Cyberpunk

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What is Cyberpunk?

Cyberpunk is a science-fiction sub-genre dealing with the integration of society and technology in dystopian settings. Often referred to as “low-life and high tech,” Cyberpunk stories deal with outsiders (punks) who fight against the oppressors in society (usually mega corporations that control everything) via technological means (cyber). If the punks aren’t actively fighting against a megacorp, they’re still dealing with living in a world completely dependent on high technology.

Cyberpunk characteristics include:

Dystopian city setting where mega-corporations rule
Full integration of technology into society, featuring cybernetic implants
Outsider protagonists (punks) who often are very familiar with the technology around them
Hard boiled detective and film noir vibes and influence
Themes dabbling in trans-humanism, existentialism, and what it means to be human.

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Do you consider Demolition Man to be cyberpunk? (lemmy.zip)

submitted 2 years ago by Hammerjack@lemmy.zip to c/cyberpunk@lemmy.zip

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Demolition Man takes place in a world with a large income gap, where the rich (or at least the middle class) live on the surface while the poor (or at least those wanting to be "free") live underground. And there's a lot of futuristic tech involved (like cyber sex!). But this is primarily a story about political correctness in a police state and it doesn't include any all-powerful corporations (aside from Taco Bell, of course). So what do you think? Do you consider Demolition Man to be cyberpunk?

Here's a trailer. It isn't streaming anywhere right now though.

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[–] altima_neo@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 years ago

Its definitely cyberpunk.

The high tech/low life trope that makes up cyberpunk is here, just turned on its head from the typical expectations. On one hand, the world starts as a mess with all these problems in the world, very typical of a cyberpunk world. It pretty soon presents us with the high tech/high life of the future. But they show hints of the low life with the underground resistance. Even Phoenix is from the low life world, presented to this highly sanitized future that doesn't know how to deal with him, and that's how they turned it on its head. Its a pretty interesting idea that doesnt fall into the typical cyperbunk/noir stuff that we kind of expect.

[–] Couldbealeotard@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

I would say yes.

When you see cyberpunk it's usually from the point of view of the lower class. You can still have a story that is cyberpunk but focused on the affluent.

[–] survivalmachine@beehaw.org 1 points 2 years ago

It's one of the genre-defining prototypes of cyberpunk. You literally cannot claim to be cyberpunk without three seashells.