The Social Split Between TV and Movie Dystopias
In her article “In a Hell, but in It Together: The Social Split Between TV and Movie Dystopias,” Alessandra Stanley discusses the apocalyptic genre phenomenon that has swept both the television and movie industries, and yet how these platforms differ from one another all due to one theme. In a post-apocalyptic world, it would seem class distinction would be the least of people’s worries what with survival spearheading every decision. Yet, as Stanley notes, while this may be true of television shows such as “The Walking Dead,” social stratification plays a huge role in film.
Hollywood loves to depict a class divide in all its dystopian movies. Films such as “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent” are built on the themes of authoritarian governments and strict class divisions, and viewers usually follow the story from the point of view of the oppressed lower class. Bring “The Walking Dead” into play, where every character is on equal footing in the eyes of zombies and enemies alike, and the thematic contrast is a stark one. The only semblance of a government in the show existed under the totalitarian rule of the antagonistic Governor, and even then there was no upper versus lower class struggle. Other shows such as “Z Nation” or “In the Flesh,” which explore a variety of post-apocalyptic societies, also choose to deal with the humanity (or lack thereof) of an individual rather than using the end of the world to explore more class conflict.
The argument does exist that television prefers to show the world in the midst of the apocalypse while movies tend to show an aged society that has been in place for decades after the apocalypse has occurred. Perhaps, given time, the world of “The Walking Dead,” as well as that of other dystopian shows, will develop a new government under which class distinctions will settle firmly into place. However, there is still a difference in which aspect of dystopia Hollywood and the television industry choose to show us.
If, as Stanley states, the audiences for both platforms are the same, what is creating this difference? Is the Hollywood industry trying to critique a system they themselves capitalize from in order to appease the masses, or are films driven by their own fears of subjugation now that television is posing a threat to the movie industry? Regardless of motivation, a contrast between what these two mediums explore truly does exist, and it is more prevalent in our culture than we may be aware of.
