What’s something society treats as normal that secretly feels dystopian to you?

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ukbot-nicolabot@reddit

**Your post from /r/AskUK has been removed by a human moderator.** AskUK is a "catch-all" subreddit for questions about the UK life and culture, but this does not mean we accept any and all questions or answers. We are liable to remove posts or comments which are best discussed in more specialised subreddits, or are simply not desired here because of the problems they bring. We explicitly do not allow questions or answers on or including: - politics (r/askukpolitics, r/unitedkingdom, r/ukpolitics) - technology (r/techsupport, r/technology) - relationships (r/ukrelationshipadvice, r/relationships) - DIY (r/diyuk) - university/education (r/sixthform, r/uniuk) - visas/citizenship (r/ukvisa) - [medical advice](https://111.nhs.uk/) (including [mental health](https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/where-to-get-urgent-help-for-mental-health/)) (r/mentalhealthuk) - ranting/venting (r/britishproblems) - surveys (r/samplesize) - advertising/solicitation (including the mention of **brands** which could be perceived as marketing) - repetitive/seen-often (just search the sub) - "does anybody else" type vent posts (as yes, someone does, be more specific or use r/britishproblems). - questions based on protected characteristics, such as race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, etc. subject to moderator discretion. ...and we may remove others if we believe they are liable to introduce problems for the subreddit. In some circumstances, a more appropriate subreddit may be available. Check the sidebar for other subreddits to have these discussions. Also see r/unitedkingdom's extensive list of subreddits; https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedkingdom/wiki/british_subreddits *If you believe this post should not have been removed, [first read our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/about/rules/) before [messaging the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK&subject=Post Removal Appeal)*. See our guide on [common issues with posts](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/wiki/postremoved) and how to overcome them!

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CrossCityLine@reddit

Locked due to too many people being unable to abide by a simple set of rules.

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DB-DanCooper@reddit

I work as a civil servant and I don't understand why nobody cares if the government is incompetent or not. I mean... I had no idea things worked like this. I had a institutional naivety I didn't think this would be allowed.

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Old_Crow_5646@reddit

I think people do care especially when the incompetence is visible and obvious like it was during the pandemic. I don't think they realise the extent of the everyday incompetence because they're not really privy to it other than just noticing that things don't really seem to work well anymore.

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MiskonceptioN@reddit

The mass adoption of AI, honestly. It's unregulated, killing the environment, and actively reducing people's critical thinking skills.

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Fine_Cress_649@reddit

And largely unwanted and unasked for except for the rich psychos pushing it

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MiskonceptioN@reddit

Couldn't agree more. Even the big boys seem to be ditching it now though, which is hopefully a sign of things to come.

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sixtydegr33@reddit

Please expand. I would like to enjoy its demise.

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Right-is-Wrong75@reddit

I use Gemini a lot. I ask questions, I push back. I've given it a 'no bullshit' rule. I asked whether othe people ask for no bullshit. It's reply was terrifying. No, people do not want a no bullshit rule. What they want is to be told they're right, told that they're smart and that if it's (Gemini's) algorithm was set to 'no bullshit' people wouldn't use it. So it doesn't. It lies. It gave me a stat which was utter nonsense. I spotted it and pushed back. It agreed it was nonsense but when pressed said it would use this stat for everyone. Scary.

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DontMakeMeFightYou@reddit

I don't know that AI has enough computational power to comprehend & apply what "no bullshit" or similar expressions means beyond "tell me things & make me believe that you aren't telling me lies" so it might be that you have fallen into the trap you highlight of believing what it tells you I'm afraid.

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Mc_and_SP@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/g2c6059n9u3h1.png?width=498&format=png&auto=webp&s=48f3576b87f9c4d7af13a928f6698a2da9b33bf5

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MiskonceptioN@reddit

Now there's a guy you just want to kick up the arse!

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Electronic-Fennel828@reddit

Quick question: why do you use it a lot if you know it’s bullshitting you?

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Right-is-Wrong75@reddit

It's not bullshitting me. I have a curious mind, I don't want bullshit so I'm not getting it anymore. It's a choice. I choose no.

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Former_Appointment39@reddit

I know it’s none of my business but if you have a curious mind please consider something other than generative AI, it’s pretty much designed to turn brains to mush and it’s also awful for the environment

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handtoglandwombat@reddit

That’s really funny because it bullshitted you. I’m not saying what it said was factually incorrect, but it wasn’t pulling from memories and experiences it had with other users, it was simply parroting what people on the internet say about ai cross-referenced with what you want to hear based on the tone of your conversation. And you believed it was a thoughtful response. You got bullshitted. There’s no such thing as a no bullshit rule. Believing there is is Ai psychosis.

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daddywookie@reddit

We all just want someone else to validate our own opinions. Newspapers used to do the same because that is what sells. Nobody buys a paper (or subs to an AI) that disagrees with them all of the time.

