Is there still a need for dystopian fiction - or are we living it?

This question is sparked by my starting to read Octavia Butler’s The Parable of the Sower which was written in the 70s or 80s but starts in 2024. In it, she creates a world with scarce resources where people with some means huddle behind walls until they are killed, robbed or raped by the poor who live outside. I had to put it down.

This morning, I was reading a review of Kate Winslet’s new HBO show, The Regime which is supposed to be a comic take on a fascist European regime.

Personally, these days I am reading and watching for beauty and enjoyment.

What do you think?

Putting this in Social but posts that veer too far off will be flagged.