America: On the Path to Utopia or Cyberpunk?

As I sat and listened to multiple political science essays in the last few weeks of my Honors Colloquium class, some essential concepts really stuck out to me and resonated in my mind. The idea of a utopian society that was brought forth in class got me thinking of how our world would be like today if we adopted some utopian methods of living. In America we are very blessed to live in the land of opportunity yet we are always focused on what is the next and best opportunity for us to seize. The American people have grown accustomed to a fast paced living, never stopping to look around at the beauty of nature that surrounds them or share a smile with a stranger. We are always on to the next best thing and we forget to appreciate the aspects of human life that really matter. If we as a people decided to change our patterns of everyday living we could make America more than the land of the free and opportunity. If we connected with a utopian lifestyle, we might find ourselves actually enjoying life or maybe we will discover utopia isn’t the right choice for the direction of our country’s future. Either way in this paper, I am going to introduce the key elements of a utopian society and also another society that I think represents where America is heading today and into the future. A utopia is a community or society possessing highly desirable or perfect qualities. Utopia can be seen as an imaginary society of sorts because it does require a sense of perfection, and we all know perfection is impossible to achieve. Many utopian socialists have chosen to accept this imaginary society as the realistic blueprint for a working nation. In order to fully achieve a true utopian society aggression, war, hate, and crime must be surpassed while establishing peaceful and orderly communities. Individuality is the prime enemy of utopian societies and that is where the concept I vs. We comes into play. The I represents the individual unique and independent thinking of the person in the human race. As long as humans remain unique in their way of thinking a utopian society remains a mere fantasy. Even though a real, true utopian society seems to be out of reach, we can still adopt a utopian-like state. In order to do so, the individual spirit must be oppressed in order to satisfy the We as a whole community. This brings up the question do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? I am torn when it comes to adopting a utopian style of life because although I do believe that too many opinions of the individual can bring forth confusion and rebellion I do think taking away the persons own right to think and feel whatever they want is wrong. Is there a balance between the two? If not, is it worth it to sacrifice your own personal individuality for the good of the state? In contrast to a utopian society, another political concept brought up in one of the academic essays is the post-modern science fiction genre called Cyberpunk. Cyberpunk represents technology as a downfall to human society and also depicts a degree of breakdown or radical change in the social order. Cyberpunk plots often center on a conflict among hackers, artificial intelligences, and mega corporations, and tend to be set in a near-future Earth. Lawrence Person is quoted, "Classic cyberpunk characters were marginalized, alienated loners who lived on the edge of society in generally dystopic futures where daily life was impacted by rapid technological change, an ubiquitous datasphere of computerized information, and invasive modification of the human body." Corporations become the most powerful in society, not people. There is a question of ethics or lack there of in Cyberpunk societies raising the question can technology take the place of God? Cyberpunk depicts the world as a dark, sinister place with networked computers dominating every aspect of life. Huge, multinational corporations have taken the place of government, encompassing the political, economical and military powers of the state. Computer hackers play the protagonist in cyberpunk society and a certain computer hacker called Anonymous is relevant in present day society in America. Anonymous finds out scandals brought on by the government and informs the people of their rights and how the government is trying to take them away. A term symianic overload is derived from cyberpunk society, which basically states too much communication. When technology starts to take the place of human interaction, is there is a problem? Cyberpunk is the polar opposite of utopia and yet neither of these types of society seems to be successful in dealing with the happiness of its people. In researching and learning about these two types of societies I have recognized that America today maybe be evolving more into a cyberpunk reality than a utopian. Technology is getting bigger and bigger in America with the inventions of smart phones and face time and even 3D printers. If we continue to let technology take more and more province in our lives, we might find ourselves completely devoid of real face-to-face human interaction. All in all, my first Honors essay at Kent has taught me that being informed of other cultures and ways of life can help me understand my own culture in America. This class is teaching me to not only read information but to really understand the concept it is portraying and apply it to my own life. I am learning to relate the essays and papers we talk about in class to my own situation so that I can earn a greater sense of understanding. I don’t want to just be on the outside looking in, or even on the inside looking out. I want to be in the direct center looking all around me and absorbing all I read and hear.