Why the world NEEDS The Hunger Games

I posted this on my Facebook wall today after a series of comments from my friends about how they would not let their children see The Hunger Games, not do they agree with its message. It came to my attention that many people do not really understand the message of the movie, or the books, so I decided to post it here and get peoples thoughts on it as well. There are no spoilers contained here besides anything you might see in a preview or read in an introduction to the series. In my original post I did include a few spoilers, but I did remove them in here for the public's sake. So without further ado...




Well this weekend the hype of the world is surrounding the movie release of The Hunger Games in theaters worldwide. Just two days in and it has already made millions of dollars and it is on the fast track to breaking records for non-sequel revenue worldwide. Never in history has a movie that hasn't been a sequel to an already popular release garnered as much attention as this and it is easy to see why. The Hunger Games is controversial at its heart, but while many people are frowning upon the message it conveys, I am hear to tell the positive side that the story brings to the viewing audience, both young and adult alike.

First of all, a little back story. I, like many others, was introduced to the series when the first television spot played for the movie late last year. I didn't really think much of it at the time, but as the hype train got rolling, I decided to pick up the first book in the series and see for myself what all the talk was about. It didn't take me long at all to get sucked into the series, as all good series do to me, and within a week I had completed the entire Hunger Games Trilogy.

What most people see and hear about the story is the basic synopsis: a bunch of kids are thrown into an arena and forced to violently battle until only one is left alive. With that description alone, parents are left with a barbaric and slim portrayal of a much larger picture. Hollywood obviously tries to market the shock value by pointing that fact as the main selling point, however, the barbarism of children in a gladiatorial arena is FAR from the point and the story that The Hunger Games is trying to convey at all, and sadly, too many people get lost in that fact.

Without spoiling the story for those that have yet to see it, I will paint the setting for The Hunger Games that seems to get lost by most people behind the violence:

In this "fictional" world of Panem (which by the way is a future America), the people decided to speak out against their governments. This eventually led to riots and fighting amongst the people, and in the end the entire destruction of a city by the government to stop the uprising. So from that point on, to keep the people in check, that government forced these kids to fight in the arena to the death to remind them that the government is in ultimate control and that should they ever choose to rebel against what they say again - the ultimate result is death.

And the people accept it blindly. The people of the 12 districts of Panem go about their daily lives, some of them are farmers, miners, business owners, but all of them are the lower and middle class. The work and strive to get by, why the people who were lucky enough to be born into wealth and use the production of the lower class to splurge and live lives of luxury, feed themselves to gluttony in the Capital, never having to face the wrath of the capital of the Hunger Games themselves.

Now if you cannot see the similarities, hell, the identical symmetries between the worlds of Panem and America, then you are just as blind as the people in the Districts. While we may not be separated into geographical zones like they are, we are separated into invisible classes. While the lower and middle class word to provide and barely get by, the upper echelon of society reap the rewards of our labors and give nothing back in return. They sit on the thrones and control us with laws that they pass despite what we say about liking them or not, and when it comes to sacrificing out youth... they don't have to do it forcefully - they have convinced us that it is honorable to willingly volunteer to sacrifice our youth for pointless wars based on lies and lining the pockets of the wealthy even more.

I see many adults posting about how they are mortified about the deaths that are shown on screen in The Hunger Games because it is so gruesome. Why are people not more mortified that 4,486 Americans have died in Iraq in the past 9 years? After all - that is real live sacrifice, where as 23 on screen fiction deaths are nothing more than symbolism for something bigger.

But I digress.I know I am going to get flak for this from old times but times do change and a new era is upon us. It is time to get to the meat and potatoes of this post.

Why does the world NEED The Hunger Games and why should every kid see it despite what their parents say?

Because the theme of the Hunger Games is simple: CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.

Not kids killing other kids. Not wonton violence. Not corrupt violence. CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.


There are two points in the film where civil disobedience plays a strong factor and as the series goes on, that lesson only grows stronger.


