#dystopedia

Obey and Consume: The Dystopia of They Live

In this episode, we slip on the sunglasses and see the world as it really is in John Carpenter’s They Live — a cult classic that mashes up anti-capitalist dystopia with cheesy one-liners and 80s action flair. We break down the film’s sharp social commentary on consumerism, class control, and media manipulation, all wrapped in the glorious absurdity of a B-grade sci-fi beatdown.

From six-minute alley fights to secret alien cabals, They Live might just be the smartest dumb movie ever made. Tune in as we explore what makes this film a timeless piece of rebellious pulp cinema.

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This week we looked at Orwell’s Animal Farm and how power reshapes every ideal it touches. The dream of equality became hierarchy. The revolution became routine. It reminded us that no system is immune to human nature and that the first betrayal always starts with self-interest.

Next week we move from the corruption of politics to the control of biology. Gattaca imagines a world where destiny is written in your DNA and perfection replaces humanity itself.

From the farm to the future, the question stays the same. Who really decides what makes us human?

The revolution promised equality. It delivered hierarchy.

This week on Dystopedia, we return to George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the fable that turned politics into parable and revealed how power reshapes every ideal it touches.

From Orwell’s years in Burma and Spain to the rise of propaganda and control, we trace how a simple story about animals became one of the most enduring warnings of the twentieth century.

“The Farm That Became a Fable”

This Thursday, we’re heading back to the farm. Not just any farm, but the one that promised equality and ended up with pigs in suits.

George Orwell’s Animal Farm isn’t just a fable about animals rebelling against their masters. It’s a story about what happens when revolution forgets its purpose, when ideals curdle into control. Orwell saw it all firsthand, from Burma’s empire to Spain’s battlefields, and he turned that experience into one of the most powerful warnings of the twentieth century.

In this week’s episode, we trace how his life shaped the story, how utopia became hierarchy, and why the farm still looks uncomfortably familiar today.

🕯️ Sunday Reflections — From When the Wind Blows to Animal Farm

“They followed every rule, and it still wasn’t enough.”

Our episode on When the Wind Blows left us thinking about trust, routine, and what happens when faith in authority becomes fatal. Jim and Hilda did everything they were told, and that obedience, once a virtue, became their undoing.

Next week, we shift from blind faith to revolutionary zeal with Animal Farm. From the innocent victims of government orders to the animals who believe they can build a better world, only to find the same power structures waiting for them.

☢️ When the Wind Blows — Out Now

“They survived the blast. But not the system.”

Our latest episode of Dystopedia explores Raymond Briggs’ heartbreaking Cold War animation When the Wind Blows (1986). Matt and Andrew unpack how ordinary people became casualties of faith and routine, and how a generation’s trust in authority met the nuclear age head-on.

☢️ Tomorrow on Dystopedia

“They thought the Blitz spirit could survive the bomb.”

Tomorrow’s episode dives into When the Wind Blows (1986), Raymond Briggs’ deceptively gentle Cold War tragedy. Matt and Andrew unpack how an era built on nostalgia and government trust led to one of the most quietly devastating animated films ever made.

🕊️ When the Wind Blows — This Thursday on Dystopedia

“It’s childlike and comforting, until you realise what’s coming next.”

This week, Matt and Andrew revisit Raymond Briggs’ haunting 1986 animation When the Wind Blows, a film that looks innocent at first glance but slowly becomes one of the bleakest anti-nuclear stories ever told. They dive into naive optimism, blind trust in government, and the illusion of safety in a world on the brink of nuclear war.