10 Worst Tropes in Dystopian Fiction

HelloOoOo everybody!

A while back, I asked you guys which genre you wanted me to rant about next, and dystopian won in a landslide. You guys have some issues with this genre, and I can't say that I'm surprised. Now, to be honest, dystopian used to be one of my favorite genres, both in literature and in movies. (Soylent Green is people!)

Then, somewhere along the way, shit started to get really, really repetitive. This ultimately led to the current slump in dystopian fiction. I'm sure it'll pick up again, all genres go through this from time to time. But while we're here, we might as well bitch about it.

Quick disclaimer: When most people hear dystopian fiction, they think about young adult books. Young adult kinda took the genre and ran with it. So while I will be touching on shitty young adult dystopian tropes, I'm going to be talking about the genre as a whole.

“You mean dystopian books exist outside of YA?”

I know, it's shocking!

Additionally, trigger warning: I will be discussing sexual assault in point Number 7 of this post. If you don't want to read it, skip over that point and you'll be good to go.

This video is sponsored by Skillshare. As always, all opinions are my own.

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Number 1: Random Teens Save Society

We can't talk about shitty dystopian tropes without mentioning this one first. I have no problem with a well-done chosen one. I also have no problem with teenagers saving the day. But it at least has to make a modicum of sense. If a random teenager is chosen to save the world from a government run by capable adults and corporations, I'm gonna be skeptical. How is it that this government that's been in place for hundreds of years is so easily overthrown by this one child who can't even decide which guy they like better? You can't pick a boyfriend, but your entire community is counting on you to dismantle the most powerful and capable leadership created within your lifetime. Sounds real!

Number 2: Factions

Divisions of people have lasted for centuries. They've been called tribes, countries, provinces, castes, whatever. What's irritating is when these groups of people are divided by random characteristics that hold no logic to the story whatsoever. The Sporty people live here, but the Nice people live here and the Pretty people live here. Why is society dividing people up in this arbitrary manner? How does it benefit them at all?

Oh, we're not supposed to question it? I get it. Reading and thinking don't happen simultaneously. Duh! It's not hard to provide an explanation for why society works a certain way. In fact, it’s probably the most basic component of dystopian fiction. If you skip over that altogether, this might not be the genre for you.

Number 3: We Get It, You Built a World

Dystopian writers give sci-fi and fantasy nerds a run for their money. Chapters upon chapters of world-building! If your society is this hard to explain, maybe it's time to simplify. We don't need the entire history of how your world got to this place. Unless it's relevant to the story at hand, cut it. I know some people really enjoy long descriptions of compounds and materials, and the square footage of a closet. I am not one of those people. I picked up this book to read a story. I don't give a shit about your square footage.

Number 4: Sheer Misery

If there's one genre that's written to bum you out, it's dystopian. Also, contemporary, but we'll touch on that another time. Dystopian is filled with so much sadness, that I feel like I have to up my meds just to get through it. And look, I get it. Stories thrive on conflict. I'm a ruthless narrator. I fuck my characters up. But lighthearted scenes make the heavier moments that much more impactful. A little bit of joy not only makes the story fun to read but also makes the death and drama effective. If your book is misery all the way through, it's just depressing and bland. Oh! Another person died. I am not remotely invested or surprised at all.

Number 5: Bland Is the New Sexy

She's plain. She's ordinary. She's dirty and unbathed. Her hair is wild, and don't get me started on the freckles. But let me tell you about the boys who are madly in love with her! So much so that they're willing to sacrifice their dignity in order to seek her approval. Where were these boys when I was in high school? Because those boys were all over the girls with the titties. And I'm not saying that bland women don't deserve love. I'm just saying that mobs of men don't clamor to fuck a dish rag. And the boys in these books are tall, muscular, and hunky…and she's still a dish rag. Really laying the wish fulfillment on thick, aren’t ya?

Number 6: Everyone Hates the Government?

How the hell is the government in power, then? At the end of the day, the government is a small group of people compared to the masses it controls. Additionally, the government made this system for a reason, right? It has to benefit someone. Otherwise, are we just expected to assume that government officials are sitting in their offices, twirling their handlebar mustaches while laughing ominously? “I'm pure evil, for no reason at all. Mwahahaha!”

Number 7: Gratuitous Sexual Assault

Unnecessary sexual assault happens in a lot of genres. It's very prevalent in paranormal and fantasy, where it is often painted as desirable and sexy. People are the worst and I hate them! Dystopian fiction at least paints sexual assault as actual assault. So, I'll give it props there. But there are other ways to show that society is trash besides graphic rape scenes. And I've yet to read a situation where the victim wasn't a woman. Men suffer from sexual assault, as well. You know that, right? And while male sexual assault is underrepresented to the point of it being detrimental, female sexual assault is overrepresented to the point of it being fetishized. We can do better.

Number 8: “Look Mom, I Can Fight!”

He was just a regular teenager the other day, but now he's a ninja. How? Shhh. You’re not supposed to ask questions! One of the things I love about sci-fi and fantasy is that there's technology and magic to explain away crazy abilities. This person learned to fight in a day because of magic or their cybernetic arm. Dystopian doesn't have this excuse. So if someone can suddenly fight, no one's gonna buy it. You need to train them. I'm sorry. You don't have to show it on the page. You can put it in their backstory. But for the love of God, give us something.

Number 9: Someone Grab a Swiffer

Why are dystopian societies so dirty? Everything is a wasteland or a desert or ruins. No one bathes. No one wears nice clothing. But they sure do wear a lot of cargo pants! You're telling me that this evil government created a society just so that no one can have running water? The best dystopian novels I've read were ones where society seemed relatively normal on the outside. There were fashion trends. There were towns and communities. People didn't smell. And I understand when the lower class doesn't have access to these things, or maybe the world is so overpopulated that everything's a dumpster fire. I'm just not understanding why dirt and grime have become a dystopian staple, even in situations where it doesn't make any societal sense.

Number 10: Zombies

Why is it that so many dystopian novels I stumble across are about zombies? Really? That's all you got? I have no problem admitting that I'm speaking from a place of bias. Zombies are just not my jam. But oh my God, there are so many dystopian zombie stories! Think of something else! Lots of writers try to pretend that they're not zombies by calling them something new and different. The creepers. The screamers. The undead. They're zombies. No one's fooled. You can ignore this point if you love zombies. Knock yourself out! I'm just dying for something different. Please. I beg you!

(And yes, I know zombies are usually in post-apocalyptic novels, but I see variations of them in dystopian novels too!)

So that's all I've got for you today!

Today's rant is sponsored by my favorite online learning platform, Skillshare. Skillshare is great for writers because it was designed specifically for creators. It has 1,000s of classes all about entrepreneurial skills for creators, so you can turn what you're passionate about into a business. I’ve taken tons of classes on Skillshare covering web design, blogging, and mailing lists, but you can also take classes on Skillshare about creative writing, outlining, or even drawing and painting.

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*This post is sponsored by Skillshare. As always, all opinions are my own.

#tropetalk #CyborgQueen #JennaMoreci

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