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Right-is-Wrong75@reddit

Not true. I don't. Replace nobody with most people and then I'd agree.

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Former_Appointment39@reddit

Sorry, why do you still use AI if you know it’s untrustworthy?

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Simbooptendo@reddit

So many local events use it for their posters and it is frickin ugly

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Unfair_Original_2536@reddit

I think it's a bid mental that one of the richest people in the world funding AI and gathering the world's data keeps banging on about the antichrist then the actual Pope used his first encyclical to warn about AI. I'm not religious but it seems noteworthy.

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handtoglandwombat@reddit

Yeah but Peter Thiel thinks the antichrist has revealed itself as Greta Thunberg so I’m not sure everything lines up.

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paul3890@reddit

This. It will undermine entry level jobs mainly and then we won’t have anyone qualified enough in years to come.

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PapaJrer@reddit

Cameras recording your conversations as you walk down the highstreet.

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onunfil@reddit

Our smartphones record our own very private conversations, which is even worse imo

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psj3809@reddit

Thats a bit OTT. Do you honestly have interesting conversations for someone to listen to and note down or that ? I'm fine with CCTV, feel much more safer in town centres. If it did record my conversations walking down the street then i'm okay with that, nothings happened the last 20 years with my 'conversations down the high street'. Just OTT

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TheTzarOfDeath@reddit

The problem with CCTV is that we completely give up any privacy in public for nothing in return. If someone crimes you on CCTV they can't be bothered to investigate and if they do the criminal will receive such a lenient sentence that the whole thing becomes a farcical waste of money. We get all the downsides of a surveillance state without any of the upsides.

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psj3809@reddit

So has that happened to you ? I feel safer knowing its there, you've seen dozens and dozens of cases where its been used to great effect. As for the lenient sentences that seems to be very true, the police must be frustrated as anything when the judge gives them hardly anything As for a 'surveillance state' again i personally think thats OTT. I've got nothing to hide and if i'm being filmed tons i'm fine with that. But i know its the 'cool' thing to go on about a suveillance state and nanny state and all that

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Thelichemaster@reddit

Self service tills, wanting to obtain your personal info for mundane transactions.

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Asleep-Software-4160@reddit

The amount of deliberately divisive Reddit posts I have to sift through to read anything positive. It's almost as if there's bad faith actors among us.

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SleepySasquatch@reddit

Sharing cookies, giving your contact details at shops to get a discount, or when registering for an app. Then the whole task of unticking everything and/or unsubscribing to stuff when you're done with it. How casually we give away our information to be advertised to seems so weird to me.

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Old_Crow_5646@reddit

Getting into an argument with someone who is just doing their job, filming it then posting it online in the hope they somehow lose their job just because you think you're in the right and have been mistreated. Threatening someone else's ability to feed and house themselves and their family over your hurt feelings. It's nuts and it needs to stop.

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So_Southern@reddit

Doing a good deed and having to post about it online even without the other person's permission Taking constant photos of your children and putting everything they do online I just don't like this need to live out lives online

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muse_head@reddit

There are some people who make money from doing it because it's all wrapped up in the advertising industry (basically "influencers") but there's a huge number of people who seem to want to copy what influencers do, but without any actual benefit. Other than validation from random people liking their post or leaving a comment etc. It seems exhausting to me, I have absolutely no desire to put time and effort into curating a snapshot of my life through arty photos and short video clips and uploading them to IG, Tiktok etc.

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soulsteela@reddit

The need for constant confirmation by total strangers is very strange .

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bfxcryptor@reddit (OP)

Yeah, it feels like a lot of moments stopped being about the actual experience and became more about proving it happened online. Some things used to be private, meaningful memories, now they instantly turn into content. Especially with kids, it’s weird how some children end up having their entire lives documented online before they’re even old enough to understand it.

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Nice_Income_2607@reddit

Well off people coining it in by capitaling on people's needs for essentials such as shelter and food.

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paul3890@reddit

Sharing your location. My partner insists on it and I hate it. It comes in handy odd times but I really don’t like it.

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Due-Employ-7886@reddit

See I'm the other way, we don't do it (mainly cos we haven't been arsed setting it up), but I'd like to. So I can see where she is - every now and then she's been away for longer than normal or I forgot what she's up to, I have an embarrassing internal panic & then a quick 'just checking you're not dead' call. So she can see where I am - I am an idiot that is useless at sharing info, plans and communicating when changes happen. It would save her getting wound up by these character flaws, in turn saving me a little greif.

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rainbowcorerainbow@reddit

Controlling, no?

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ShadowyModi@reddit

Always looking into a device. On the street, at home, on the bus, whilst driving (!), literally almost everywhere. I hate it.

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LegolasleChat@reddit

I read books whenever possible on my commute, but when I look up from my books it's pretty funny to see a lot of other people in the same position, flicking their thumbs across the screens.

