After spending the last 72 hours in a malaise of dread, anxiety and despair with the American election, I decided to distract myself with various post-apocalyptic and dystopian movies - hey, when you’re down, might as well hit bottom. But (sadly?) it did end up distracting me from what is going on by trying to decide which fictional movie would be the closest match for the future that our current events have provided.
My final choice was the movie V for Vendetta, in that we have a near future where a ‘religious right’ overtly purged those of color, sexual orientation, ‘liberal’ viewpoints and the like, while the rest of society looked over it due to apathy or fear, then ran their own carefully crafted media empire that continued to support their new establishment. To the point that their own citizens were terrified but unwilling to take any steps. My major dissonance with the choice is that we aren’t going to have any superhuman V to step forward and wake people up - which is a mistake in terms, people were fully awake, but too apathetic to do something about it.
There were a ton of other options, but I’d like to hear which ones have resonated with you folks. Let’s hope that these futures remain fictional.
‘Idiocracy’.
As the saying goes, ‘Idiocracy’ isn’t a comedy, it’s a documentary.
Elysium - not in the near future, but perhaps in 200 to 300 years. However, I think the eponymous “Elysium” will not be in space, but constructed on an area of the US not ravaged by climate change, and the political and business elites will congregate there, while the rest are left to wallow in squalor and filth.
This.
Another agreed.
Older readers would choose The Marching Morons by C.M. Kornbluth, which was alluded to in the first version of RoboCop, so if you insist on movies, that might be a good choice.
When I first saw this movie I thought it was ridiculous and insulting to Americans.
I no longer feel this way.
Another voice in the chorus, it is without doubt, Idiocracy is on the horizon.
Well, we’re already doing Wag the Dog.
Children of Men, without the infertility. The rest of it is spot on - casual terrorism, locked borders, immigrants in cages and camps, collapsed governments, but people still working normal jobs and going to coffee shops, and the rich living like today but with bigger gates on their houses.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is still The 40 Year Old Virgin Batman
Minor quibble. Idiocracy had a smarter (and more moral) President.
Isn’t Idiocracy at least somewhat pro-eugenics? If so, I’m a bit surprised folks, especially on a left-leaning board, still cite it approvingly.
See, I strongly considered Idiocracy, but it didn’t quite stick with me - because the people were pretty much too stupid to be evil. Our current electorate isn’t stupid, just absolutely willing to look the other way and ignore all the problems as long as they ‘win’ for their side. They are active participants, because at some level they know better, but are relishing seeing ‘the other’ lose. That’s why even if it wasn’t a close societal match, my second choice was Death Race 2000. Because of the reality-tv nature of it all. 
Who is approving? The question was “which dystopian movie do you feel the US is headed for,” not “which dystopian future do you want?”
My question is based on the idea that if you think Idiocracy is possible, then you must (or are more likely to) believe that the principles of eugenics are true. I mean, the last lines of the movie just edge short of saying outright that intelligence is hereditary and that “those people” breed like rabbits.
Dude nobody really thinks anyone is watering plants with Brawndo!
I’ve been saying since the 80s that the future of this country, if not the entire planet, is going to be a Mad Max movie.
I’ve heard people mention that idiocracy is far better than the current US.
the president is able to admit he is wrong.
The president genuinely cares about the well being of the citizens.
The president admits people are smarter than him and he seeks out and listens to experts.
The government and culture is racially tolerant.
The culture accepts women and minorities in positions of power.
The government believes in democracy.
shit we don’t have right now.
as for which movie, I think more like gattaca. I think the US will become more racist and authoritarian, but not so much totalitarian. in a lot of dictatorships you live a fairly free life just so long as you don’t go against the government.
Plus the idea of a two tiered society seems relevant to what’s happening now. certain people relegated to a lower class.
I don’t think we will become totalitarian like the handmaid tale. more that people will lose their democratic rights and get despondent instead.
Right now, it is kind of like some weird version of Red Dawn, complete with surrogate russkies.