conformist dystopia theme
There is a bleak society in which there is very little diversity because, one way or the other, people are prevented from developing their own distinctiveness. There may, for example, be an oppressive government that persecutes deviants, or there may be some other social institution that makes people conform. It may be that people must conform in appearance, way of acting, way of thinking, or all three.
Examples
In tz1959e5x17 "Number 12 Looks Just Like You", we saw a society wherein everyone upon reaching adulthood were required to undergo a surgical alteration to transform them into one of a limited preset of physically perfect models. The procedure clearly affects the mind as well, and is likely maintained by a remote government in order to maintain conformity and order.
5 total · 2 choice · 3 major
| Story | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| movie: The Invasion (2007) | choice | The alien virus controlled people were endeavoring to make a world devoid of individual desire and interpersonal conflict in which everyone is somehow harmoniously linked in a humanity encompassing hive mind. |
| tz1959e5x17 | choice | The society in this story made everybody the same by making everyone very physically attractive. |
| movie: Body Snatchers (1993) | major | The pod people were endeavoring to make a world devoid of individual desire and interpersonal conflict. This manner of conformity they contended was the only solution to the world's manifold problems. |
| movie: Equilibrium (2002) | major | The story is set in a future totalitarian city-state in which people were made to lead virtually identical lives, individual expression was harshly discouraged, and sameness and unity trumpeted as the highest ideals. |
| movie: The Island (2005) | major | The clones of the isolated compound in which the film is largely set were governed by a strict set of conformity inducing rules, such as everyone having to wear identical white jumpsuits. |