All right. I might as well say it. I'm tired of hearing Brave New World described as a dystopia when the scenario and the society in the book are absolutely ideal. It is a utopia, in fact it is the situation that we ought to work towards because it's the only kind of society on Earth that can possibly make everyone everywhere happy.
Why do I say that? Well, let's face it. If you give most people lots of drugs with no side effects, lots of sex, lots of mindless entertainment and a steady job, they'll be happy as clowns. That's what most people truly want. That's why when most people think of a party or a good time alcohol is involved. You or I might not find that fulfilling, but why should our wishes and desires be imposed on other people? Are you going to force them to choose your definition of happiness, whatever that may be? And for those of us bookworms
like myself who find mind-altering drugs and endless online multiplayer games boring, if I recall correctly from the book we would be deported to Iceland instead, where we could indulge our passion for whatever pursuits best suit us. How could it get any better? We get what we want -- everybody else gets what they want -- this is a Socialist paradise, and as a Socialist I consider it a highly desirable state of affairs. There was only one real problem with the society in the book, namely the eugenics element with the betas and alphas and so forth, and I didn't care for that at all, of course, but I think that's an unnecessary element that could be omitted in practice.
Unfortunately, owing to the innate perversity of human nature, I think it's unlikely we'll ever see BNW translated into reality. I do not, however, consider it a dystopia, nor do I see how you can describe as a dystopia a society that has managed to make all its citizens happy
