History Main / CrapsackOnlyByComparison

* In Eliezer S. Yudkowsky's ''Three Worlds Collide'', the second alien race - known as "The Super Happy People" - are consummate hedonists who believe that experiencing and sharing pleasure (especially sexual) is the most important thing, ever. They are profoundly saddened when they realize that humans cannot share their thoughts during moments of intense pleasure as they do (in fact, their only method of communication is through sex), and believe that we live a dreary existence devoid of love and happiness. They are then horrified (to the point that most of their crew have a hysterical breakdown and have to be temporarily relieved of their duties) when they discover that ''we allow our children to experience pain''. They think that children should just not experience bad things until they are mature enough to deal with it responsibly, and therefore inhibit their ability to do so. The fact that we don't is essentially viewed as allowing senseless cruelty to happen.

* ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDoctorMcNinja'': The refugees from the Radical Land consider [=McNinja's=] world to be a horrifying dystopia since [[TalkingAnimal only humans can talk]], Mountain Dew is a mediocre soda instead of the nectar of the gods, and there isn't a single helicopter-head end. Unfortunately, Sparklelord's corruption is destroying the Radical Land, forcing them to flee in the face of all the terrible things happening in their home.

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* ''The Adventures Of Oliver And Columbina'' features two worlds: The rosen dream lands, and reality-where-you-get-bored. The latter is simple and unproblematic for the readers, but incomprehensible for the characters.

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''The Dispossessed'' has a subtitle: "An Ambiguous Utopia;" [=LeGuin=] takes pains to portray the problems of an anarcho-syndicalist system in practice,[[note]][=LeGuin=] herself is an anarcho-syndicalist[[/note]] and Shevek frequently has his doubts about his own society.

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* ''Series/DoctorWho''
** It appalls the Silurians, who appear in several eras of ''Doctor Who'', that evolved apes (humans) have, millions of years after their time, taken over Earth.
** Control, an alien who appears in "Ghost Light", considers Victorian London a nightmare. (We might think, too.)
** The episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E7AmysChoice "Amy's Choice"]] has the Doctor trapped (possibly) in a dream world where his two married companions are in a humdrum rural town that is incredibly boring. The Doctor asks, "[[CrossesTheLineTwice So, what do you do to stave off the self-harm?]]" Apparently the CallToAgriculture is a death knell to him.
** An earlier episode, [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E4TheGirlInTheFireplace "The Girl In The Fireplace"]], has Madame de Pompadour briefly visit the 51st century, seeing the inside of the space ship that has the unexplained windows into her time. This, combined with whatever she saw in the Doctor's mind, has her firmly convinced that she is better off staying in 18th century France.

* The ''Series/PhilipKDicksElectricDreams'' episode "[[Recap/PhilipKDicksElectricDreamsS1E5RealLife Real Life]]" shows us two version of a future: one that is only slightly ahead of us (most things look pretty much the same, but some tech is more advanced), and one that is the stereotypical "flying cars and holograms" distant future. [[spoiler:The distant future turns out to be the real one.]]

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[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

** In one of the Eisenhorn novels, Eisenhorn makes his escape...on a first-class luxury train operating on a route that has been in service for ''nearly 1000 years'', crossing the equivalent of the Rocky Mountains for several days. Of course, stuff eventually blows up, but for a few days you have the characters simply enjoying a wonderful time on a massive luxury train. Unsaid is that even after stuff blowing up, this train is going to keep operating thereafter as well (probably with a few new cars, however).

** The Tau have a tendency for using concentration camps, forced sterilizations, mind control and orbital bombardment to bring people into the fold of "the Greater Good." In any other setting, they would be considered the bad guys; [[MemeticMutation IN THE GRIM DARKNESS]] [[CrapsackWorld OF THE FAR FUTURE]], [[NaiveNewcomer THEY ARE TOO OPTIMISTIC AND TRUSTING]].
* In ''TabletopGame/InvisibleSun'', this world and existence are Crapsack since they're a diminished, twisted shadow of a magical realm called the Actuality; the only reason any magic users came to it in the first place was to flee a horrific magical war in their own realm. The other Suns, where magic is normal and only limited by the imagination, are far more imaginative and interesting (though not necessarily nice) places.

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* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' has Aerie, a winged elf who lost her wings in a traumatic backstory. If recruited into the party, she spends a good chunk of the early game whining about how awful life on the ground is. [[PlayerCharacter Charname]] can eventually convince her that it's not so bad.

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--> '''Torg''': "Why the '''BLEEP''' does it smell like flowers down here?"
--> '''Alternative Zoë''': "It's a sewer, silly!"
--> '''Torg''': "I hate this dimension!"

