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Mats Kaarbö

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Breaking Away from the Dystopian Cliché

What kind of aspects, challenges, conflicts and/or problems would you like to exhibit and experience from a story depicting a peaceful, prosperous and abundant city/society/world beyond scarcity, money, war, poverty and human suffering, assuming it didn't turn out Dystopian, to make it interesting, engaging and immersive?

Topics: creativity film storytelling utopian
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  • greg dahlen 20+

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    Jan 9 2013: Yeah, thanks for your comment below, Mats, it helped me understand where people are coming from when they create programs about global policy. I would say, however, that even if you had food, clean air, water, and shelter for everybody, I don't know that that would be Utopia. We have all those things in America, and yet we still have many problems, such as the mass shooting in Connecticut ten days ago.
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      Mats Kaarbö 10+

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      Jan 9 2013: Well, most crime and violence stem from monetary reasons (usually the lack of it), believe it or not. Money not only serves as a medium of exchange and a tool to give us access to the necessities of life, but nowadays it also has an 'important' social dynamic issue to it. It is often associated with status and to the success or failure in a persons life, unfortunately. And this is where most problems starts. Even wars. So, in abstraction, if you give everybody on the Earth the same access to the necessities of life and a high standard of living, which is possible, without the constraint of having to deal with money or barter you would in effect phase out most crime and violence. This would not create a Utopia, but would be a much better system than we currently have.

      • ANAIRDA SAPUL

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        Jan 10 2013: How about sword fights to win the love of a women,...or for defending some reputation...or honor...? ;) I am kind of kidding... but I really think humans will always find differences, resulting in conflicts and eventually in violence. Just think how much violence the difference in religious view has caused in the world. But here is a funny question: What would politicians do in an Utopian world?

      • shawn disney 10+

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        Jan 14 2013: Mats: I am afraid that your idea that violence comes from money is simply way oversimplified, and often quite wrong. Do you seriously believe that the Taliban fights for money?! At any rate, if you look at the size of the Universe, there is clearly enough space and energy (money) for everyone, as long as no one insists that we all MUST live together in harmony., as one big happy family. I'm a believer in marriage, but I do think that some couples are just not suited to each other.

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