Black professor: The argument that we are living in a dystopia is credible and downright frustrating. Full stop. The government is shut down, many of those in power reportedly lie (and blatantly so), and a certain segment of the population is seemingly perfectly fine with what’s happening. But before further I lay out why, let me put you on game about what the word really means.
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A dystopia is literally a “bad place.” You put the Greek dys- (“bad”) and topos (“place”) together and you get the word: dystopia. To understand how that kind of world is imagined in books and film, we can turn to good ole’ Merriam-Webster. The dictionary defines it as “an imaginary place where people are unhappy and usually afraid because they are not treated fairly.”
So, yeah. Many can argue Americans are living smack dab in that kind of world. But let’s lay out five indisputable reasons why. You ready?
President Donald J. Trump
These kinds of “dystopian” societies are often depicted as having some kind of oppressive government that is in full control. And, well, Trump is not a totalitarian dictator, but he is— according to some— the closest America has got to one in recent memory.
He has a devoted following, seems to enjoy targeting anyone who is not a white man, and some call him a habitual line stepper when it comes to the laws of this country. Ever read the George Orwell’s novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four?” Many say our president feels a lot like the leaders in that.
Our Environment
Scientists have been raising the alarm about the growing crisis happening to our environment. Our weather is growing increasingly unpredictable and volatile, we are seeing a rapid loss of biodiversity, and our air, water and land are increasingly contaminated by pollution. That kind of ecological crisis is a hallmark of a dystopian society.
Inequality
Every dystopian movie or book has some kind of inequality at the heart of the society they depict. “The Hunger Games,” “Gattaca,”— the list can go on and on. Inequality is one of the first things that come to mind when you think of a “bad place.” And some argue we have that in spades so there’s no need to lay it out. (But you can read up on it here, just in case.) And many say that can feel and see it all around us. The top 10% of Americans hold almost two-thirds of the total wealth, while the bottom 50% hold only 2.5%.
Propaganda
In the kind of society we are talking about, the people in power often use propaganda to manipulate public opinion, control information, and maintain their grip on society. Remember January 6th? How in the hell have all those people who stormed the U.S. Capitol received presidential pardons and everyday Republicans are seemingly OK with it? Propaganda. That’s partly how.
Loss of Free Speech
Remember what happened to late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel? Or all the people who lost their jobs after September 10, 2025? (I’m not going to say what happened that day in Utah. You can look it up… but I suspect you already know.) That’s the kind of stuff that can happen in a dystopian society. There is a loss of individual thought that happens in a dystopia… and many say we are seeing it happen to our country in real time.
So, are we living in the kind of society that Octavia Butler and N.K. Jemison imagined? You know the answer. Now, the question is: What are we going to do about it?
Straight From 
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