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* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': Zig-zagged all over the place. The Crystal Gems are permanent residents of the Earth, and have been for a [[TimeAbyss good while now]]. On the one hand, Earth's a far cry [[TheresNoPlaceLikeHome from their own Homeworld]] and they're [[PunyEarthlings not very impressed]] [[FantasticRacism with humans]]. On the other hand, [[NobleBigot they're also]] [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight more than willing to protect both the planet and its inhabitants]], [[spoiler: [[BackstoryHorror up to and including]] [[CivilWar starting a war]] [[DefectorFromDecadence for their sake]], because Homeworld seems to be TheEmpire and their initial interest was [[PlanetLooters to bleed the earth dry]]...]]
** However, as time passes, this is revealed namely to be Pearl's issue. Amethyst was born on Earth and was closer to humans than anyone else except Rose. It was just her natural attitude tends to be whatever. Garnet meanwhile has her future vision and being leader to occupy her time. Pearl meanwhile tended to look down on humanity the most (which is painfully ironic given how Pearls in Gem society were made to just stand and be pretty or occasionally as secretaries.) Though the massive reveal that [[spoiler: Pink Diamod was Rose Quartz means that Pearl serving her meant she had a bit of a higher status than her fellow Gems.]] Furthermore, thanks to Steven, the Gems grow fonder of their newfound home, with Amethyst rebuilding her old friendship with Vidalia and the Gems interacting more with humans.

* In the 1987 ''Film/MastersOfTheUniverse'' movie, Teela and Man-at-Arms have their first taste of Earth food. Teela curiously asks what the white sticks in the middle are for, and she's instantly rendered nauseous when she's told that they're rib bones and she's eating a dead animal.
** Man-At-Arms, meanwhile, doesn't seem to mind.
* ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' plays this straight for a few minutes, as the problem with our world is claimed to be that it has bright sunlight and cold. Then averted for the rest of the movie, as it turns out that the world the heroine now lives in is a straight CrapsackWorld saturated in nightmares.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' is almost notorious for its many negative portrayals of 21st century life over several different shows. This is especially prevalent in any episodes in which the cast is sent back into time. You can often expect characters to reference the 21st century as barbaric, ignorant, greedy, or hateful - this despite the fact that the 21st century has seen far less war, illiteracy, poverty, or genocide than any era preceding it.

* Played with in ''TabletopGame/InvisibleSun'' where this world and existence is the Crapsack one since it's a diminished, twisted shadow of a magical one called the Actuality; the only reason any magic users came to it in the first place was to flee a horrific magical war in their own realm. The other Suns, where magic is normal and only limited by the imagination, are far more imaginative and interesting (though not necessarily nice) places.

Needless to say, this is TruthInTelevision. [[NoRealLifeExamplesPlease Any real life examples would therefore be redundant.]]

* {{SPOCK}}'s song "Beam Me Up", (surely inspired by ''Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome'') sums up our world with the words "Beam me up, there's no intelligent life down here where I am".

* ''WesternAnination/StevenUniverse'': Zig-zagged all over the place. The Crystal Gems are permanent residents of the Earth, and have been for a [[TimeAbyss good while now]]. On the one hand, Earth's a far cry [[TheresNoPlaceLikeHome from their own Homeworld]] and they're [[PunyEarthlings not very impressed]] [[FantasticRacism with humans]]. On the other hand, [[NobleBigot they're also]] [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight more than willing to protect both the planet and its inhabitants]], [[spoiler: [[BackstoryHorror up to and including]] [[CivilWar starting a war]] [[DefectorFromDecadence for their sake]], because Homeworld seems to be TheEmpire and their initial interest was [[PlanetLooters to bleed the earth dry]]...]]

[[folder: Fan Fiction ]]

* Fan fics written by someone LongingForFictionLand can certainly run into this, extolling the virtues of the fictional landscape they wish for while downplaying the nature of the real world.

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** It should be noted, however, that the 21st century of Star Trek takes place during, between, and after multiple global wars.

* A big part of George Orwell's classic ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' is the idea that the entire world in the book has been ConditionedToAcceptHorror. The world is only an utterly nightmarish totalitarian dystopia ''to the reader''; to an Oceanian citizen, this kind of horror world is all they really know. Even if the Party was ever overthrown, the world order would stay as-is because political and intellectual freedom have long since ceased to exist as concepts in the human psyche. In other words, the only real solution to the world's problems is likely only an [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Exterminatus]].

* Vonda N. [=McIntyre=]'s ''ThievesWorld'' short story "Looking for Satan". A group of people come to Sanctuary and find it appalling. This is not so unusual (Sanctuary is a WretchedHive after all) but the reason is that the place they come from is idyllic: everyone lives together without jealousy or greed and with a FreeLoveFuture orientation.

Compare LifeWillKillYou and HumansAreTheRealMonsters. DeliberateValuesDissonance and CultureClash are bound to come into play.

** It should be noted that most of the worlds in the Imperium are what is known as Civilian Worlds, which are mostly on part with present day Earth in terms of living conditions but since they're not GRIMDARK they're rarely mention unless they're being attacked.