Why is civil disobedience a good thing? Because there is a profound abundance of civil acceptance from our past generations. I've noticed that most people our elders will never question the "norms" of society and will always accept the laws of the land without question - and that is exactly the type of thinking that results in situations like The Hunger Games, Nazi Germany, and Modern America. Only through constant questioning and demanding change from your government will you exact change,

While you might argue that the violence is desensitizing towards children, and I might agree - the rating is correct - it is a PG-13 film. If you feel like your child cannot understand the underlying message of the film, and will instead be inspired and provoked to violence, then perhaps you should do your job and explain the world to your child rather than to avoid everything that is bad. Avoiding bad things does not teach your child to cope with situations, it teaches them to flee and be ill prepared for the inevitable that the world will no doubt throw at them when they are on their own.

With that said, allow me to say this again. The world NEEDS The Hunger Games and other civil disobedience works to teach future generations to stop acting like sheep and instead be their own people. There are too many carbon copies in this world as it is. If you are a person that will not allow your child to see it... I daresay you are one of those sheep.



Sad but true.

I find it interesting that parents should take issue with a movie made entirely for entertainment, and yet approve of schools mandating 1984 for George Orwell on the reading list for students.

In my opinion, 1984 has more political/philosophical/emotional messages than any of the Hunger Games books.

Besides, aren't we taught to think for ourselves? To make opinions? Or is this a symptom of the government regime that goes "Let us do the thinking, you can play the puppet"...?

The Government allows entertainment the Romans did the same to release stress of society because of there oppressive regimes. They found if you allow the public to ventilate there anger during plays and theater they don't act upon it for its dispersed. It is only when people come together for a single purpose does change come about.

The world doesn't need The Hunger Games, because we already had Battle Royale years ago and the author of Hunger Games just complete ripped it off.

And long before any of it there was the Long Walk, but that is different enough. There is no excuse for the rip off of Battle Royale.

That is all.

reply to post by GogoVicMorrow


the two are about the same as night and day. battle royale is an emotionless horror show of pointless violence, while hunger games has violence in it but depicts it in a way that makes most people feel outraged, disgusted and fed up with violence.
the main character avoids violence whole heartedly and cries for day and suffers deeply for each person killed. characters that go through violence are shown as shell shocked shadows of their former selves. the negative effects of violence are shown effecting both victim and perpatrator. hunger games shows the pointlessness of violence in a way that makes you figure it out and feel it for yourself.

battle royales goes through each gory death in detail, emotionlessly.many of the main characters are emotionless about killing and this is shown semi-positively

hunger games skips through major battles and violence is brief.

if anything lord of the flies is closer to hunger games.

your opinion on two books you haven't read is not welcome. movies do no justice to books btw.

to the OP thumbs up to you

reply to post by gwydionblack


Nice Thread, I know nothing about the books or films, but I was probabaly going to watch it anyway, because it reminded me of Battle Royale.

reply to post by Starchild23


If only 1984 were still on reading lists. I mean, I never had to read it in school, nor did anyone in my school. It certainly does have more political and philosophical messages.

The point I am trying to convey, however, is that The Hunger Games provides an emotional inspiration towards young people to indeed think for themselves and question their governments.

I certainly was not raised to think for myself. It is a quality that 90% of the culture today are unable to do without breaking way for themselves. While I don't agree with some of their methods, at least a group of the youth counterculture has managed to do that in the modern world. The lesson in the movie should inspire more people to do the same.




reply to post by mikeprodigy


Yes but entertainment always went against the Romans didn't it. Hence the Servile Wars and particularly Spartacus' uprising. Entertainment only controls if the people allow them to be controlled.






reply to post by GogoVicMorrow


Glad to see more people jump on the sheep line. Did you not read the part about carbon copies, because I'm pretty sure your aren't the first, second, third, or millionth person to TRY to point out the little gaff.

I too am a Battle Royale fan, but where the similarities stand with kids killing kids in an arena, that too is where they end and Battle Royale falls short. There is very little emotional investment in any of the characters, they aren't fighting for any greater good, and nor does anything come out of it. Sure you might follow the story afterwards into the poorly made second movie, but then 99% percent of the people never have.

