--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Real dystopias are more like the old…" description: "\"“Real dystopias are more like the old Soviet Union rather than Mad Max: They are stiflingly bureaucratic rather than lawless.”\" — Kevin Kelly" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kevin-kelly-2418_mad-max_real-dystopias-are-more-like-the-old-sov_2035201.png" --- # Real dystopias are more like the old Soviet Union rather… ![“Real dystopias are more like the old Soviet Union rather than Mad Max: They are stiflingly bureaucratic rather than lawless.” quote by Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kevin-kelly-2418_mad-max_real-dystopias-are-more-like-the-old-sov_2035201.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kevin-kelly-2418_mad-max_real-dystopias-are-more-like-the-old-sov_2035201.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kevin-kelly-2418_mad-max_real-dystopias-are-more-like-the-old-sov_2035201.png) > ““Real dystopias are more like the old Soviet Union rather than Mad Max: They are stiflingly bureaucratic rather than lawless.”” [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern dystopias resemble bureaucratic oppression more than chaotic anarchy. **In simple terms:** Control comes from red tape, not violence. Key Takeaway Beware of over‑regulation. Themes bureaucracy control society Mood cautious critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - government policy - corporate governance - civil liberties Key Concepts political theory technology history Questions to Reflect On - What checks prevent bureaucracy from becoming oppressive? - How can individuals retain agency? A Different Perspective Even well‑intentioned rules can stifle freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mad max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad-max/) [Soviet union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-union/) ## Related quotes > [“Dystopia is not always an unhappy place. There are, as it happens, certain dystopias in which it's perfectly possible to be happy as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/dystopia-is-not-always-an-unhappy-place-there-are-as-it-happens/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [Utopias and dystopias can exist side by side, even in the same moment. Which one you're in depends entirely on your point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-alderman/utopias-and-dystopias-can-exist-side-by-side-even-in-the-same-moment/) [Naomi Alderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-alderman/) > [“We would do well, as Orwell counselled, to see the traces of the dystopian around us, to find the ends of those threads and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darran-anderson/we-would-do-well-as-orwell-counselled-to-see-the-traces-of-the/) Darran Anderson > [In a sense, fictional dystopias have been a way of distracting us from the truth of our condition by placing it 'over there.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/in-a-sense-fictional-dystopias-have-been-a-way-of-distracting-us-from/) [Jeff Vandermeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [More than two decades after the birth of Louise Brown, and all the hysteria that surrounded her 'test tube' conception, we should know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/more-than-two-decades-after-the-birth-of-louise-brown-and-all-the/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > ['Brave New World' dealt with a kind of proto-genetic engineering of the unborn, through really, as many dystopias do, it dealt with totalitarianism. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/brave-new-world-dealt-with-a-kind-of-proto-genetic-engineering-of-the/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [I think that some of the archetypes and works of science fiction that have pierced pop culture and stayed there are the darker ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/i-think-that-some-of-the-archetypes-and-works-of-science-fiction-that/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [Only a minority of science fiction dystopias attempt to plumb the real existential roots of oppression, the flaws in humanity's nature that undermine our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-di-filippo/only-a-minority-of-science-fiction-dystopias-attempt-to-plumb-the/) [Paul Di Filippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-di-filippo/) > [Utopian movements produce dystopias.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/utopian-movements-produce-dystopias/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Namibia took my breath away - we were at the border with South Africa, and it was where they filmed 'Mad Max.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-landes/namibia-took-my-breath-away-we-were-at-the-border-with-south-africa/) [Michael Landes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-landes/) > [I don't believe in anarchy, because it will ultimately amount to the power of the bully, with weapons. Gandhi is my life's inspiration: passive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/i-don-t-believe-in-anarchy-because-it-will-ultimately-amount-to-the/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [It's an absurdity to just wish for a world of chaos without anything viable in its place. I'm loyal to my culture, my creed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/it-s-an-absurdity-to-just-wish-for-a-world-of-chaos-without-anything/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [I'm especially baffled by the idea of taking insurance against a U.S. default. If America defaults, we're talking about a chaotic world - Mad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/i-m-especially-baffled-by-the-idea-of-taking-insurance-against-a-u-s/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [I always reference 'Mad Max' when I think about what I want to wear. But it's a fine line between that and 'Edward Scissorhands'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/i-always-reference-mad-max-when-i-think-about-what-i-want-to-wear-but/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [Mel will always be Mad Max, and me, I will always be a Number.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-mcgoohan/mel-will-always-be-mad-max-and-me-i-will-always-be-a-number/) [Patrick McGoohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-mcgoohan/) ## More by Kevin Kelly > [We are reaching deep within ourselves to adjust the master knob.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/we-are-reaching-deep-within-ourselves-to-adjust-the-master-knob/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [This is the culmination of a lot of people's vision. I think this is just another step towards making Central Michigan football among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/this-is-the-culmination-of-a-lot-of-people-s-vision-i-think-this-is/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“When copies are free, you need to sell things that cannot be copied. Well, what can’t be copied? Trust, for instance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/when-copies-are-free-you-need-to-sell-things-that-cannot-be-copied/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“Existence, it seems, is chiefly maintenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/existence-it-seems-is-chiefly-maintenance/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“We have no certainty we’ll contact extraterrestrial beings from one of the billion earthlike planets in the sky in the next 200 years, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/we-have-no-certainty-we-ll-contact-extraterrestrial-beings-from-one/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [Changing things from the top down works when things are stable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/changing-things-from-the-top-down-works-when-things-are-stable/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [It's generally much easier to kill an organization than to change it substantially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/it-s-generally-much-easier-to-kill-an-organization-than-to-change-it/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [The only organization capable of unprejudiced growth, or unguided learning, is