But real life isn’t always fiction. Dystopia isn’t just “bad times”—it’s a warning about governments gone wrong. True dystopias involve illegitimate coercion, crushed rights, or unchecked power.
Most countries, including the U.S., aren’t there. Democracies still function, people help each other, and civic action persists. Crises can test governments, but they also reveal resilience and community strength.
Fiction warns us. Reality depends on how we respond.
This story by theconversation.com