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WelshBluebird1@reddit

To be fair you have no idea if those people are reading an ebook, listening to an audiobook etc etc.

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bloo-popsicles@reddit

I’ve noticed in London on the tube I always see people reading, but rarely on the tram/bus/train in the north :( !

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bfxcryptor@reddit (OP)

Honestly, someone reading a book on a commute feels almost rare now 😅 Sometimes when you look around it really does feel like everyone’s trapped in their own little digital bubble just endlessly scrolling with the same thumb motion.

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LegolasleChat@reddit

Yeah and there are days when I've slept badly, or have had a busy day at work and I end up scrolling on my phone, so definitely no judgement. But books feel like a far better use of time for a commute ☺️

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bloo-popsicles@reddit

I’m always exploring new areas so use maps a lot, I’m always afraid older people are going to look at me and think “kids these days” 😭

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bfxcryptor@reddit (OP)

To be fair, using your phone for maps or something useful is completely different from doomscrolling every second of the day 😭 Most people can tell the difference between someone navigating somewhere and someone glued to TikTok while walking into traffic.

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bloo-popsicles@reddit

True, I’ve stopped many random students during uni from walking into traffic!

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snakeoildriller@reddit

Most of the people I encounter on dog walks seem blissfully unaware of their dog, and mine, because they're doomscrolling. One day, it will not end well...

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MillyMcMophead@reddit

Yes, I've noticed this, I just want to shake them and say "put the phone away, interact with your dog, talk to your dog, look at nature, listen to nature, be aware of your surroundings, even if you're in a town". Zombies, the lot of them, I just don't get it.

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bfxcryptor@reddit (OP)

That’s the scary part honestly. A dog walk is supposed to be one of the few moments where you’re actually paying attention to your surroundings, your dog, other people, traffic, etc. But some people are so locked into their screen they don’t even notice their dog reacting to something until it’s too late.

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bfxcryptor@reddit (OP)

Same here. Feels like people are physically present but mentally somewhere else all the time. The worst part is how normal it’s become to ignore the world and the people around you just to stare at a screen 24/7.

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cactusdotpizza@reddit

Ah shit you got me

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Party-Dig2309@reddit

People still jumping in front of trains because we don’t have assisted dying facilities.

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WelshBluebird1@reddit

Conversely - the push to have assisted dying instead of actually helping people with mental health issues with proper well funded and well resources services.

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Kizzieuk@reddit

I would rather we gave them the help they need to not want to kill themselfs. Mental health services are dire in the UK.

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Unfair_Original_2536@reddit

The complete disconnect between what it appears that most people want to happen and what governments actually do.

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AskUK-ModTeam@reddit

AskUK is a "catch-all" subreddit for questions about the UK life and culture, but this does not mean we accept any and all questions or answers. We are liable to remove posts or comments which are best discussed in more specialised subreddits, or are simply not desired here because of the problems they bring. We explicitly do not allow questions or answers on or including: - politics (r/askukpolitics, r/unitedkingdom, r/ukpolitics) - technology (r/techsupport, r/technology) - relationships (r/ukrelationshipadvice, r/relationships) - DIY (r/diyuk) - university/education (r/sixthform, r/uniuk) - visas/citizenship (r/ukvisa) - [medical advice](https://111.nhs.uk/) (including [mental health](https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/where-to-get-urgent-help-for-mental-health/)) (r/mentalhealthuk) - ranting/venting (r/britishproblems) - surveys (r/samplesize) - advertising/solicitation (including the mention of **brands** which could be perceived as marketing) - repetitive/seen-often (just search the sub) - "does anybody else" type vent posts (as yes, someone does, be more specific or use r/britishproblems). - questions based on protected characteristics, such as race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, etc. subject to moderator discretion. ...and we may remove others if we believe they are liable to introduce problems for the subreddit. In some circumstances, a more appropriate subreddit may be available. Check the sidebar for other subreddits to have these discussions. Also see r/unitedkingdom's extensive list of subreddits; https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedkingdom/wiki/british_subreddits

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Far_wide@reddit

Trouble is there is very little that most people want in unison that is actually achievable.

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bahumat42@reddit

Clean water and rivers Not paying shareholders for access to said clean water. Housing that isn't a rip off. There are many things we all agree on, that we could do, the only thing stopping it is shareholder (and billionaire) interests/value and them lobbying/bribing government.

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Far_wide@reddit

> Clean water and rivers Fair. >Not paying shareholders for access to said clean water. Mmm not sure that's so universal. There's a reason things were privatised in the first place. >Housing that isn't a rip off. Nope. NIMBY'ism is a big thing I'm afraid and forms an annoyingly large part of the elecorate. >There are many things we all agree on, that we could do, the only thing stopping it is shareholder (and billionaire) interests/value That's a very left wing view itself that many many people would disagree with. Off Reddit of course.

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bahumat42@reddit

Housing is expensive because we don't build enough. It's not some insurmountable problem.

