Edward Bellamy Scoffs At New “Utopia” Show on Fox

Edward Bellamy (1850 – 1898), author of the utopian science fiction novel Looking Backward, reportedly recently scoffed upon being informed of the new Utopia show on Fox. “Who are they trying to kid?” Bellamy purportedly asked.

Reports indicate that the show is to take a number of people, isolate them, and let them develop their own mini society and try to govern themselves. Though the show is titled Utopia, Bellamy was apparently skeptical that the show would have anything to do with the concept indicated thereby.

“There’s going to be nothing utopian about it. Believe me, I know utopia,” Bellamy supposedly commented. “Just thrown together like that? They’re going to fight. Worse, you know the producers don’t even want utopia. They WANT fighting. How else will they get ratings? Even if they get utopia, the producers will screw it up so they can get everyone back to fighting again.”

H.G. Wells (1866 – 1946), author of A Modern Utopia, reportedly disagreed, but focused the majority of his arguments on Bellamy himself. “That Ed,” Wells quipped, “he’s such a pessimist.”