* Brandon Sanderson's ''Literature/TheReckonersTrilogy'' has [[spoiler:Calamity, the being that gave humanity their powers,]] come from a world where they are basically intellects, and so our world with its bright lights and noises and all the senses, seems shockingly terrifying and therefore evil.

* VideoGame/StarTrekOnline is this compared to hard canon, especially compared to [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG.]] It's almost a century later, the Federation is at war with the Klingons and [[PlayerCharacter newly commissioned officers are being fast-tracked to their own full commands because of losses incurred,]] Romulus and Remus have been destroyed, the New Romulan Empire is largely trying to make a new home for its people but is wrought with internal conflict, the Borg are making a new incursion, most of this has been set up by [[Series/StarTrekVoyager Species 8472]] infiltrators, the Iconians are researching how best to break the various species when they come back and are hinted at manipulating Species 8472 into manipulating the conflicts into existence to soften everyone up... it's much bleaker than even [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]] at the height of the Dominion War. It's still Franchise/StarTrek, though, so most civilizations, certainly Federation members, are still post-scarcity and despite the various conflicts going on, it's paradise compared to any actual CrapsackWorld.

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* The characters in ''Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome'' find themselves as FishOutOfTemporalWater in TheEighties, and Doctor [=McCoy=] in particular is horrified by modern day medical practices, angrily comparing them to "the Dark Ages" and "the Spanish Inquisition". Since it's a rather lighthearted film, the whole thing's treated as comedy rather than serious criticism.

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* ''Series/DoctorWho''

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--> '''Alternative Zoë''': "It's a sewer, silly!"

[[AC:WebOriginal]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnination/StevenUniverse'': Zig-zagged all over the place. The Crystal Gems are permanent residents of the Earth, and have been for a [[TimeAbyss good while now]]. On the one hand, Earth's a far cry [[TheresNoPlaceLikeHome from their own Homeworld]] and they're [[PunyEarthlings not very impressed]] [[FantasticRacism with humans]]. On the other hand, [[NobleBigot they're also]] [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight more than willing to protect both the planet and its inhabitants]], [[spoiler: [[BackstoryHorror up to and including]] [[CivilWar starting a war]] [[DefectorFromDecadence for their sake]], because Homeworld seems to be TheEmpire and their initial interest was [[PlanetLooters to bleed the earth dry]]...]]
* The Creator/TexAvery cartoon ''The Cat That Hated People'' is about, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a cat who hates people.]] The cartoon starts with an alley cat complaining about his miserable life, how humans throw boots at him, hit him with brooms, and even ''shoot'' at him. He complains about how he doesn't get along with children (who tie paper bags onto his feet) babies (who flail him about a playpen), and housewives (who hit him over the head with broomsticks when he scratches their furniture). As he complains on the sidewalk, his point is proven by people who step all over him, the last one kicking him for good measure. He finally decides to leave people forever by hitching a ride aboard a rocket and flying to the moon. However once there, he finds the moon is [[CloudCuckooLand a crazy place]], full of weird creatures who assault him in bizarre ways. (For instance, a lipstick applies itself to his mouth, then a giggling pair of lips gives him a wet smacker; then a living diaper, safety pin, and bottle of baby powder chase him, then diaper him and shove a bottle in his mouth; he has a tantrum, and his head is diapered too). Realizing this place is worse than Earth, he [[CartoonPhysics golf drives himself back]], and is ''happy'' to be back. Even though he's no better off than he was before, with people ''still'' stepping on him, he has a newfound appreciation for his home.
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* ''Literature/GulliversTravels'' would constitute a TropeCodifier in that Swift was using the fantastic societies Gulliver encounters to lampoon British society at the time.

* The Creator/TexAvery cartoon ''The Cat That Hated People'' is about, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a cat who hates people.]] The cartoon starts with an alley cat complaining about his miserable life, how humans throw boots at him, hit him with brooms, and even ''shoot'' at him. He complains about how he doesn't get along with children (who tie paper bags onto his feet) babies (who flail him about a playpen), and housewives (who hit him over the head with broomsticks when he scratches their furniture). As he complains on the sidewalk, his point is proven by people who step all over him, the last one kicking him for good measure. He finally decides to leave people forever by hitching a ride aboard a rocket and flying to the moon. However once there, he finds the moon is [[CloudCuckooLand a crazy place]], full of weird creatures who assault him in bizarre ways. (For instance, a lipstick applies itself to his mouth, then a giggling pair of lips gives him a wet smacker; then a living diaper, safety pin, and bottle of baby powder chase him, then diaper him and shove a bottle in his mouth; he has a tantrum, and his head is diapered too). Realizing this place is worse than Earth, he [[CartoonPhysics golf drives himself back]], and is ''happy'' to be back; even though he's no better off than he was before, with people ''still'' stepping on him, he has a newfound appreciation for his home.