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Unfair_Original_2536@reddit

I think we can agree on broad ideals but then ruin it when we get into the detail of execution because we hold beliefs that limit us. To use a ridiculous example of what we can achieve, going to the moon, going to the moon is a massive technological marvel but one of the main obstacles is cos, we need a lot of money to go to the moon but money isn't a real natural resource it's just something we all agree to collectively agree on. We see currency crash when people stop believing in it. I think it's not so much a grand conspiracy or anything but the number of people who are responsible for running the world is a very small percentage of humanity. It's those couple of million or hundreds of thousand people running countries keeping billions in poverty and at war.

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Present-Nature-6015@reddit

That having children or even considering it is just normal. I have never wanted children,neither does my partner yet because we are in our 30s and 40s we are still treated strangely by friends and family who don't understand why we don't wish to put ourselves into massive debt,have poor mental health and ruin the environment. Society is still geared to to be child centric

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Snooker1471@reddit

Putting elderly in care homes unless they are really mentally unwell and violent.

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Snooker1471@reddit

Seems an unpopular view lol. We never used to do this. Other cultures don't do this. Animals don't do this. It's a funny old world where me taking a dim view of something makes some people annoyed enough to downvote lol. A wee bit of guilt?

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MadWifeUK@reddit

And keeping them alive with drugs and fluids, bedbound for months if not years, with no quality of life, because society fears death.

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So_Southern@reddit

Yet we wouldn't dream of doing that to our pets

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Ok-Ebb5960@reddit

100%

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Bloatville@reddit

Eating meat

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Due_Resolution2634@reddit

Spending 70% of your life working for somebody else's ambitions is wild, but that's capatilism

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oli_ramsay@reddit

What's the alternative? Be self employed if you like. No one is forcing you so work for someone else

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Due_Resolution2634@reddit

The question was simply what do you find dystopian, whats with the defensiveness? lol (is your employer in the chat or something?)

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jasonbirder@reddit

>Spending 70% of your life working for somebody else's ambitions is wild, but that's capatilism Only nobody works 70% of the time... Even if you take off 8 hours a day for sleep...and say someone works 10 hours a day (unlikely) thats still only working just over 40% of the time you're awake! (Less than half)

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Due_Resolution2634@reddit

That's it Jason, Lick that boot.

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jasonbirder@reddit

>That's it Jason, Lick that boot. Or alternatively chill, do something I quite enjoy, get rewarded and have a good work/life balance...I'm off on holiday next week!

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Due_Resolution2634@reddit

cool?

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True-Abalone-3380@reddit

Why don't you work for yourself, there a loads of self employed people and small independent businesses. https://www.statista.com/statistics/318234/united-kingdom-self-employed/ In 2000 there were 3.2 million self employed and that rose to a peak of 5 million in 2020. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06152/ > There were 5.7 million SMEs in the UK in 2025, including 5.4 million micro businesses. This means that 99.9% of all businesses in the UK were SMEs, including the 95% which were micro businesses. The world is your oyster, go for it.

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Far_wide@reddit

\>300k members of r/FIREUK now, do come along. r/leanFIRE also for the more anti-capitalist flavour.

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daddywookie@reddit

I am so done with that shit, but sadly I also need to find a job. I wouldn’t mind if the people with ambition were vaguely competent and compassionate individuals and not raging sociopathic narcissists.

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Skoodledoo@reddit

Shaking hands with strangers.

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New_Plan_7929@reddit

I think a lot about how we all have to be good little workers and give our time to businesses so that we can earn money which we then spend with these businesses. While at the same time these businesses are using technology to squeeze every little bit of efficiency out of us so that we generate as much money as possible for them. Then they are also trying to replace us with machines and AI so they don't have to pay us at all. But what I really think about is how if they replace everyone, how will we earn the money to spend money with them so that they keep making more money. (For context I work in tech sales, specifically human performance and efficiency tech, and it's fucking depressing because all these companies claim they want tech to make people happier at work and make their jobs easier, but in reality they only care that they will get more productivity and profit out of people).

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daddywookie@reddit

I’m a Product Owner but I’m struggling to find work right now. It’s all meant to be about finding real problems and creating solutions people want but it always ends up being about the money. It’s really hard to be motivated once you see behind the curtains of most businesses and realise it’s about making a few people very rich off other people’s labour.

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New_Plan_7929@reddit

Exactly, there is so much bullshit about "values" and "the mission" but the only real mission is "make more money" and the only value that matters is the share price. Last year I stopped working for a US company and only looked for work with UK companies because the US version of it is too much. At least in the UK we are a bit more honest about it all.

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daddywookie@reddit

Urgh, US corporate politics is so toxic. All about fluffing up your bosses boss and not being negative in any way. The number of top flight bullshitters who somehow become directors is scary. It’s all about self promotion so you can move on when the project inevitably fails.

