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[Alternative systems](alternative systems) are possible. Presented with alternatives in narrative/artistic/fictional form as well as real examples and plans, people are better equipped to enact social change.

many genres eg horror and dramatic realism are very good at negative realities and possible dystopias and these are important, but movements aren’t sustained on negative momentum alone - people need something to strive for
sci-fi is the realm that best captures the contrast of dystopia and utopia, offering far-flung alternatives with radical implications
but realist alternatives are lacking. gently optimistic narratives in short supply
even attempts at ‘good news’ programming can feel saccharine
the best of this I’ve seen is in the form of the ‘case study’ of existing movements, projects and activists that are making positive changes in the here and now, or of repeatable processes by which people can accelerate the growth of more equitable systems
Political art and radical art can also be very impactful in these areas
media that is otherwise realist, negative or naive in worldview can often address some angle of real-world injustice, bringing some small slice of utopia - any depicted better world, no matter how trivial, can be impactful
- consider for example an incredibly downbeat BBC drama whose protagonist uses a wheelchair, set in an old English village full of locations that are inexplicably entirely accessible to them
- this could’ve happened due to ignorance to its unlikelihood, happenstance of location, catering to the actor’s needs, or as a deliberate cry for wheelchair accessibility
- but regardless of reason, the imagined world has been created.
- for a viewer who uses a wheelchair and laments about the accessibility of old buildings, they’ve stumbled across some hope, and for them this show can be a utopia, despite other plots and moods that are melancholy and depressing.
  - (there’s a link here to ‘impact over intention’, interestingly)
- they could go on to advocate for this very thing with the armament of the media depiction.
so, any concrete depiction of better worlds/systems/ideas in any medium can be crucial to aiming someone’s sights at it
and unfortunately the opposite can also be true with satirical dystopias backfiring
- eg Squid Game inspired several real life competitions with huge monetary prizes (without the outright massacre of the original, but still with the horrifically exploitative and dangerous nature of playing with the lives of desperate people)
progress and innovation
what we can imagine, who gets to see through their plans
sci-fi shorts as experimental exploratory alternative futures

Mentions

“The future is already here. It’s just not very evenly distributed.”– William Gibson (quoted by)
“to capture one’s imagination – […] not only inspires, but also detains attention and imagination, orchestrates it, and delimits the possibility to imagine differently.” (Smolicki, 2017)

circularity

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just transitions

Necessary shifts in economics and political structures may come with costs that are frequent talking points for detractors. Commonly there are actually simple, ecological and humanistic answers to these problems. It is essential that transitions are thoughtful and considerate of a wide range of demands, providing justice for everyone involved.

clearest example: green transitions commonly argued against due to loss of jobs in traditional heavy/fuel industries eg oil, coal, steel.
in a just, green transition, these issues are a primary factor, intertwined with the move to cleaner fuels, rather than an afterthought
eg re-education, compensation, funding of green projects that produce jobs, reducing numbers of works gradually.
bringing everyone together into a greener future, not leaving people behind.