Utopias: The Societal Snake Oil

 Everyone loves the idea of a utopia. That the whole point. But what really is a utopia? Whenever you ask people that, they respond with something along the lines of "a perfect society". But what does that even mean? Is it a society where everyone is happy? With no struggles? What? As you're reading that I'm sure you're think yes, but it's also so much more. But if I asked you to describe what else it would entail, you wouldn't really have much to say. Sure you might add one or two more things, but it still wouldn't quite feel like it summed up the idea of a utopia. Thats because part of what makes a utopia a utopia is that it's almost too good to imagine. Perfection is basically impossible to achieve in the real world, and as such it is difficult to imagine what perfection would be like. It's like trying to describe colors to someone who's blind, but we're the ones who are blind. It's something so alien that it's almost impossible to imagine. You can think of it in a theoretical sense, but thats about it. However because it is so desirable and people dont really know what it is, its really easy to sell to people. It's like snake oil. Nobody knows what snake oil actually is, but it supposedly cures everything you can think of and more. And so people will sell it to you. But of course they dont have actual snake oil, and nobody knows what snake oil is supposed to taste like. So they just guess, they add some liquor and maybe some weird plants, just to give it a funny flavor thats different from anything else. And then they sell it to you. Thats what happens with utopias in the real world. People know they can profit off of them, so they sell them to people. But they dont really know what a utopia is in practicality, so they just guess and add whatever they think will fit. Equal pay, no more money, etc. They just throw it into a big mixing pot and then slap it on a board. And Boom! It's a "utopia" and millions of people willing up to join it. Is it actually a utopia? no! Just like snake oil, once you try the product you realize that nothing has really changed. You still have the same sickness or worries, except now your mouth feels funny, or in the case of a "utopia", you'll be imprisoned if you say anything negative about the government!