Is fiction really all that fictional?
One of my favorite book series is the Unwind series by Neal Shusterman. This series discusses a futuristic dystopia, where abortion has been outlawed in favor of Unwinding, a medical process done to unruly, misbehaving teenagers. They are surgically divided, and each part of their body and brain is used to help others. There are many more complexities within the series, but that's the main idea. In this dystopia, abortion lead to a huge civil war, known as the Heartland war, and eventually a compromise was reached that made no one happy. Although it seems crazy, this fictional dystopia is actually a logical progression of where we are now regarding abortion rights.
Currently, abortion rights are a hotly debated topic, from editorials, to news articles and clips, and everyone seems o have an opinion. Although the series is targeted towards teens, it shows exactly what can happen when these debates can't be refereed any longer. So many other dystopian books show exactly what can happen when we don't figure out an effective compromise to solve our social divisions. In the Selection series we see class distinctions progressing a bit to far, in the Hunger Games, violence is overused to establish control, and in the Uglies, beauty is valued above all else. All of these dystopian novels have been becoming more and more popular, and personally, I feel that this is due to the fact that we have been able to identify more with these dystopian stories, as we see where they could actually come true from our society. Although we don't often think of the books we read as media, they are, and especially now, when more of these books are being turned into movies, (think the Hunger Games or Divergent), or TV shows, like the Handmaids Tale. I think that these teen dystopian books shouldn't be just for teens, as everyone, especially politicians and other adults could greatly benefit from seeing where our society could possibly go if we don't watch out.
Fictional TV shows, movies, and books can provide a new window into how our society works and changes, which may help us change it for the better.
Currently, abortion rights are a hotly debated topic, from editorials, to news articles and clips, and everyone seems o have an opinion. Although the series is targeted towards teens, it shows exactly what can happen when these debates can't be refereed any longer. So many other dystopian books show exactly what can happen when we don't figure out an effective compromise to solve our social divisions. In the Selection series we see class distinctions progressing a bit to far, in the Hunger Games, violence is overused to establish control, and in the Uglies, beauty is valued above all else. All of these dystopian novels have been becoming more and more popular, and personally, I feel that this is due to the fact that we have been able to identify more with these dystopian stories, as we see where they could actually come true from our society. Although we don't often think of the books we read as media, they are, and especially now, when more of these books are being turned into movies, (think the Hunger Games or Divergent), or TV shows, like the Handmaids Tale. I think that these teen dystopian books shouldn't be just for teens, as everyone, especially politicians and other adults could greatly benefit from seeing where our society could possibly go if we don't watch out.
Fictional TV shows, movies, and books can provide a new window into how our society works and changes, which may help us change it for the better.
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