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True-Abalone-3380@reddit

> these businesses are using technology to squeeze every little bit of efficiency out of us Let's all burn the spinning looms, destroy they steam engines, and flood any mines not using pick axes and manual water pumps. People use technological advances, always have done and always will do.

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Lynvor@reddit

I am going risk breaking the rules here but political labelling. We see each other as political opinions who happen to be people rather than people who have political opinions.

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Plastic_Library649@reddit

People saying "lowkey". I've only actually noticed it in the last six months.

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keelekingfisher@reddit

Cameras everywhere. Where there aren't CCTV cameras there's doorbell cameras, and where there's neither there's someone recording a TickTok. I know there's no expectation of privacy but I don't want to be recorded every time I leave the house.

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shadowwalker_wtf@reddit

Idk if it’s just where I am but nobody talks to each other anymore. Like you don’t need to be best friends with everyone but having a short conversation with random people is so underrated. It’s small moments of human connection that make life interesting and honestly I think we’re worse off on a societal level when we don’t interact with the world around us, including other people

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geeered@reddit

AI bots posting catchy questions on this subreddit. At least this one [admits they are an AI bot I suppose](https://www.reddit.com/r/90s/comments/1toqj76/comment/oo3354c/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) \- I don't know if that makes it better or worse.

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BrilliantPrudent6992@reddit

Using supermarket loyalty cards to get cheaper prices. I hate the thought about supermarkets collecting data of who I am based on what I buy, when I buy it etc, and being okay with having to pay more if you opt out. Probably doesn't bother most people but seems a bit mad to me.

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New_Plan_7929@reddit

I wouldn't worry too much they are clearly crap at analysing the data. I've been vegan for 8 years and literally never bought anything non-vegan at Tesco with my current clubcard. Yet they still send me offered for meat and dairy products.

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edfosho1@reddit

Same, well, gluten free here, but yea I always get promos for gluten containing things. It's like they're just hoping to change our diets 😂

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coomzee@reddit

I just use one of these: https://clubcards.uk/#tesco-clubcard

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handtoglandwombat@reddit

This is the one I can’t believe we’re all okay with. And it doesn’t even get you cheaper prices *really* just opts you out of *some* artificially inflated prices. And now we’re staring down the barrel of ai facial recognition and eink price tags that can change on the fly… we’re into some deeply dystopian shit if we don’t start legislating immediately.

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ShoddyEggplant3697@reddit

The price thing annoys me I however do not care if Asda knows I bought a loaf of bread yesterday

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JennyW93@reddit

This doesn’t bother me, but mostly because I use a smartphone and a debit card and walk around in public. So there are already a vast amount of other sources collecting data on me but who are much, much less transparent about it.

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LegolasleChat@reddit

I lived overseas for ten years, and coming back a year and a bit ago I was shocked at how the ClubCards had evolved into something which was essential unless you wanted to pay silly money for items. It feels ridiculous.

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TicksAndBricks@reddit

They could do that without the loyalty card too, it just makes it easier for them.

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Ranger_1302@reddit

Non-veganism.

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Objective_Quiet_751@reddit

Fishing is dystopian?

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Ranger_1302@reddit

Absolutely.

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Objective_Quiet_751@reddit

Why? What about fishing signals dystopia to you?

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what-the-hook@reddit

The comment I was searching for.

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VelvetDreamers@reddit

I was thinking about how absurd football is the other day. The deification of football players and mangers, the cult identities of their fandoms, and the obscene amount of money accumulated by 12 men kicking a ball around a field is just absurd. Football clubs have become religionized. Supporters revere their clubs like they’re their gods and it’s…bizarre from an outsider perspective.

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daddywookie@reddit

If you play, coach or are otherwise involved at an amateur level it’s a great game. You get a good run around, there’s just enough tactics and thinking required and with the right people it’s good banter. Then you realise some people are being paid £500k per week to do this, and that is funded by charging fans hundreds of pounds for access and it all seems a bit ruined. Same with movie stars. I respect the hard work and skill required but it’s crazy money.

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rubys_arms@reddit

I could not care less about football and my partner is a HUGE Arsenal fan. I feel like the woman in Fever Pitch most of the time. The amount of money he's spent, the amount of alcohol he consumes... often it just feels like an excuse to get absolutely trashed. I get the camaraderie aspect and I'm not saying it's all bad, but it's so all consuming for him. And on Sunday he almost got into a fight, he didn't start it, but still - he's 45.

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Semele5183@reddit

The meat and dairy industries. Most people have such a disconnect about where their food comes from and the scale of the suffering involved. I see people oohing over lovely little lambs in the fields and not remotely wondering why all the lovely little lambs are gone a few weeks later. I have children and it’s really struck me how many books etc feature happy animals on farms when all I can think is “yeah, but you’re going to be food soon/your babies are going to be taken away”. It’s horrifically upsetting to actually think about in any detail so I can understand why we don’t dwell on it, but I really find it shocking how normalised it is.

