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Dystopia-Ignorance Is Not Bliss

Decent Essays

Ignorance is Not Bliss
Humans go through life with the goal of living to their highest potential, or living in a utopia. A utopia is an ideal community in which the citizens attempt to live their lives to their highest values (Sreenivasan). While utopias may be desirable, there are very few places that qualify as genuine utopias. Leaders trick their citizens into believing that they are living in a perfect society, when in reality, there are many faults in their society. In both 1984 and the city of Dubai, the leaders deceive the citizens by hiding the dystopian traits of their societies. A dystopia is a miserable society in which people are under constant societal control (¨Dictionary.com¨). Utopias become dystopias when the citizens …show more content…

Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates that is commonly perceived as a utopia because it is characterized by wealth and luxury. A citizen who falls into the trap of the utopian illusion claims, “Dubai is portrayed as a place where wealth is accessible and instantaneous. It is the modern day version of the American Dream, and a place where one’s wealth can be multiplied at an unprecedented rate” (Dubai: Where Utopia Meets Dystopia). This citizen has a false sense of reality because he is attracted to the idea of wealth that Dubai portrays. The reputation of wealth in Dubai also attracts tourists and businesses seeking success. Syed Ali, a researcher who spent time in Dubai explains, “Dubai has morphed from being a Middle Eastern/Indian Ocean regional city into a global megalopolis, a primary destination for companies, migrant workers and tourists on the ‘New Silk Road’ ” (Ali). The idea of the “New Silk Road” shows that companies perceive Dubai as a place where they can work to their fullest potential and earn the money they think they deserve. Dubai is also known to have religious independence, which the citizens perceive as freedom. Since the wealth, luxury, and freedom offered in Dubai are desirable, people commonly mistake it for a utopia, when in reality, there are many concerning issues in the city of …show more content…

The fact that Dubai is a manmade island proves that the natural world was banished. On top of the artificial land, Dubai is known for its excess wealth, causing citizens to fear the outside world (Ali). Because these people live everyday of their lives living the dream in Dubai, the idea of reality frightens them. They have difficulty understanding the fact that the rest of the world does not have the benefits that they take advantage of everyday, including excess wealth and luxury. Due to the wealth in Dubai, the city is under bureaucratic control and extensive security is necessary in order to avoid theft (Ali). The bureaucracy and surveillance demonstrate additional dystopian characteristics in Dubai. While these issues may be clear to the rest of the world, the citizens in Dubai are blinded by their false sense of reality, which restricts them from realizing the presence of dystopian traits in their

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