Dystopian Critique
IMG_8231.MOVAudio Description
The Dystopian Reality of
"The Minority Report"
A dystopia can be defined as a real or imagined societal construct characterized by oppressive conditions, injustice, and an unrestrained patriarchy which leaves its citizens/members to face constraints on their own freedom and well-being. A dystopia is the inversion of a utopia, which Merriam-Webster defines as, “a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions.” This means that a dystopia would be a place of imperfection in the laws, government, and social conditions. Encompassing societal decay and dehumanizing actions that transforms its society into a living hell. These adverse conditions are usually determined by an authoritarian figure who tries to suppress autonomy and individuality in order to manipulate its citizens.The authoritarian figure utilizes fear and harm to promote widespread suffering. The citizens usually face strict controls over most aspects of their lives.
Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan
In Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, he eludes that citizens must be willing to give up certain rights in exchange for the government's sovereign protection. He explains that individualism is good until a man meets an enemy or threat with great enough power to overthrow him, this is why all men will need others to stand beside them. In the dystopian world of "The Minority Report," the citizens of their society have to give up their personal privacy and free will in order to be protected by the PreCrime technological advancements. These individuals give up their autonomy in hopes of preventing crime. This is similar to Thomas Hobbes' exchange of freedom for order. However, there are downsides to of relying solely on precogs majority report.
Sigmund Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents
In Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents, he describes that societal norms cause people to suppress or repress their most powerful instincts in order to be a part of a functioning society. The societal expectations dictate how individuals will behavior, leading to a repression of innate desires. In the "Minority Report", the precog mutants, act as an omnipotent gaze over the people. This allowed the government to enforce conformity onto their citizens and they punish anyone who deviation from the norm with criminal activity. Regardless, of if it's a petty crime like robbing someone or a heinous crime like killing someone. Once they are expected to deviate, they are detained immediately. This alone will cause the citizens to suppress any thought of criminal activity.
Michel Foucault's Panopticism
Panopticism is defined as a system in which the belief that we as citizens are being watched, and this forces us to behave "properly". In relation to Foucault's perspective of panopticism, The "Minority Report" illustrates a society that is under constant precognitive surveillance. Every move of their citizens is scrutinized in their panoptic environment where they monitored through the predictive abilities of the precogs and surveillance cameras. Their government utilizes this advanced PreCrime technology to have a panoptic gaze over its citizens. This means that the citizens are forced into behaving in order to avoid being arrested for crimes they haven't committed. These citizens sacrifice their free will and privacy in order to have the governments protection against criminals. The threat of PreCrime intervention uses fear to prevent individuals from deviating from their societal norms.