But then let's think for a second, was Battle Royale completely original in its undertaking? I think not. Nor did it not drive any anti government sentiment or any hard lessons from watching it. It was a gorefest thriller and nothing more can be taken from it. It is time to move on.

Hm. I didn't know there were parents refusing to let their kids view it. My first reaction, as someone who has long been a fan of the books, and hangs out on a Conspiracy website, was- why?

But then I had to think harder to step out of myself. It does encourage distrusting and questioning authority, thinking for yourself... and I guess there are people who find that a very bad idea! There are people that are concerned about teaching young people to respect their parents, for example... you have to admit, a side effect of teaching your kids not to respect authority is that they won't respect YOU. Hm. Okay. I can kinda see that.
But I remain a steadfast "question everything" parent and will let mine see it.

reply to post by gwydionblack


Huh, is this some sort of book review...?

Your core point seems to hang on the deaths of US service personnel in Iraq (just Iraq?) and how that means more than the 23 (sic - there were 22 deaths in this particular hunger games) who died in THG. Really? I mean WTF, you are comparing THG where everyone in the districts are opposed to the games (but their will is supressed by the Capitol) with the arguable morality of proud sacrifice by great men and women of America (and those who want to be American too)?

Talk about politicizing the wrong issue IMHO. You seem to think we need THG so that we can ensure our children become rebels or begin to engage in civil disobedience. I assume by neededing THG you mean that THG (the movie) is needed so that they learn to become less compliant? I could not agree with you less.

Jeez, one of the main books that used to be read in junior high was "Lord of the Flies" with a similarly dystoppian message in which children set about killing eachother. Rather than encouraging disobedience I would say that LOTF discourages the breaking and/or loss of a moral framework set within laws. THG (trilogy) is somewhat of a nonsense on the morality front - it advocates the assassination of duplicitous political leaders (i.e. District 13's victorious leader) yet the kow towing to obviously brutal and vampiric ones such as President Snow. You want THG to teach our kids that true love is irrelevant? That the public recognition of fictional love and the adulation it brings (as in between Katniss and Peeta) is more important than true love (as in between Katniss and Gale)? God, if Sizanne Collins really wanted to set a moral tone to the books then surely the manipulative and lying Peeta would have got his commuppance well and truly... no he actually gets protected by Katniss.Is it right that some guy who didn't even have the guts to stand up to his own mother (to feed Katniss properly - not just throw bread to the pigs) should get her devotion? Seems pretty effed up to me from a morality POV.

But what of the need to teach people the need for disobedience? Is this a justified purpose? FFS, you want to teach our kids to diss the law? To be disobedient? I just shake my head in wonder... have you any idea what sort of society you would be living in? Actually, you probably wouldn't be living in it as the first head to roll would be... yep, those who made them like that. Is your desire for disobedience built upon the dislike of where the USA seems to be headed? Do you see greater state/government involvement in your life as a negative that needs a sort of Mockingjay figure to unite the masses and overthrow the evil that so forceably oppresses you?

In conclusion, I cannot accept your assertion that THG is required so that we can sort of overthrow tyranny. Whos tyrrany?

reply to post by Blister

Your core point seems to hang on the deaths of US service personnel in Iraq (just Iraq?) and how that means more than the 23 (sic - there were 22 deaths in this particular hunger games) who died in THG. Really? I mean WTF, you are comparing THG where everyone in the districts are opposed to the games (but their will is supressed by the Capitol) with the arguable morality of proud sacrifice by great men and women of America (and those who want to be American too)?

Iraq is my main point yes, because of how ridiculously needless it was. Afghanistan is similarly needless, but did not warrant as much, how do you say, "anti-war sentiment" towards, during, and after the invasion. Are you saying that the American people were in support of the Iraqi invasion? Are you saying that they now see it as a good thing? You must be look at a pretty skewed bank of data, because I am pretty sure that when many of America's youth signed their names on the dotted line, they didn't do it with the intentions of dying to serve the oil wealth of this nations leaders. Iraq was needless and the people who died their died in vain. The people who continue to die in the "War on Terror" continue to die in vain. There is nothing proud about it and there is no freedom to be won.

