Catching Sci Fi
Photo by Karl Smith on Unsplash
The Hunger Games book series is an incredible, worldwide phenomenon. But how far does the influence of three books reach? During my second skype assignment with Kaitrin, we discussed this question in the general context of science fiction and sustainability. We started the conversation with my partner’s opinions and experiences regarding the subject. The main part of our conversation was then devoted to the question whether a genre like science fiction could actually have an influence in real life issues.
From my last discussion with her, I was under the impression that she was really involved with the subjects of sustainability, climate change, and the actions people take against the pollution of the environment. I was really surprised to hear that my partner didn’t incorporate the topic into her studies until recently even though she’s in personally interested in the subjects that were just mentioned. This semester, she took a class about sustainable engineering were the students, among other things, talked about different possible scenarios for the future. One main point of the seminar was the distribution and handling of resources. My partner told me that it’s our generation’s duty and responsibility to preserve the few resources that we have and keep this planet in a condition that makes it inhabitable for future generations. In her opinion, teamwork and communication is the key to this challenge. People need to work together so that they can exchange ideas and basically “pull on one string”. That reminded me of the science fiction community where people from different backgrounds and generations come together to exchange ideas and theories. This was a hopeful thought because sometimes it seems doubtable whether humans are actually capable of working together effectively.
When I asked her about her opinion about dystopian and utopian concepts of the future, she didn’t completely understand the meaning of these terms at first. Then she told me that she believes that a utopian future is actually within our grasp because of the fast development of new technologies. We are now able to do extraordinary things with machines and will be able to solve even more complex tasks in the future. My partner, therefore, believes that this technological process can actually bring humanity to a point where we won’t be afraid of becoming extinct due to our own fault.
One of her many interests is reading books about how the future might play out for mankind. For example, she really enjoyed the above mentioned series “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, even though she didn’t really see the sustainable aspects in the story like I did, but concentrated more on the social concepts.
Through this topic, we arrived at the question whether a genre like science fiction can actually make a difference in real life. I was especially determined to talk with her about this because she lives in a country where the science fiction community is even bigger than in Germany. Because of that, I thought that maybe discussions might go from the community to the entire society. In my opinion, a genre that deals with different concepts of how we might evolve in the future could contribute in a positive way to the topic of sustainability. Wouldn’t it be possible for example that a series as popular as The Hunger Games starts a public debate about oppression and dictatorship?
My partner told me that the excitement about The Hunger Games movie and the books didn’t help to spread the books’ message and make people aware of actual social problems. She explained that because Hollywood was more about the “glamour and the glitz”, the movies were received and discussed in a more superficial way that left no room for a deeper debate. But she ensured me that, however, there were also some people who were inspired by the books and saw the message as something meaningful that could be applied to real life. She made another point when she told me that, even if a single book might not be too influential, the topic of an important series is definitely important to the public debate. Because some authors are in the public eye and have a huge fan base that looks up to them, and if that author chooses to address an issue, people normally are willing to listen. That was a really relieving answer to me.
In the end my partner expressed her belief that literature, even if it’s from a genre that isn’t as highly regarded, is expressive and can be influential for some peoples’ lives. Even if it doesn’t start a conversation that might take over the entire society, it’s good to know that some people definitely are inspired by the books and their messages. Science fiction has proven that even an underestimated genre can bring people together and have a positive influence in the world.
