In which "utopia" would you like to live in?

[Level 7 Dragon]

Salute, Escapists

I was browsing old Choose-Your-Own-Adventure copypastas from the 2000's and stumbled upon this.

Spoiler: Warning: Big Image

Basically, if given a choice between 6 different utopias, each representing a major ideology, which would you pick?

In case anybody is having issues with the image, here is a summary.

Anarcho-Capitalist Utopia would be free from taxation and would provide every human with civil rights and maximum personal liberties, however would suffer from a high crime rate and abuse of power from NGO

Green Utopia would solve issues of inequality and discrimination, as well as put humanity in a state of harmony with the planet, however it would be rather difficult for an individual to rise above their peers in wealth and influence.

Fascist Utopia would solve the issues of poverty and crime, as well as provide each citizen with material and mental support from the collective, but would take away rights from individuals.

Technocratic Utopia would propel humanity into a scientific and technological golden age, curing most illnesses and getting rid of physical labour via automation and AI. Civilization is guided by a group of scientists and powerful supercomputers. However, the upper classes of society are free to act with impunity and perform deplorable acts without being prosecuted.

Anarcho-Communist Utopia would be a perfect democracy that would provide each individual with free food, healthcare, education and housing. However, luxury items are few and far between and every sunday each citizen is obliged to attent the soviet meeting filled with heated debates about the future of the community.

Concervative Utopia would be a place of harmony, prosperity and spirituality rulled over by a niche sect and a prophet king. People would abide by religious tradition and treat eachother with kindness and respect, however freethinkers would be prosecuted and homosexual behavior would be chastised.

So, where do you want to live and why? Personally, I'm split betwen the Land of Liberty and Technocracy, since medical technology and entertainment are my two main selling points. Maybe Technocracy, since they have socialized medicine.

 

[Casual Shinji]

The problem with these utopian societies (apart from whether or not they're a utopia at all) is that none of them will last very long, since the seeds of discontent are already present. In each of them there's a group of people that will be or feel shat on, to the point where they'll want to fight to topple the system. Except for maybe the Anarcho-Capitalist Utopia, as we're sorta, kinda already living in it, and it's lasted pretty long so far. And I wouldn't exactly call it a utopia... but it's the best that we as a species are capable of right now it seems.

 

[Saelune]

None of these are utopias for one.

But the techno one combined with the "Anarcho-Communist" one would probably be what Id prefer. Science is neat, and Im a socialist, that is to say, I want a strong central government that controls many parts of things, but serves the people, rather than the people serving it (and also part of it is us serving eachother). Universal health-care, heavily funded public schools and higher education, etc.

And the techno one..."sexual predators?". The other's cons are more logical, that one is just added to add a con. Anything with powerful individuals, if any of them are sexual predators and think they can get away with it, will likely try.

 

[Fox12]

More like which dystopia.

I guess I would go with the eco-commune, since it sounds like a nice peaceful existance. The human race will inevitably die out much sooner, but I, personally, will be quite happy in my lifetime.

Otherwise, I guess "land of liberty." I wouldn't really call that a land of liberty in the libertarian sense. It's not even anarchical. Rather, it's corporatist. However, since there aren't any real rules, I can basically do what I need to in order to survive. If that means taking from the super corporations until I get shot, so be it.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

The problem with utilitarianism is that it is eventually worse off for the individuals. We need the contrast. We need the canyon to define the heights of the mountains in our lives. Making everybody content will not make them content (yes, ain't that a badda *****!). But... We do need a national living wage, so much suffering and control...truly horrifically disgusting control is through this artificial financial choking. But you will never make people happy all the time. Cunts will be cunts and how do you make a **** happy? It doesn't matter, they're cunty enough to push their own way. We need research and understanding. There is no available answer. Sorry!

 

[TakerFoxx]

None. Utopias are inherently horrifying concepts.

But if I absolutely had to pick one...Dinotopia. Just as screwed up as other so-called utopias, but at least it has dinosaurs, and the architecture rocks.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I'm thinking one of a notable Zoo nature...

 

[veloper]

Which category would a Brave New World fall under then?

As long as you're not a delta with some adjustment issues, it would be comfy to live there. The citizens simply don't mind their flat existences because of all the Soma, casual sex and marketed goods.

 

[Level 7 Dragon]

Which category would a Brave New World fall under then?

As long as you're not a delta with some adjustment issues, it would be comfy to live there. The citizens simply don't mind their flat existences because of all the Soma, casual sex and marketed goods.

BNW was definetely a technocracy. Run by scientists that control the population through a genetically modified cast system.

 

[Scarim Coral]

These aren't really utopia aren't they? (Rhetorical question before you quote me for being an idiot)

OT- If I was force to picked then I guess Eco-Commune since it kinda remind me of Hobbiton but everyone is vegan. I don't have ambition or not being rich or having luxary is not an issue HOWEVER it is a breaking point that I can't have meat.

 

[sageoftruth]

Whichever utopia "The Giver" takes place in. It's run by a very competent government that's able to cater to everyone's physical needs, and creates a society where everyone is content.

Happiness is too fleeting. I'd rather be content for the rest of my life. No dreams or goals, just the feeling that I'm exactly where I should be, doing exactly what I should be doing.

 

[Level 7 Dragon]

Whichever utopia "The Giver" takes place in. It's run by a very competent government that's able to cater to everyone's physical needs, and creates a society where everyone is content.

Happiness is too fleeting. I'd rather be content for the rest of my life. No dreams or goals, just the feeling that I'm exactly where I should be, doing exactly what I should be doing.

Eh, where would you like to live from the list given above?

