Utopia Ain’t What It Used to Be

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Utopias and Sci-Fi. Essay. 1100 words, 6-minute read.

Image: Things to Come (1936), imdb.com

Utopia Ain’t What It Used to Be

By Ray Tabler.

The concept of utopia has been with us for a long time. Plato envisioned a perfect society in his Republic. Sir Thomas Moore coined the term in 1516 with a book about a fictional society on a far island. Moore’s title is a sly wink; the word utopia is Latin for “no place.” The Christian heaven, and eventual post-second coming kingdom of God upon Earth arguably qualify as utopias. Which can be loosely defined as societies of peace, order, justice, and general happiness. Disney World’s EPCOT was originally billed as an Experimental Planned Community of Tomorrow. Financial realities transformed EPCOT into a giant theme park whose anagram some wit joked stands for Every Person Comes Out Tired.

Not surprisingly, there is a definite scarcity of no-foolin’ utopias in the real world, past or present. We human beings are troublesome and trouble-makers. We don’t seem to appreciate perfect societies, no matter how determined would-be utopianites are in setting them up. But, there’s always the future. And science fiction authors have not been shy about hitching their wagon to that horse.

Wikipedia reckons that there have been over 1,400 utopian works published in the English language alone. That’s a lot of wishful thinking.

The draw of utopian literature is similar to a promotional brochure or video for some new housing development. Except the new neighborhood is a religion, philosophy, ideology, economic theory, etc.… All you have to do is transform your society along these lines, and everything will be perfect. Or, so says the marketing.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, the inevitable march of Progress was all the vogue. The smart money was sure that we had a bead on how to solve all societal problems. That certainty lingered through two world wars and into the cold war. Albeit with reduced conviction as time marched on. It’s mocked in Donald Fagen’s song IGY:

“…Here at home we’ll play in the city

Powered by the sun

Perfect weather for a streamlined world

There’ll be spandex jackets one for everyone…”

Actual history looks more like a drunkard’s walk than a triumphant march. Turns out, not everyone can agree on what utopia should look like, let alone that the standard-issue jackets should be spandex, leather, cotton, or gold lamé. None of which has stopped writers from cranking out utopian literature on a regular basis.

There are at least two major issues with writing in utopian settings. The first is conflict. Without conflict, the story devolves into a travelogue of paradise. Charming enough, but hardly a page turner. If you live in a perfect society, interesting conflict is going to be hard to find. The author has to go straight for antagonists who threaten the society itself, usually recalcitrant neanderthals who pine for the bad old days.

Or, conflict comes from beyond the edges of the perfect society. Star Trek is an example of this. The United Federation of Planets is a fair approximation of a utopia, within its borders. Peoples of the Federation do not suffer from want or significant strife. Captains Kirk and Picard have to go looking for trouble where no man has gone before. They sure find it, too.

Another interesting case in point is HG Wells’ Things to Come, the 1936 film adaption of which provides the image at the start of this essay. The first part of the tale relates a civilizational collapse in the wake of a catastrophic global war. Then, a sane, peaceful society rises from the ashes. However, some in this new world order want to launch probes to explore space. Others fear any changes will restart the passions which led to the apocalyptic war. Better a static, crystalized contentment from here on out. Spoiler alert, the explorers win. As Things to Come’s main character proclaims, “…Rest enough for the individual man. Too much and too soon, and we call it death. But for Man, no rest and no ending. He must go on, conquest beyond conquest. First this little planet and its winds and ways. And then all the laws of mind and matter that restrain him. Then the planets about him… and at last, out across immensity to the stars…” Inspiring stuff, in 1936, and still stirring today to be honest.

And that’s the second major issue with writing about utopias. A utopia is end-of-track for progress, triumphant march, or drunkard’s stagger. It doesn’t make sense to leave paradise once you get there. The result is likely a boring story.

However, utopias tend to be a bit authoritarian. This is sort of logical. By definition, a utopia is the best possible society, and there’s no valid reason to change anything. Dissent and deviation from the status quo are obviously misguided, if not malicious. It’s like handing control of your civilization over to a particularly stern home owners’ association (HOA).

Inevitably, utopian literature begat dystopian literature, two sides of the same coin. The main difference between a utopia and a dystopia is if you’re in charge or not. Everything is great for the ruling elites in The Hunger Games, Animal Farm, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, and other examples of dystopian settings. Not so much for the average Joe.

Dystopian literature does not lack for compelling conflict. In fact, such stories are swimming in dramatic struggle. At the root of dystopian literature is the battle between opposing visions of the way things should be. The coin analogy is apt, because whether an individual comes out on the top or the bottom is often up to chance, when the coin is flipped.

Dystopian stories are almost always told from the point of view of the underclass, or a member of the ruling elite who realizes they’re on the wrong side. Until the point when the reformed elite’s eyes are opened, he thinks his society is a utopia. Then, like the underclass, he sees the elites as power-drunk monsters, dedicated to maintaining control. Of course, once challenged the elites view the rebellious underclass as recalcitrant neanderthals who pine for the bad old days…Hmm. Can a story be utopian and dystopian at the same time?

Utopian literature used to point confidently to a future ruled by a particular author’s politics or philosophy. The turbulent 20th century put a few dents in that certainty, and birthed the counter-genre of dystopian literature, perhaps as an allergic reaction to utopian arrogance and conceit. As a result, utopia ain’t what it used to be. Maybe it never was.

END.

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