Watch old movies, in this case dystopian science fiction set in a “future” date that’s already happened. 1984 is the quintessential example of such a movie, but I’m partial to Brazil.
Really, the dystopian sci-fi is an over-done genre. There’s only so much more that can be said that wasn’t in Gattaca, Logan’s Run, Metropolis, and Spaceballs.* Wah wah wah, Big Brother is out to get me, too much government control, bureaucracies everywhere, blah blah.
*“Say goodbye to your two best friends, and I don't mean your pals in the Winnebago.”
I think this genre has it all wrong. Who cares if the government is all-knowing, all-repressive, and can’t get anything right? We’re one third of the way there as it is – more depending on your viewpoint. And at least in these movies, there’s a job for everyone in government. I’d be employed! (Never mind that it would be a do-nothing job with no hope of advancement. I have an MBA. I know the business world is like that in real life too.) And the future has pretty cool gadgets, like an alarm clock that makes my morning coffee and toast. Funny, I don’t have that, but I do have more processing power in my cell phone than Terry Gilliam’s “future” in Brazil has in the entire world.
I guess what I’m saying is, I could really go for some burnt, coffee-drenched toast when I wake up. And I don’t want to have to make it myself. Is that too much to ask for?
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