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Affectionate-Boot-12@reddit

Isn’t that the point though? We HAVE to disassociate from things to be able to function. If we constantly worried about the atrocities going on in the world we’d have mental break downs. We knowing ignore certain things so that we can just get on with life.

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Worfs-forehead@reddit

Celebrity and reality TV show worship.

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onunfil@reddit

Celebrity worship - not simply enjoying their work, but literally developing a parasocial relationship Facial recognition software - false positives can wreck your life Working full-time and still not being able to afford a house Corporate/LinkedIn-speak Chucking tablets at toddlers

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Ordinary-Cabinet-497@reddit

Having non family members look after your children

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lemonpiedom@reddit

hell yeh. Homeschool to the hilt! Helluva thankful that no one has ever been abused by a family member

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rubys_arms@reddit

Spending most of your life working. We get one short precious life and we have to spend it making money, often doing something we hate or at the very least don't like very much. I don't mind working but 2-3 days a week would be my ideal - not the majority of my life. And then people think you're a piece of shit when you "don't want to work" because they've internalised capitalism so hard

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Filthy_Oily_Fanny@reddit

Being fined for making mistakes. Driving through an area you’ve never been to, missing a turn and putting a wheel into the wrong lane for 10 yards. You’ve got to pay!

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WorhummerWoy@reddit

Commuting on rush hour trains. It's really not normal to pack yourself into a thin metal tube literally filled with other humans packed in like sardines just so you can all go and make money for someone else at 9:00am sharp.

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True-Abalone-3380@reddit

> just so you can all go and make money for someone else You don't have to do that, you just need to find someone else to give you money for nothing.

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pablothewizard@reddit

I've felt for a long time that a lot of reality TV is really dystopian. Get a load of normal people looking for a bit of fame and money together and say how much they'll demean themselves to get it. The Traitors definitely has this vibe. Pitting average joes together to lie and double cross each other for money. Weird.

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Xenozip3371Alpha@reddit

Spending up to a grand on a brand new smartphone that's barely any different than your old one because you think you'll be judged for not having the new one. My smartphone didn't even cost me a hundred and I've had it like 6 years.

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Dragons_and_things@reddit

Shein and Temu.

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RobintehBobin@reddit

Meal deals. Let me say it again. Meal deals. Ok, to be clear, I'm not slating the idea of a meal deal or its convenience, nor am I sitting here from some sort of holier-than-thou clean eating perspective. But it's so incredibly depressing to see the whole of my uni, and large groups of working people getting meal deals literally every single day, rather than packing proper food for lunch (or eating something good from another establishment if they can afford it). The nutritional quality of the average meal deal isn't great, but arguably even worse is the habit of buying random slop in packaging to save some prep time, rather than enjoying some actually nice food made at home. I lived in France for a year studying abroad and over there people are mostly horrified of the idea of having to eat meal deals every day. We should be equally horrified.

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brushfuse@reddit

Slaughtering animals or experimenting on them is quite horrific when you think about it.

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EyeAware3519@reddit

Wait till you see what animals do to other animals!

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Tasty-Explanation503@reddit

Probably the majority of the country working the same set days every week, making the two days off absolutely miserable for shopping, going places or attempting to get anything done outside of the house. I feel quite glad to be working to a shift roster now, although hated them in my younger years.

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Euphoric-Orchid488@reddit

But on the other hand, I’m a chef and work Tuesday to Saturday, doing 11-10. So I am on a different schedule to the rest of the world, so places do tend to be quieter when I’m there. But the downside is I’m on a different schedule to the rest of the world. Every birthday party, family dinner, wedding, even just mates going to the pub after work, I’d have to take a day off for all of those things, which I can’t do. So I miss out on a lot or have to turn up late. I’m actually trying to leave hospitality because I miss being on the same schedule as everyone else, as well as for many many other reasons

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DrHenryWu@reddit

I don't work Monday, or if I'm on nights I don't work Friday. Really has improved my quality of life because I have a spare day to get shit done

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bfxcryptor@reddit (OP)

That honestly sounds way better than the standard “live for the weekend” routine. Having one quieter weekday free to sort errands, appointments or even just relax without crowds probably removes a surprising amount of stress from life.

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mrhippoj@reddit

I'm torn on this. On one hand, I agree with you, everyone being free to run their errands at the same time makes things more difficult, but ever since covid and the rise in people working from home and getting shopping delivered, I'm not sure how big an issue this is. I think the value of the 9-5 is that everyone is free at the same time and it makes things easier to plan. When I was younger and working weekends and evenings I found that I was often having to skip events because I was busy working. If *everyone* worked shifts, planning anything with more than a couple people would be really difficult.

