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Bored Panda

Ilona Baliūnaitė

“This Is Fresh Hell”: 90 Photos That Prove The USA Has Reached Disturbing Levels Of Dystopia

America United States The United States

At one point, the American Dream was an aspiration for many, both in the United States and beyond. These folks envisioned the quintessential image of owning a home, raising a family, having a stable career, and securing a comfortable retirement.

These days, that dream is becoming less and less achievable. A chunk of people wouldn’t even consider the US a place to live, perhaps because life on the ground seems to mimic scenes from a Black Mirror episode. And the following photos may just prove that.

We collected these images from different corners of Reddit. Scroll through to see how troublesome things have apparently gotten.

#1 This Is So Heartbreaking

#2

#3 But Free Healthcare Is Bad

Divisiveness has plagued America in recent years, and that’s no secret. People have allegiances to the left and the right and have pretty much declared the other their sworn enemy.

That societal division has also taken a toll on people’s health and well-being. According to a 2025 survey by the American Psychological Association, 62% of adults say the polarization has caused significant stress in their lives.

#4 Saw This Comment On A Post

#5 This Is An Indictment Of Both The Cost Of Housing And Education In America

#6 Reality Is Often Disappointing

The survey also found that most US adults are more stressed about the country’s future than before. 63% of younger adults and 53% of parents have considered relocating to another country because of the nation's tumultuous state.

And when asked what words they would use to represent America today, 38% said corruption, 36% said division, and 32% said fear.

#7 This Is Veterans Row. A 3 Block Homeless Camp In West L.A. Where Homeless Veterans Live In

#8 Free Time Doesn't Exist For Some People Out There

#9 92 Year Old Woman Working In Florida, Because She Couldn't Afford To Retire

Homelessness is another problem that many Americans face. Recent statistics reveal that over 745,000 people have experienced homelessness, which equates to 22 people per 10,000 residents.

According to journalist and anthropologist Brian Goldstone, the people roaming the streets are just “the tip of the iceberg.”

#10 Ah Yeah Heaven

One of the many reasons I loved living in Texas.

#11 AI Models Are Being Made Of People Without Their Consent

#12 New Vapes Gamification Of Puffing To Unlock Themes

As Goldstone tells PBS, homeless people aren’t just those who are often seen sleeping outside the parking lot of a convenience store. Others appear like functioning members of society.

“It's often the very cashier worker stocking the shelves in those stores. And they often have children at the end of their shifts,” he said. “They don't know where they're going. They have to tell their children, ‘I don't know where we're staying tonight.’ Maybe they're sleeping in a car in that very parking lot.”

#13 Shame That Nobody Could Erase This With The Stroke Of A Pen, Eh?

#14 My Insurance Denied Me A Cane, So I Recycled Some Shipping Materials Into A One. Been Using It For A Month

#15 You're Right, I'd Much Rather Work At Burger King Than Retire

Yet, despite the doom and gloom, many Americans remain hopeful about the future.

According to a June Gallup poll, people across the political spectrum largely agree that government reform, system changes, and equal rights are necessary to make the American dream achievable again in the next 50 years.

#16 This Was What Kaiser Permanente Gave To Their Nurses To Recognize Them During Nurses Week

#17 Weirdly, American Crops Are Not Being Picked By Americans After Immigrant Workforce Suddenly “Doesn’t Show Up” For Some Odd Reason

#18 Wow

#19 Can't Wait For The Day I'm Laid Off And Have To Walk Through One Of These On My Way Home

#20 Honest Question. How Cooked Are We If We Put So Much Faith In A Glorified Predictive Text With A Hallucination Problem?

#21 How Is This Legal?

#22 Just Hire For The Same Amount. You’re A Multibillion Dollar Company

#23 Paramedic Gets Cancer, Has To Beg For Donations For Time Off, Groceries, Etc. This Is So Common That There Isn’t A Single Emergency Service That Hasn’t Experienced This

#24 What A Time To Be Alive

#25 This Year, Give Your Special Someone The Gift Of Accessing The American Healthcare System

#26 Two Decades For A Student Loan. Yeesh

#27 Cards We Gave Out To Our Undocumented Students Today

#28 Volunteer Crop Pickers Wanted In Small-Town Iowa

#29 A Boring And Dangerous School Dystopia

During the summer, my school installed metal gates over the bathrooms to keep us from going in between class.

#30 The New Data Center's Light Pollution

#31 Capitalism Reinventing Itself -- Or So They Say

#32 Awful

#33 A Mcdonalds Breakfast Sandwich Is Now The Same Size As A Ketchup Packet

#34 Are We Winning Yet

#35 No Words For This One…

#36 Dei Is Gone. Smart Or Dumb?

#37 So This Just Happened

#38 Whoever Made This Billboard Can Shove It

#39 A Pouch For Reducing Your Chance Of Getting Shot While Reaching For Your License

Apparently this is a common enough problem to warrant an entire product be manufactured specifically for making sure police don't overreact to benign activities during traffic stops. Also worth noting the fact that the two example users are black and hispanic. The description reads like advice for avoiding confrontations with aggressive wildlife. It's crazy to me that violence by police is this normalized.