The Overthrow of Oppressive Authority
The New Dystopian disOrder
by Dr. Mark Hamby
Through stories, children and adults can vicariously experience the victories of wise choices and the consequences of foolish decisions. Stories, however, can also be a dangerous influence of evil disguised as good. This deceptive tactic is as old as time. The devil in the Garden of Eden reshaped the story about God’s goodness by subtly placing doubt in Eve’s mind about God’s intentions and authority. Teaching children how to discern between such subtleties is one of a parent’s (teacher’s) highest responsibilities. In a world of evil, a world where bad things happen to good people, and a world of lawlessness and insecurity, children are growing up to question the trustworthiness of authority. Sadly, too often, it is not to be trusted. Thankfully God’s instruction in Proverbs 1-9 teaches children how to navigate through these moral conflicts and avoid entanglements with untrustworthy relationships. In the Garden, God gave boundaries that would protect. Because Adam and Eve no longer trusted in the goodness of God and the trustworthiness of his boundaries, they chose to follow their desires and rebel against his authority. They believed the lie of entitlement and traded utopia for a dystopian future.
The same is being experienced today among youth. While it is understood that Utopia is not the Christian goal for this life, unfortunately Dystopia (an imagined totalitarian state or place that motivates rebellion and restoration for a new rule of law) is attracting youth and young adults at alarming rates. Stories such as the Hunger Games, Maze Runner, and Divergent (to name only a few) have attracted an entire generation. Why? As the world continues its descent morally, ethically, and legally, loss and need become greater. Once there is a loss of liberty, dignity, and safety, dystopian heroes are perfectly suited to win the day. The problem is that they win the day without anything absolute. They become a law unto themselves and the oppressive forces that they blame, namely police, government, and even parents, are to be overthrown at all cost. Once again, without moral boundaries governed by absolute truth, people will do that which is right in their own eyes.
In a recent article written on teachwire.net, the question was raised, “Should teachers be worried that increasing numbers of KS2 [ages 7-11] pupils are devouring graphic and gory dystopian fiction aimed at young adults?” Author Martin Stewart writes, “Far from it.” Martin Stewart reasons that dystopian characters are attractive because children can identify with an oppressive enemy that is powerful and loathsome. “Dystopian characters,” writes Martin Stewart, “are hard-wired with the need for freedom, reflecting the desire of young readers beginning to push against the boundaries of their own parent-controlled world, and their stakes are built into the setting; into their habits and behaviours and clothing.” Sadly, Martin Stewart does not see the harm that these stories are having upon the minds and hearts of undiscerning children and adults. He writes further,
The violent content of many dystopian novels has been a cause for concern for some guardians, but it’s important to consider it in context. A violent scene in a book will place the reader inside the skin of the victim, the perpetrator, or both; and the imaginative agency required of them means the consequences of violence are explored with greater depth than in a video game or film. The acts of violence in YA (young adult) novels, which might sound excessive if described in isolation, are given a resonance in context that allows a young reader to explore their consequences safely.
Martin Stewart’s reasoning lacks logic and common sense. There is nothing safe about reading gore and explicit violence, especially when dystopian characters become the new rule of order without any absolute moral law for governance.
Martin Stewart claims that dystopian type literature does not have a deleterious effect upon young people and that they will disengage with the story if it makes them feel uncomfortable. The 27 million copies sold in 2012 and the fact that many schools require it would prove otherwise. From a casual observation over the past five years, dystopian literature appears to be having a deleterious effect upon a child’s ability to discern between good and evil. To deepen this plot, Martin Stewart continues his contrivance by saying,
The essence of a dystopian world is the stripping away of the comforts and securities we take for granted. Experiencing that kind of privation through a book demands that the reader considers the means by which humanity could be maintained in such adversity—in other words, what it means to be human without the structures of civilised society to guide our behaviours.
Martin Stewart’s supposition is dangerously flawed. The result of being human without the structures of civilized society to guide behavior is already recorded in Genesis 4-9: “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence” (Gen. 6:12).
The themes of love, compassion, courage, and friendship that dystopian heroes promise as the new rule of order sound good in a story, but do not work in the real world. Dystopian literature and films promote love without absolute truth which leads to hypocrisy and, eventually, oppression. Some may argue that dystopian stories demonstrate sacrificial love, but the agenda behind their love is to overthrow oppressive authority—and authority in general.
Genuine love enables one to be free of spiritual oppression and free from the lustful corruptions that ensnare and enslave. The combination of God’s love and authority motivates obedience as seen in his Son’s response to his difficult assignment. The writer of Hebrews expounds upon this truth as he reveals, “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; though he was a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered” (Heb. 5:7-8). In an age of dystopian influence, God’s requirements for his Son would be considered to be oppressive and tyrannical. Submitting to the will of God under difficult trials demonstrates the highest degree of trust and love. Obedience to the father’s will is where the real battle is won. The skilled storyteller must perfect his or her greatest work at this precarious crossroad. It is here that children need to be fully convinced that the benefits of surrendered will far outweigh any temporal inconvenience or loss, as the psalmist reports: “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11).
