Monday, August 15, 2005

10 ’Av 5765/15 August: Flatland, Gulliver’s Travels, and other dystopias

Greetings.

Something other than the Arab-Israeli War to complain about: “Rep. Major R. Owens: The Revenge of Napoleon” (suggested by Barry).

The Temple was still burning on the 10th of ’Av; the only reason today is not a fast day is because it is assumed that most people today are not able to fast two days in a row. However, some of the mourning is still with us today. As such, today’s quasi-weird things with be the rest of the dystopian material I have collected for this period.Those interested in further dystopian reading may want to look at Utopian/Dystopian Book Reviews or rent Brazil, a dystopian movie about a society which is a cross between Nineteen Eighty-Four and metastasized bureaucracy. Go ponder.

Aaron

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I always thought Brazil was more like Monty Python's Flying Circus myself.

Anonymous said...

Why wouldn't you imprison someone who believed in a third dimension? Such people are clearly insane and likely to do things which are inimical to the wellbeing of society. Such lunatics should be locked up for the good of all. And don't you let me hear otherwise, sir, or I shall have some soldiers jab you with their points.

Anonymous said...

Neigh. Neigh neigh neigh neigh neigh neigh. Neigh neigh. Neigh neigh neigh neigh. Neigh neigh neigh. Neigh neigh neigh neigh neigh neigh neigh neigh, yahoo.

Rupert Hippo said...

I'm glad to hear that the Internet now extends to Flatland and the Country of the Houyhnhnms.

Anonymous said...

Might I suggest you look at some "unconventional" dystopias, ones not usually considered such but which could, on further examination, be classified as such:

Friends: A horrifying world where people gab over petty, stupid things endlessly over coffee. Much like Fahrenheit 451, people are so caught up with triviality that they do nothing worthwhile with their lives.

Seinfeld: Even worse than Friends, as everyone is plain selfish, mean, or annoying. This is Ayn Rand without the sickening romanticized gloss; rather than being heroic, selfish people who do not consider the interests of others are just plain jerks. The underrated final episode appropriately gives them their comeuppance.

Sex and the City: Brave New World with whining. Rather than the characters being happy at being able to sleep with so many men, but, unlike Brave New World, three of the four main characters are unable to accept the situation for what it is and enjoy it. Programmed by society to be this way, the clash between their biological instincts and their culture puts them in a neverending neurotic hell.