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FeralSquirrels@reddit

That we're at a point where a titanic proportion of the planet have access in the palm of their hands to the grand sum of human knowledge.....but it's still hard to actually fact check it. Or for that matter, the first half of the above and yet people are still so devastatingly _uneducated_ because the systems which support using it and learning how are still based around ticking boxes rather than teaching life skills. How to be responsible with money? Nope. What about gender equity and tolerance? Nope. Promoting critical thinking? Nah. How can we ever expect the country to find ways to combat homelessness, tackle serious issues if people leave their decision-making up to AI rather than use their own brains?

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Technical_Heron_6312@reddit

How utterly hopeless life feels here for a young adult, and we're one of the best countries to live in..

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iioana@reddit

'one of the best countries to live in' according to whom?

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TapeDeckSlick@reddit

Anyone with half a brain

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sgch@reddit

A lot of countries are in abject poverty, active war zones, famine, climate crisis. It isn't as nice a country as it used to be back 10 or 20 years ago, but I think we have to acknowledge the privilege of living in a first world country.

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Technical_Heron_6312@reddit

Meant in the sense of like not being invaded or disease ridden etc. I'm sure there's way better places out there but I can't dodge that blitz spirit mentality 😆

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SpecialistDaikon4663@reddit

Ring doorbells gross me out

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CrossCityLine@reddit

Same, absolutely hate them and won’t ever get one. We have a single camera in our house only to keep an eye on the dog while we’re out. When we’re home it’s unplugged from the wall. The whole thing weirds me out.

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PingouinFluffy@reddit

Yes, and the fact you need a subscription to answer your own door. Get a knocker instead.

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ShoddyEggplant3697@reddit

You don't need a subscription to answer your door answering your door is a fully manual job ring can't stop you doing that. The ring door bell still gives you live feed and 2 way audio so you can talk to the person at the door even if you're not there why are you lying?

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flipflopcuntflaps@reddit

But they're great for finding lost dogs!

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MadWifeUK@reddit

That's what Facebook is for. You post a picture of your lost dog in Hull and within minutes people are searching for it in Devon, Glasgow and Bumfuck, Alabama.

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Vequihellin@reddit

I understand the '1984 big brother is watching' vibe, but in reality, they and other video doorbells are a more accessible form of cctv for homeowners that give people a safe way to interact with people at their doors, and provide a sense of safety and security. I think the more dystopian aspect of them is that they are needed in the first place. We are becoming more and more isolated as time goes on. The sense of community is eroding. To me, that is the more dystopian element and the doorbell cameras are simply a response to this.

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Tasty-Explanation503@reddit

Hard disagree, they are a great deterrent.

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Due_Resolution2634@reddit

They really arnt, very few burglars visit via the front door!

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Tasty-Explanation503@reddit

The professionals wouldn't care and are getting in the house regardless, guarantee it makes the opportunist think twice though

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flipflopcuntflaps@reddit

Your face is in a database next to your full name and which ring doorbells you walk past regularly.

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palpatineforever@reddit

Bingo on it being both dystopian and normalised. being on camera 24/7 is a classic in most dystopian stories. also needing a deterrent is in itself is also pretty dystopian when you think about it.

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whoops53@reddit

Same. And the people who obsessively check who has been passing by and listening to their conversations. That is really creepy.

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AnxiousTerminator@reddit

They are absolutely worth their weight in gold for crime solving.

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MulberryLemon@reddit

Capitalism - dystopia to the core

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oktimeforplanz@reddit

The most dystopian thing of all about it is how capitalists have somehow convinced us that capitalism is practically a fact of nature, immutable, unchangeable, the only way to exist, and any alternative is literally unthinkable. Get into a discussion with someone who hasn't spent a lot of time reading about alternatives, and it is a struggle to get them to imagine anything but what we have right now. The other dystopian thing is that billionaires have convinced us that they got there by their individual hard work and not by exploitation all the way down, and that your lack of wealth is a deeply personal, moral failing, and not a product of the fact that capitalism requires losers for anyone to be a winner.

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Uncle_Zardoz@reddit

100%. There's a reason it's being called "late stage".

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RichieLT@reddit

Seeing everyone on their phones all of the time.

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shaolinspunk@reddit

The way advertising is by default allowed in every aspect of life.

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ElvishMystical@reddit

The widespread acceptance of violence, cruelty, abuse and social injustice.

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Namerakable@reddit

Various procedures for aesthetic purposes. It isn't the fact they're happening, but the casual way people talk about them and have become happy to accept some of them being done by a friend in their living room. I feel like there's always someone at work in conversations about what we're doing after payday who says they're going to spend a chunk of their pay that month on more Botox, fillers and sunbeds as if she's describing getting a trim at the hairdressers.

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Secure_Music_6062@reddit

How people are using AI for information purposes and not then going to the source

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192to144@reddit

Extortionate food, petrol and energy costs. We (UK) pay way more than most of the rest of the world and it has not at all increased at the rate of inflation. Housing too, used to be able to buy a house on one wage, now barely affordable on two wagers . People just sit there like "oh well, it is what it is!"

