What seems dated about the way Atwood imagines a dystopian society? What seems topical and convincing today?

Atwood is concerned with moral relativism which prevents her book from ever feeling dated. Through the Historical Notes, Atwood raises the general question of whether it is possible to judge a culture outside of its boundaries. It seems clear that she believes that the answer is "yes". Though Gilead's culture is substantially different from our own, it seems unlikely that the reader does not hold it in judgement. Atwood seems to justify this judgment, for while she teases out Gilead's differences, the narrative also reveals that there are many similarities between cultures, no matter the social or cultural mores that divide them. In other words, the same kinds of relationships and the same kinds of power differentials underlie all societies. Atwood seems to suggest that those similarities are what allow outsiders to make judgments. A greater question is whether Atwood's novel is political: is she alluding to specific cultures that she feels her readers have excused themselves from judging. Certainly, we have seen women use motifs of this book (dressing in red) to protest assaults on women's rights.