Mad Max, Hunger Games, Blade Runner, Cloud Atlas, and so many more cinematic dramas have hurtled themselves into a post-apocalyptic world in a fictional setting. But what happens when the audience who hungers for such films are already living in one?

Dystopia is seen when a society is a frightening place for those who live there through injustice, environmental disasters, political chaos, and catastrophic population rifts from unreasonable or irrational means. This is punctuated by propaganda, exclusionary cultures featuring increased destabilization in the economy, and explosive rhetoric. It is the crumbling of a functioning society.

Many Americans view this dystopian environment through the viewpoint of the media they watch, meaning the movies that stress a complete anomalous infrastructure. Professor Denim Forsum with the University of Middelum recently shared his research with a conference on misinformation and injustice where he stated, “Americans are able to see their family and friends, they are able to put gas in their cars, they are able to buy a cheeseburger from the drive through. This is not the apocalypse, this is progress.” He continued by expounded that these examples are the very reason we are at this point in our demise.

The importance of our relationships with our family and friends have been replaced with algorithms and ads. The newer generation is refusing to drive, which puts the entire dependence on oil let alone our transportation infrastructure at risk. The cheeseburger is worth five cents, and yet they are being charged $12, and it is unquestionably not made for human consumption within dietary guidelines. The American public have simply accepted this as a good thing.

Dr. Forsum closed his lecture by stating, “Change that happens quickly – that is scary. Change that happens incrementally, well, we don’t notice it happening at all, but we believe it is purposeful and important.”