 

[stroopwafel]

Probably a mix of Green and Anarcho. You need free enterprise to create wealth, jobs and innovation but not to the extent of 2% super billionaires at the expense of everyone else. I don't have much faith in governments but I think every kind of economic legislation needs to have a kind of mutual reciprocity so that not one specific person(or company) benefits from it. Like what you have now with corporate lobbyists pretty much dictating economic policy.

A huge problem is also overpopulation which I think should be addressed in an honest way(though high birth rates isn't really a problem of the developed world anymore). Every country's economic model is based on needing continuous growth which cannot be sustained when you consider all the damage that is done to the environment. Also massive wealth inequality is source for major discontent and potential destabilization. I'm actually a big supporter of 'subsidized jobs' for those who can't meet the high expactations of modern society. I don't believe in 'winners' or 'losers' since it's all just circumstance(genetics, environment) anyway. However everyone should still contribute to society to the best of their abilities(so no welfare checks). Those with talent and/or exceptional intelligence should ofcourse also be nurtured and stimulated to rise to the very top.

Also everyone should have access to education and affordable housing. Rights of minorities must be protected but religious or ideological indoctrination should be heavily discouraged(ie. hate speech and extremism). And ofcourse women should be able to feel safe everywhere.

Just a place where everyone can live in peace and harmony and doesn't have as much greed, humiliation and hate. Though this probably makes me sound like a hippie.

 

[Kolby Jack]

All of these are impossible. So if we're going by impossible utopias, I think I'd prefer a utopia that grew and developed over a long history of turmoil and strife, where people gradually come to understand each other and choose not to engage in violence because they know it doesn't work, where they know that the segregation of society based on haves and have-nots is arbitrary and no amount of perceived unfairness is worth human suffering, where they realize superficial differences between humans should not determine the amount of dignity and respect they deserve, where technology is used to empower people instead of keep them in check, and where the governments of the world work to better the lives of all of their citizens and promote cooperation between nations.

What's the downside? Why does there have to be one?

 

[sageoftruth]

Whichever utopia "The Giver" takes place in. It's run by a very competent government that's able to cater to everyone's physical needs, and creates a society where everyone is content.

Happiness is too fleeting. I'd rather be content for the rest of my life. No dreams or goals, just the feeling that I'm exactly where I should be, doing exactly what I should be doing.

Eh, where would you like to live from the list given above?

Ah, I see. Looking at the above, the Technocracy looks most similar to what I was talking about. While I wouldn't want to join one, I wouldn't mind being born into one, and hopefully, I wouldn't end up as one of the few who ends up knowing too much.

 

[veloper]

Which category would a Brave New World fall under then?

As long as you're not a delta with some adjustment issues, it would be comfy to live there. The citizens simply don't mind their flat existences because of all the Soma, casual sex and marketed goods.

BNW was definetely a technocracy. Run by scientists that control the population through a genetically modified cast system.

There was no more scientific effort once BNW was established, because it was thought that new paradigms might upset the balance.
Your tech setting, come to think of it, has this advantage over the other topias, in that it probably wouldn't be the final destination for society, because it's all geared towards further improvement.

There's stuff that I found funny in each of these:

1 Eco - probably the most consistent utopia of the bunch, but why did they have to include "free ORGANIC marijuana" (as opposed to synthetic?) as a selling point? (The 2 billion population cap sounds a lot more ominous after that.)
2 LoL - the 6 selling points include "freedom", "lots of freedom" and "plenty of freedom".
3 TC - the leaders "genuinely have what they consider to be the world's best interest at heart" and are also notorious sexual predators.
4 FL - excellent videogames funded by the government??
5 WR - only 4 workdays a week and 8 free weeks a year, but still 14 hour long workdays.
6 PL - high priests get "legitimate powers of divine healing".

Anyway, let's go with excellent videogames for a winner!

 

[09philj]

Either the Environmental or The Anarcho-Capitalist one would be the most suitable starting points for a revolution to produce something better, since they're the places where collecting a group of like minded individuals and the tools necessary to annex a portion of land and set up a nascent state.

 

[Baffle]

The green one I think, I'm a dab hand with a saw. Giving up meat wouldn't be ideal, but I think for the most part that's just habit/routine anyway. Also, why do I have to give up meat?

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

What about the posthuman ideal? All minds, all thoughts, all consciousness subsumed into an evergrowing, self-perpetuating hivemind with total ego death? If utopianism is merely about the prevention of pain, why not strive to recreate a posthumanity where all pain is shared, and thus given total impetus to reduce or remove entirely?

Posthumanism and the death of individuality is pretty sweet, tbh. Freedom (metaphysically) is a curse, even in a totalitarian government one must choose when they do nothing else but follow the edicts passed down to them.

Depends what you want out of a utopia and what your definition of one must look like.

My utopia is simple. Whatever I have a hand in building for myself. I'll defend it if necessary, I'll both die and murder for it. Isn't that what building a 'utopia' is all about? If I must pick from the list, I'd say a technocracy. If only because a technocracy would better lend itself to creating the posthuman condition as an answer to curing all social ills forever.

Though I'd say the 'utopianism' that a technocracy will deliver is, itself, the posthuman condition. Why be vaguely even human when you can be everything and anything but, and have guaranteed immortality (to the point where the concept itself is ridiculous given the total loss of self) so long as the hive stays intact?

 

[TakerFoxx]

snip

Yeah, I'm gonna be honest with you, that actually sounds horrifying. Like, that's the sort of thing I'd fight, die, and even kill to prevent. Which goes to show why utopias are an inherently flawed concept: one person's paradise is another person's living nightmare.