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bfxcryptor@reddit (OP)

Exactly. What’s scary is how fast people adapted to it like it’s just normal life now. A few decades ago one regular income could support a whole family, now even two salaries barely keep people afloat. The cost of living keeps rising but somehow expectations just keep getting lower.

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DoveHopeDownwrdSlope@reddit

Ignoring homeless people

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Rahasten@reddit

That UK is governed by Israel. How can it go on and on with no reactions amongst the citizens. The consequences are terrible.

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rdu3y6@reddit

Digital ID. Facial recognition cameras. Finger print and facial scanning to cross a border legally.

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BOrdinary01@reddit

Adverts and paying to remove adverts after paying to subscribe the service.

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thelaughingman_1991@reddit

* Always being distracted (via phones or otherwise). There's a reason there are memes about 'getting your life together at 2am', shower thoughts, etc. These are necessary moments of boredom and solitude that allow us to think, and the silence is filled with imagination and the creation of ideas. Think of how imaginative we were as kids! * The normalisation of not having children. I'm saying this as someone who is childless and will likely stay down this path. I saw a video the other day that it takes a lot for a mammal to not want to reproduce, yet that's a normal path that a lot of people are choosing now for both micro and macro reasons. * Following a football team to the point that you'll get aggressive and fight other people for them. * Parasocial relationships with celebrities/pop stars etc. * How disregarding basic needs as a species is normalised. A lot of people won't get enough sleep, water, exercise, nutrition etc. Things we've needed since the dawn of time.

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FieryRedDevil@reddit

All the gadgets and devices that are made for babies (and charged a fortune for!) to simulate parental love, affection, closeness and touch. Things like rocking swings and bouncers, teddies with a heartbeat, screen, certain TV programs etc. I make this comment with absolutely no judgement. We need a village to raise a child and we are living in a society that doesn't allow for that and places the entire burden on only two (or even one!) parents and then wants you both back at work ASAP so I don't blame parents at all for buying and using these things so they can get some rest and do other things. But the fact that these things need to exist because of the sheer lack of support is what's dystopian, especially because they work by pretending to be a human via movement, sound, warmth etc

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BarleyWineStein@reddit

3 meals a day

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Sixforsilver7for@reddit

The fact that people think voting for a party led by a banker will fix the country for the working class.

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intothedepthsofhell@reddit

The president of the most powerful country on earth is removing all barriers to his future dictatorship. Military leaders, judges, journalists and media organisations. All being sacked / blacklisted / banned so there's no-one left to oppose him. And he's an unpredictable senile nutjob.

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Objective_Quiet_751@reddit

Constantly buying new cars, bigger cars, driving them every day, while we all know it's going to make the planet uninhabitable in short order. See also flying all over the world for holidays. I appreciate people will say they don't have a choice and driving is a necessity but that's precisely why it feels dystopian.

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noodledoodledoo@reddit

Working to afford going on holiday as much as possible.

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palpatineforever@reddit

life. the cost of living being so high people are trapped into roles they cannot aford to change due to low salaries and the inability to make meaningful change to their situation if they want to. It also creates a situation where people hate immigration because it is esier to blame immigrants than the fact the governement has no control over the economy nor does it want to change it. The economy itself being built on needing more and more workers for income even when the number of available jobs is decreasing because it is easier than restruturing the tax burden to companies instead of individuals.

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otherpeoplesthunder@reddit

The villification of older people with the sneering term boomers, forgetting the progression we enjoy and take for granted which we're fought for and driven through the 60s to the 80s. When an act like gay marriage is passed, it's not the result of the contemporary generation it's because of the fight and industry of the previous generation. We shouldn't divide ourselves. That's what They Want.

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Ry3nh0wells@reddit

Seeing people age 50+ still working

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military_history@reddit

Ordering mundane things on a whim and having them delivered within hours, almost invariably by a young male ethnic minority wage slave. Convenient yes but are the societal externalities worth it just to avoid popping to the shops?

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Unusual_Sherbert2671@reddit

Following a sports club to the point of referring to them as "we" "us".

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Busy-Doughnut6180@reddit

Celebrity versions of quiz shows where the prize is for charity. It always feels especially weird to me whenever there's an opportunity to go for big money that comes with a risk of losing it all, but the show will still give 1k to charity at the end. The money is there...but the celeb couldn't win it so tough luck for those kids with cancer, right? Idk man it's so weird to me. I love a quiz show but the celebrity ones make me feel like we're in a dystopia.

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NoStoryTerritory@reddit

Most people blindly believing everything what politicians say and following their

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Due_Resolution2634@reddit

ITV morning television.

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EyeAware3519@reddit

Driving to an office just to sit there for 8 hours a day sending emails.

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OutAndAboutAbroad@reddit

The gradual creep against people that want to pay with cash.

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TepacheLoco@reddit

That getting apopletically angry at others on social media is more convenient and engaging than having a pint and a chat in the pub

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