Thursday, September 14, 2023

What is a perfect society?

The franchise of The Walking Dead follows survivors of a civilization ending event. On their quest to find a new life they encounter other survivors and sometimes they come across a community. All founded by idealistic people who want 'the perfect society': either based on communist, fascist or capitalistic ('As it once was') principles. Of course the leaders of those communities all get frustrated because they all fail. 

We can't have a perfect society because everyone has a different opinion on what 'perfect' is.

Never ever has a perfect society been one in which a group or several groups are excluded from society. Because a society can't be perfect when it's only perfect for one single group but not for women, slaves, people of colour, people with not much money, Irish, Jews, Protestants, people from the LGHBTQIA+-community, refugees...

Societies in which certain groups are supressed can never be perfect. Not even for those who don't belong to any of those groups. Or only think they do. Because the danger always lurks that the group they belong to is next to be excluded from (participating in parts of) society.

Everyone belongs to several groups: male, white, heterosexual, working class, Netflix-addicts...it's impossible to name every single group that exists. Do you live in a society where certain groups don't have the same rights as the group you belong to? Why don't they have those same rights? Do you yourself belong to a group that's not offered the same chances in society as other groups? Are you okay with some groups of people not having the same rights as the group you belong to? If so, what makes your group so special that you deserve certain priveleges? What have you yourself done to earn the priveleges you enjoy?

What helps is empathy: you don't have to be best friends in order to live together:



What is 'a perfect society' according to you?'

==================================
Want to read (more of) my short stories? My author page: Terrence Weijnschenk at Amazon
A donation (click) is much appreciated:
============================

No comments: