Comment: Dystopia v the World

Thursday 05 October 2017

Smart, succesful, sophisticated and so far, single, Fenella Bond is living the life of a 21st century professional woman in Jersey. This month in Connect magazine, she writes about dystopia, North Korea and the power of hope.

"When you're too much of a realist to believe in utopia, hope could be the best defence against dystopia.

"There's a novel by Cormac McCarthy called ‘The Road.’ It tells the story of a man trying to cross the wasteland of post-apocalyptic America with his young son. Finding food and clean water is a struggle in the stinking, burnt remains of the world's 'greatest' nation. They encounter harsh elements, and harsher people – cannibals – but also, eventually, kindness.

"When I read the book several years ago on a flight from the US I was both drawn and repelled by the images of desolation. If I'd given up reading mid-flight, downed another G&T and flicked on a rom-com, I'd have missed the enduring messages of the book – the stupidity of man and the horror of what we are capable of doing to the planet, and to other people, offset by the glimmer of hope - the thought no matter how bad things seem, there's always the possibility they can get better. 

"Instead I missed 75 minutes watching Cameron Diaz, or possibly Reece Witherspoon, goof their way though a few shopping trips, softball games, and lame jokes, but still end up living happy ever after, in film land utopia with Brad Pitt, or possibly Jude Law. 

"We strive, and hopefully survive. And indeed, the same is true with the planet.

"The recent hurricanes that devastated the Caribbean and Gulf coast of America are dreadful. Yet, there is the underlying possibility these 'acts of nature' make sense. Extreme weather is a symptom of climate change. And who caused climate change? Well, it clearly wasn't the climate change deniers in America, who are still focused on coal, even if it is 'cleaner'; it wasn't the nations of the north, who are opening up the Arctic to drill for oil; it wasn't the multinationals in Indonesia and Brazil, who burn down rainforests and murder orangutans to make way for palm oil plantations; it wasn't the British commuters who sit on crowded roads in metal boxes, radios on listening to how the world is being destroyed; it wasn't the Chinese, polluting the world as they moved through communism to capitalism; it wasn't the French and Germans, manufacturing goods consumers wanted during their great industrial ages; it wasn't him; it wasn't her; it wasn't you; it wasn't me.

 "It's interesting how the two biggest perceived threats at the moment – severe weather and the possibility of nuclear strikes from North Korea, are two catastrophic scenarios most of us feel equally powerless about.

 "The North Korea situation has three key players; Kim Jong Un, Donald Trump, and the Chinese government. Interestingly, 'everyone' i.e. political commentators, seems to blame lack of progress on the Chinese. “They could stop trading with North Korea”, they say, “ramp up the pressure.” Hello. When has China made up its foreign policy on the basis of what western journalists and politicians say? And perhaps this is something we should be grateful for. Over the past few decades while the USA, UK, and many other countries have been sucked into the mess of the Middle East, China has remained silent on the military front; stealthily protecting itself by creating tech the rest of the world has come to rely on, by buying huge amounts of the world's natural resources through investing in mineral and mining companies in Africa and Australia, and by educating its people so they have the cyber and commercial skills to do whatever the country needs.

"Diplomacy is a dance, which requires stamina, skills, and perfect timing. This long-term planning, and calm, consistent approach, makes me suspect China is probably the best bet in the love triangle – that they have a better grasp of maintaining stability than North Korea or America. We can all hope that with careful management the situation in North Korea will be contained, although it could end up being harder to deal with than the greatest storms.

"Hope is people who can think rationally and tackle great problems in the long term interests of society, who can rise above the clamour of 'me, me, me', of snatching the world's resources for their own particular group of supporters, like toddlers trying to grab the best toys.

"Hope is people who work in war zones for organisations such as Medecins Sans Frontieres, who sacrifice personal safety to help those from all sides of conflict, in desperate medical need.

"Hope is journalists such as Marie Colvin and James Foley, and other members of the media who stay when they should go: martyred for freedom of speech and a desire to tell the truth.

"Hope is people who look at different sides of an argument before making a judgement, who look for accurate information and who take the time to consider it properly instead of taking an easy view.

"Hope is people who keep trying to make the world better, no matter how bleak it might seem, and who have faith in other people doing the same.

"After a storm, when the rain clouds pass, and the sky is clear, we have a moment of relief, the possibility of renewal, and the chance of redemption.

"10 years after the global financial crisis, world economies are back on track. House prices in the Channel Islands and the UK are, on the whole, back to the same levels pre-financial crash. And in some areas, such as London, they are a huge amount more. Recent employment figures show more people in the UK are in employment than at any time on record. And, the banks may even be starting to put up interest rates – good news for savers, and a factored-in rise for most people with mortgages. 

"And the world is even starting to forgive the bankers. Banks have been reigned in with regulation after regulation. The days of big bonus excess are long gone, and the average banker is now more likely to be spotted helping out on charity projects than spraying champagne over naked girls in lap dancing clubs. Mother has spoken. The children have listened. The world, in this sense at least, is a better place.

"Just as the world came through the financial crisis, it will get through the climate crisis, and all the diplomatic crises. We just need to think straight, remain engaged, and be prepared to take some difficult decisions if we want to ensure dystopia remains a figment of fiction. 

Read more from Fenella Bond in each month's Connect magazine. Click for the latest edition.