“I don’t like today’s sci-fi. It’s all too dystopian.”
“We’ve always had some dystopia in our sci-fi. It’s wired into us.”
“To be hopeless?”
“No. To be selfish. I mean, what could be worse than dying of polio ten minutes before we discover the vaccine? Better to never have a cure. Or that it comes with side effects like flippers or explosive diarrhea.”
“So it’s FOMO?”
“No one wants to die thinking they are missing out on a better future. Many generations have passed waiting for flying cars.”
“OK, but we also want to make a better world for our children.”
“Sure. If it’s not too inconvenient. (And as long as our plutocrats are not ‘cool guys.’)”
“And things do get better. It’s like… inevitable. Diseases are cured. Air is cleaned. Lifespans are extended.”
“That’s all great, but how do we get there? Who is going to do all that work?”
“Someone.”
“Someone who?”
“Someone… else.”
“Right. And that’s another reason why we have so much dystopia today.”
