Welcome to the first issue of “Archive 405 By The Writer’s Group.” The theme of our first volume was intended to be a smack-down fight to the death: utopia versus dystopia! Personally, I was rooting for utopia. At the very least, I’d settle for feeling mildly pleased at least once a day, but I wanted set the bar higher. It’s utopia all the way for me: no more poverty, no more war, no more ignorance, and no more prejudice. Everybody with me; everybody equally good-looking and entertaining. In this world, I would be sipping champagne by the sea all afternoon, and dancing under the stars all night. Foot-loose and fancy-free, me. And, not a zombie in sight.
But, that’s not to everybody’s taste, it seems. We have noticed that there is a distinct thread of dystopian obsession in the zeitgeist in recent years, and we were wondering: “What is up with that?”
While the baby boomers strove for utopia and Gen-Xers pursued the yuppie dream, the Millennial generation seems to revel in a dark, dystopian haze. In recent years, movies, television shows, popular novels, and even some of the fine arts have increasingly featured a wide variety of dystopian characters and themes, including zombies, vampires, other assorted monsters, torture porn, natural and supernatural disasters, government cover-ups, and the rise of the machines. Even fashion, with its steam-punk, leather warrior princesses, and gothic-inspired attire, is in on this game. Underlying this dystopian theme is an assumption that the world is coming to an end soon—and, if we tank the environment to the point of no return, this could actually be the case. In other words, we’re (probably) doomed. And so it has turned out that this first edition of Archive 405 has been mostly an exploration of dystopia. After several editorial meetings, I realized that we did not have one piece that featured utopia. I suppose a perfect world is just not as entertaining. I get that. However, we were missing out on a lot of opportunities here. After all, there is some good in the world left. Is there not? We may not live in a utopia, but I can think of a dozen things off the top of my head that are forces for good in my humble opinion, including chocolate, hand-crafted beer, and a really good kiss (if one is lucky enough to get one). Finally, I intervened and did a piece on dance as a force for good in the world.
Ultimately, until we have survived the zombie apocalypse and utopia has settled in for once and for all—as I am hoping for— we have plenty to entertain us, so enjoy Vol. 1 of Archive 405! Lisa Montagne, Ed.D. Editor-in-Chief
