well, then you'll get to see what "too much" really feels like. As long as I live I will not give up my agency to fight for what I believe in, no matter how hopeless the cause is. That's an integral part of my philosophy in what it is to be human; and preserving any optimism in a future of my country's governance is a hill I'm more than willing to die on.
  - krapp 8y ago
    >That's a large part of how we got to this point, to my eyes. When we truly give up, well, then you'll get to see what "too much" really feels like. That's true. The other side saw globalism, liberalism, feminism and multiculturalism as a threat to the world they wanted, and they got angry, and fought against it, and arguably are winning. The world is shifting towards an embrace of right-wing, racialist and authoritarian populism in part because the people who could and should stand against it have become disillusioned and cynical and have decided to drop out. They've somehow convinced themselves that effort and political action doesn't work, despite the world around them being the result of effort and political action having worked against them.
hprotagonist 8y ago
i suggest a career in itinerant software development and pizza delivery.
- seangrogg 8y ago
  Hey, the burbclaves need their 'za.
ataturk 8y ago
"consonant with an American body politic waking up to the reality of the Trump era" Sorry, but this is bullshit! It's not okay to keep alluding to the "Trump era" as some kind of problem. For many of us, Trump's policies are FIXING what is wrong, not adding to the corrupt pile of crap that is the US Government. I lived through Clinton, Bush, and Obama and I'm telling you this: Populism and reform are good for the USA, they are not boogeymen or dystopias to be feared. We live in a nation of laws and certain highly-placed people chose to ignore those laws and are as yet un-prosecuted despite the mountains of evidence. We are now getting back to RULE OF LAW which is so much better than the opposite. If you don't like these laws, there is a process for changing them that doesn't involve being little bitch crybabies. In case you haven't figured it out yet: If you are of leftist persuasion, you are being used as a pawn in a game you don't understand. Free your mind and maybe your ass will follow, too. Remember, the rank and file people who brought about the various communist revolutions were the first ones murdered after the takeover.

29 points by dnetesn 8y ago

I don't know if Handmaid's tale can be considered Dystopian because, frankly, it is not that scary for two mains reason: Firstly, it is completely unrealistic. No one would separate a child from their parent in any world. Secondly, the characters are unsympathetic. Sure something terrible happens to them but then you realize that they broke the law. Clearly, they are at fault for breaking the law.

comstar 8y ago
> No one would separate a child from their parent in any world. Is this sarcasm? We are literally less than a week off the tail of the US government doing literally this.
- CocaKoala 8y ago
  I'm pretty sure both of their points are sarcastic, yes.
riku_iki 8y ago
> No one would separate a child from their parent in any world. Except current US immigration policy..
- RightMillennial 8y ago
  > Except prior US policy for illegal border crossing due to disparate laws and judicial rulings. FTFY
  - deadmetheny 8y ago
    It astounds me that people get downvoted for the factual observation that illegally crossing the border is, in fact, illegal and results in deportation.
    - riku_iki 8y ago
      But topic is about subsequent parents and child separation, with putting children into foster care.
      - hguant 8y ago
        Which is what happens (or, should happen) to citizens who are criminals and endanger their child's life for familial gain.
        riku_iki 8y ago
        They are forced to make these crimes not because of good life and equal access to opportunities, and likely want better future for their kids. It is very easy to look on those people from above sitting in office chair, empathy only distracts from first class citizen problems.
        zyxwvu 8y ago
        Children shouldn't be placed into concentration camps. That should be the end of the argument.
        auntienomen 8y ago
        The "crime" in question is a misdemeanor.
    - zyxwvu 8y ago
      I think they (original comment) were referring to the recent activity of separating and detaining children on a large organized scale.
- raven105x 8y ago
  After fighting for a decade of my adult life to even get a green card, the corollary of "Sneak into our country and have sex here for free citizenship" is not appealing.
- j-c-hewitt 8y ago
  Try it in China and see what happens!
jhauris 8y ago
> No one would separate a child from their parent in any world. This was regularly done in the USSR for idealogical reasons. > but then you realize that they broke the law. I'm not familiar with the show, but the law isn't the ultimate arbiter of what you should do all the time. I think this should be obvious from history.
- richmarr 8y ago
  Presumably OP is satire, since parents are being separated from children by the current US administration.
  - stronglikedan 8y ago
    And the previous few administrations as well, if we're being concise. (even if this entire comment thread is OT to begin with)
- dredmorbius 8y ago
  Whoosh!
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
nugget 8y ago
>No one would separate a child from their parent in any world. I'm guessing very few HN readers have exposure to this, but Child Protective Services removes hundreds of children per week from their parents and sends them into foster care. Usually for the justifiable health and welfare of the child, but sometimes for very controversial reasons that the public does not support. So there is precedent already that society can, and does, exercise this power. There are about half a million kids in the US foster care system at any point in time.

aphextron 8y ago

Maybe I'm not alone in reaching a breaking point recently. Kennedy retiring and giving Mitch McConnel two supreme court picks has pushed me over the edge. We're heading for a dark, dark place as a country and I just can't care anymore. It's too much. It's not even anger, just inconsolable depression. I'm turning off the news and going back to playing World of Warcraft.

bigtech 8y ago
Please be sure to vote!
mandelbrotwurst 8y ago
I haven't read the article yet but just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. May you be well and may we all find strength, together.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
existencebox 8y ago
How is that in any way a response that shouldn't engender more frustration and anger that you're suggesting it be a viable course of action? Be angry. You should be. Get your friends angry. Don't let people shut off and tune out. That's a large part of how we got to this point, to my eyes. When we truly give up, well, then you'll get to see what "too much" really feels like. As long as I live I will not give up my agency to fight for what I believe in, no matter how hopeless the cause is. That's an integral part of my philosophy in what it is to be human; and preserving any optimism in a future of my country's governance is a hill I'm more than willing to die on.
- krapp 8y ago
  >That's a large part of how we got to this point, to my eyes. When we truly give up, well, then you'll get to see what "too much" really feels like. That's true. The other side saw globalism, liberalism, feminism and multiculturalism as a threat to the world they wanted, and they got angry, and fought against it, and arguably are winning. The world is shifting towards an embrace of right-wing, racialist and authoritarian populism in part because the people who could and should stand against it have become disillusioned and cynical and have decided to drop out. They've somehow convinced themselves that effort and political action doesn't work, despite the world around them being the result of effort and political action having worked against them.

hprotagonist 8y ago

i suggest a career in itinerant software development and pizza delivery.

seangrogg 8y ago
Hey, the burbclaves need their 'za.

ataturk 8y ago

"consonant with an American body politic waking up to the reality of the Trump era" Sorry, but this is bullshit! It's not okay to keep alluding to the "Trump era" as some kind of problem. For many of us, Trump's policies are FIXING what is wrong, not adding to the corrupt pile of crap that is the US Government. I lived through Clinton, Bush, and Obama and I'm telling you this: Populism and reform are good for the USA, they are not boogeymen or dystopias to be feared. We live in a nation of laws and certain highly-placed people chose to ignore those laws and are as yet un-prosecuted despite the mountains of evidence. We are now getting back to RULE OF LAW which is so much better than the opposite. If you don't like these laws, there is a process for changing them that doesn't involve being little bitch crybabies. In case you haven't figured it out yet: If you are of leftist persuasion, you are being used as a pawn in a game you don't understand. Free your mind and maybe your ass will follow, too. Remember, the rank and file people who brought about the various communist revolutions were the first ones murdered after the takeover.