a network. All othertopologies limit what can happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/the-only-organization-capable-of-unprejudiced-growth-or-unguided/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [We have to get better at believing the impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/we-have-to-get-better-at-believing-the-impossible/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“Our most important mechanical inventions are not machines that do what humans do better, but machines that can do things we can’t do at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/our-most-important-mechanical-inventions-are-not-machines-that-do/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“In the universal library, no book will be an island. It’s all connected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/in-the-universal-library-no-book-will-be-an-island-it-s-all-connected/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [Singularity is the point at which "all the change in the last million years will be superseded by the change in the next five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/singularity-is-the-point-at-which-all-the-change-in-the-last-million/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [We tend to think of the mind of an organization residing in the CEO and the organization's top managers, perhaps with the help of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/we-tend-to-think-of-the-mind-of-an-organization-residing-in-the-ceo/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [The smallest thought could not exist unless the entire universe and the laws of physics were in some way encouraging it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/the-smallest-thought-could-not-exist-unless-the-entire-universe-and/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“From the days of Sumerian clay tablets until now, humans have “published” at least 310 million books, 1.4 billion articles and essays, 180 million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/from-the-days-of-sumerian-clay-tablets-until-now-humans-have/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) [Explore all 167 Kevin Kelly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) ## More Mad max quotes > [Mel will always be Mad Max, and me, I will always be a Number.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-mcgoohan/mel-will-always-be-mad-max-and-me-i-will-always-be-a-number/) [Patrick McGoohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-mcgoohan/) > [I always reference 'Mad Max' when I think about what I want to wear. But it's a fine line between that and 'Edward Scissorhands'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/i-always-reference-mad-max-when-i-think-about-what-i-want-to-wear-but/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [I'm especially baffled by the idea of taking insurance against a U.S. default. If America defaults, we're talking about a chaotic world - Mad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/i-m-especially-baffled-by-the-idea-of-taking-insurance-against-a-u-s/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [It's an absurdity to just wish for a world of chaos without anything viable in its place. I'm loyal to my culture, my creed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/it-s-an-absurdity-to-just-wish-for-a-world-of-chaos-without-anything/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [I don't believe in anarchy, because it will ultimately amount to the power of the bully, with weapons. Gandhi is my life's inspiration: passive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/i-don-t-believe-in-anarchy-because-it-will-ultimately-amount-to-the/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [Namibia took my breath away - we were at the border with South Africa, and it was where they filmed 'Mad Max.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-landes/namibia-took-my-breath-away-we-were-at-the-border-with-south-africa/) [Michael Landes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-landes/) > [I think Jenny Beavan is a masterful costume designer and very deserving of the Oscar for 'Mad Max: Fury Road.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-think-jenny-beavan-is-a-masterful-costume-designer-and-very/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I was never Mad Max. I was just Max who was trying to get the best result for the team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-verstappen/i-was-never-mad-max-i-was-just-max-who-was-trying-to-get-the-best/) [Max Verstappen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-verstappen/) > [We played every bar, party, pub, hotel lounge, church hall, mining town - places that made Mad Max territory look like a Japanese garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hutchence/we-played-every-bar-party-pub-hotel-lounge-church-hall-mining-town/) [Michael Hutchence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hutchence/) > [The four movies I can remember seeing as a kid were 'The Elephant Man,' 'The Magnificent Seven,' 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/the-four-movies-i-can-remember-seeing-as-a-kid-were-the-elephant-man/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [Mel Gibson will always be Mad Max, and me, I will always be a Number.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-mcgoohan/mel-gibson-will-always-be-mad-max-and-me-i-will-always-be-a-number/) [Patrick McGoohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-mcgoohan/) > [My eyeliner is this Kat Von D Tattoo Liner... I've tried every single eyeliner, and this is the best. I use it in Mad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-hosk/my-eyeliner-is-this-kat-von-d-tattoo-liner-i-ve-tried-every-single/) [Elsa Hosk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-hosk/) > [I think of dystopian as 'Mad Max,' as 'Book of Eli,' as the world is ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/i-think-of-dystopian-as-mad-max-as-book-of-eli-as-the-world-is-ending/) [Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/) > [“A couple of days ago, I saw a rig big enough to haul that tanker. You wanna get outta here? You talk to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-hayes/a-couple-of-days-ago-i-saw-a-rig-big-enough-to-haul-that-tanker-you/) [Terry Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-hayes/) > [“Always treat other drivers like they are an overenthusiastic extra from the Mad Max movies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stein/always-treat-other-drivers-like-they-are-an-overenthusiastic-extra/) [John Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stein/) [Browse all 26 Mad max quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad-max/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Real dystopias are more like the old Soviet Union rather than Mad Max: They are stiflingly bureaucratic rather than lawless.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kevin Kelly" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/real-dystopias-are-more-like-the-old-soviet-union-rather-than-mad-max/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Mad max" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/real-dystopias-are-more-like-the-old-soviet-union-rather-than-mad-max/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kevin-kelly-2418_mad-max_real-dystopias-are-more-like-the-old-sov_2035201.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kevin-kelly-2418_mad-max_real-dystopias-are-more-like-the-old-sov_2035201.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/711/kevin-kelly-2418_mad-max_real-dystopias-are-more-like-the-old-sov_2035201.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Real dystopias are more like the old Soviet Union rather than Mad Max: They are stiflingly bureaucratic…” — Kevin Kelly", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kevin Kelly", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Real dystopias are more like the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/real-dystopias-are-more-like-the-old-soviet-union-rather-than-mad-max/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/real-dystopias-are-more-like-the-old-soviet-union-rather-than-mad-max/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```