why are utopian musings frowned upon by the masses?

Question

if you have an idea of a better world, people call you an idealist, or just say you're an idiot... "that could never happen" is a favorite of saying of many people.

if no one ever has the idea that, say, there are enough resources on the planet for everyone to live comfortably, and not have to slave away behind a desk all day, and that if humans were a little more cooperative, everyone could pretty much just sit around and do art for most of their lives- is it possible for it to happen?

Answer 1

For most people, "Utopian musings" means some effete snob expects to be supported while having drug induced dreams, while they do the work.

Answer 2

While such utopian musings might point to an improvement for the majority, the fact is that those same ideas would upset the status quo, likely not to the benefit of the elite. Additionally, resource expenditure would likely be shifted from the backs of the wealthy to the backs of the working class.

It would be nice to make things better for more people. Remember, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Answer 3

Of course your view is entirely possible.

Think back to the mid sixties, when everyone in the US was at each others' throats with the civil rights movement, womens' movement, gay rights movement, Cold War, Vietnam War, the War on Poverty, and protests against corporate America.

Gene Roddenberry had a vision of his version of Utopia, and he put it on TV as Star Trek.

He solved all the problems by even CREATING a future--we all thought nuclear armageddon was a heartbeat away! He showed that women had equal rights, professionals respected each other, science and space travel did not get drowned out by religious fanatics, and he even invented the Prime Directive--the crew of the Enterprise was not to interfere with civilizations they encountered.

Go back and look at that show. About 70% of the futuristic inventions (except, of course, getting beamed up) have been put on the market, from the automatically opening doors to the flip-top communicators.

So don't be afraid! Dream your dreams, and please create your world vision--I'd love to live in it!

Answer 4

It's a shame that "Star Trek" in all it's incarnations is no longer on the air. You could write episodes for them. You could talk all you want about that wonderful, idyllic future in which currency-based economics has been abolished (from the planet Earth). Go right ahead and keep on thinking about that idealism. And talk about.

Then you be the first one to suggest HOW to actually create it.

Answer 5

we live in a media-driven society where we are bombarded with news of terrorism, shootings, rape, poverty, natural disasters...

result: we are over-protective, gullible, pessimistic

it's unrealistic to expect all the humans in the world to "cooperate" with eachother and do art all day. what if i don't like art? besides, if we sat around all day, we'd get nothing done. societal structures would collapse, morals would be abolished, people would stop showering...
and our world would end up shittier than it is now, but there'd be no media coverage, so we'd be living in denial.
i'm good with being pessimistic, thanks.