Episode 10: Cyberpunk and Gen X: From Fiction to Reality

Anthony, Derek, and Dan lay claim to an entire subgenre of science fiction: cyberpunk! Cyberpunk and Gen X seem to share the same timeline, since our generation came of age just as the genre was hitting its peak in the 80's and 90's.

In this episode, the guys talk about both the pop culture and real-world manifestations of cyberpunk. They also break down the two halves of the word: technology as the "cyber" and rebellion and dystopia for the "punk." Our generation saw technologies like cybernetics in cyberpunk books and movies, and now live in a time when artificial limbs can be connected to the human nervous system. And of course, cyberpunk showed us the rise of the Information Age before the Internet was born.

The punk side of the coin speaks to depictions of chaotic and oppressive futures, where social structures break down and capitalism-gone-rampant has created powerful corporations that are almost nations unto themselves. In many ways, the current state of our world echos those themes.

Go here for a good primer on cyberpunk.

And true to the dystopian present, there's explicit language. Deal with it.