200 words+ answer the following question
1. Watch:
2. After watching the TED talk, write a 200-300 word answer to the following question: why do you think that Dystopias are so popular in today’s society and who are the monsters in these worlds?
- Please include two quote sandwiches from the TED talk or this week’s readings
- Please include a Works cited.
- Please make sure your TWO replies are posted
Replies 1:I think people naturally afraid of dystopias in a similar way they are afraid of monsters. It may be the fears that people have, or desires, but dystopian novels and gain in popularity probably because in the recent decades the technology made it so easy to spy on people.
Today’s society is frightened by the technologies that could be used to track what people do or event what people think. Anthes describe one of such technologies used for tracking insects as small as bees: “In 2010, researchers reported that they had used miniature tags to follow iridescent orchid bees as they flew through the tropical forests of Panama, and a group of Swedish scientists have shown that we may be able to track the movements of water fleas (Daphnia magna)—millimeter-sized, freshwater crustaceans—by attaching fluorescent nanoparticles to their tiny little shells“ (Anthes 117). Very small insects as small as one millimeter can be tracked by the new technology. People are afraid if the government uses that technology for spying on its own people.
There are legitimate reasons to be feared by technology. Alex Gendler describe the effect of industrial revolution on working class: “industrial technology that promised to free laborers, imprisoned them in slums and factories instead, while tycoons grew richer than kings” (Gendler). The technologies of 20th century made people overwork, and eliminated a class of high skilled workers such as clock-smiths and craftsmen. It is understandable that these days as the technologies advance to the next levels people are afraid of being hurt by it.
Replies 2;As humans, our desire to achieve what is best, or perfection is not unusual. Maybe after all the wars, corruption, deaths and getting let down by mankind time after time, this causes our hope of kindness and goodness in our world ceases to exist. Utopia thinkers in the past have “peruse extravagant and useless schemes, while neglecting the practical needs of the people below” (00:01:14-00:01:21). By not taking into account everyone’s class and needs, true utopia is hard to create. Many writers of dystopias not only “observe these horrors, but lived through them” (00:03:15-00:03:17). They then transfer their stories into books of our present society, for example, George Orwell’s Animal farm or 1984 book. These texts make dystopia a popular topic to read and think about. Many people come to the reality that perfection does not exist. Hence instead of hoping for a utopia, we just hope not to have a dystopia.
As we Monsters in our society usually are those with power, since it is only them who hold most power and can abuse it. These people are often dictators, powerful business people, managers etc. When it comes to money and power, the path to being selfish, cruel and greedy seems to be easier.
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Dystopia
Dystopia according to Sir Thomas More refers to society or community that is frightening or undesirable. It may also mean, a region or state in which everything bad or unpleasant. in correspondence to the video, dystopia is so popular in today’s society.
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