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Really beautiful post. We need hopepunk stories more now than ever before. While I didn't think Walkaway was a particularly well-written book, the setting was
by nynx 5y ago
Really beautiful post. We need hopepunk stories more now than ever before.
While I didn't think Walkaway was a particularly well-written book, the setting was fascinating and pretty unique as far as I could see: it told the story of civilizations transitioning from essentially our world to post-scarcity. We need more stories that talk about that transition.
- nitrogen 5y agoIf you haven't already read it, one of the "two views of humanity's future" in Manna is a post-scarcity utopia, and the other is a dystopia: https://marshallbrain.com/manna1 https://marshallbrain.com/manna1
- nynx 5y agoI just read through it, and realized that I had read it before. To be honest, it's very poorly written and the story isn't particular believable.
- nitrogen 5y agoTo be honest, it's very poorly written and the story isn't particular believable. I kind of agree with that assessment, but I still found some interesting ideas in it.
- A4ET8a8uTh0 5y agoThis is the interesting thing about life and art. It can be pure escapism. It can be a warning. It can be a veiled account of what is or was. Personally, while I don't really think we 'need' hopepunk, I understand the inherent need for it in others. I may have stated this explicitly on this forum before, but I believe we already live in an dystopian future amalgam envisioned in some of the novels I read as a child. In such an environment, it is not a surprise those stories can thrive. Compare it post-WW 2 era, which allowed unprecedented peace across the western world that allowed people to explore darker sides of humanity in media ( grim dark, fascination with serial killers, various future dystopias to name a few interesting currents ). The solace one may get from hopepunk is a false hope.
- nynx 5y agoThank you for your well-thought-out response! I don't think hopepunk or its variants, solarpunk, etc, provide solace, but moreso act as reference points to help people say, "Our society could be more like that. What can we do to make that happen?" As you alluded to in your comment, fiction can be a powerful way for people to explore and shape the future.
- NineStarPoint 5y agoI would take a very different stance on what caused stories of the darker sides of humanity to flourish after the end of WW2. From what I understand, the cultural trauma of the horrors of WW2 were a big factor, and the cold war’s ever looming threat of global nuclear war comes up often in people describing the zeitgeist of the era. I don’t think the media about the darker sides of humanity came from peace, but from that direct exposure to what the darker sides of humanity can be at country-wide scales. Art can also be a description of what humanity should work towards. In this way a well written book that is hopeful need not be a false hope, but a showing of what humanity should work towards. Without having that goal of a better future, it is inevitable that we would fall towards dystopia.
- pontifier 5y agoOne of my favorite ideas in Walkaway was the concept of restoring areas to their original, ready to use condition when finished using them. Too often this doesn't happen and it causes problems every time. It's critical in a communal environment where you don't know who will be using a space next, and many people may use it before you come back to it. Ensuring that tools and equipment are kept in working order is the responsibility of the user, and should be part of any training.