Talk about politicizing the wrong issue IMHO. You seem to think we need THG so that we can ensure our children become rebels or begin to engage in civil disobedience. I assume by neededing THG you mean that THG (the movie) is needed so that they learn to become less compliant? I could not agree with you less.

It will certainly help the cause. If many of the older generations had their way, we would all continue to follow in line, never questioning, never breaking from the norm. Is that fine and dandy to you? If so, then we don't need to exchange any more words because you are obviously content as a slave.

Jeez, one of the main books that used to be read in junior high was "Lord of the Flies" with a similarly dystoppian message in which children set about killing eachother. Rather than encouraging disobedience I would say that LOTF discourages the breaking and/or loss of a moral framework set within laws.

Good thing then that I was advocating for lessons taught in Lord of the Flies was I?

THG (trilogy) is somewhat of a nonsense on the morality front - it advocates the assassination of duplicitous political leaders (i.e. District 13's victorious leader) yet the kow towing to obviously brutal and vampiric ones such as President Snow. You want THG to teach our kids that true love is irrelevant? That the public recognition of fictional love and the adulation it brings (as in between Katniss and Peeta) is more important than true love (as in between Katniss and Gale)? God, if Sizanne Collins really wanted to set a moral tone to the books then surely the manipulative and lying Peeta would have got his commuppance well and truly... no he actually gets protected by Katniss.Is it right that some guy who didn't even have the guts to stand up to his own mother (to feed Katniss properly - not just throw bread to the pigs) should get her devotion? Seems pretty effed up to me from a morality POV.

Once again, not defending the story on its morality stand point. However, if a dose of REALITY is what you are looking for, then maybe you could reread it again. Not everything is a moral and ethical decision and not everyone makes the right choice. That is life. The story would be pretty damn bland and dull if that were the case.

Sorry to everyone by the way for your lack of spoiler warning.

But what of the need to teach people the need for disobedience? Is this a justified purpose? FFS, you want to teach our kids to diss the law? To be disobedient? I just shake my head in wonder... have you any idea what sort of society you would be living in?

A free society?

Is that such an awful thing or am I missing something?

Actually, you probably wouldn't be living in it as the first head to roll would be... yep, those who made them like that. Is your desire for disobedience built upon the dislike of where the USA seems to be headed? Do you see greater state/government involvement in your life as a negative that needs a sort of Mockingjay figure to unite the masses and overthrow the evil that so forceably oppresses you?

There is a difference between controlled disobedience and anarchy, which you don't seem to have any line between. My desire for disobedience rests in my desire for revolution, the only solution to the rule that currently oppresses all of our lives, though many of use choose to simply accept and live with it, rather than to deal with it head on.

Who is tyranny? Tyranny is our government. The ones who took freedom away from us.

I just finished it. online, free .

I see it more as a glorification of authority and glutonous materialist freaks then anything else, i'm sorry to say.

The imagery is very specific of a future that is all too real a possibility,

I find the civil disobedience aspect to be running in the background in regards to the overwhelming Capitol's technologic prison state symbolism.

The scenes of the show's producer in that white room with the computers monitoring EVERYTHING tells me advanced security systems like that won't be hesistated to use either.

when the citizens rebelled there, it made it look all chaotic compared to the calm shown by the figures in the capitol.

this movie I find to be a mix of The Truman Show, Tron and The Running Man.

AND WTF. They didn't bring down the system, they continued it and glorified it even more by partaking in the games!!!!!

bullcrap movie.

reply to post by yourmaker


its a three book trilogy..
thats what everyone is talking about.

saw it today

very underwhelemed

it was "the running man" with teenagers. I'm sure the books were better as usual, but the movie barely touched on the political message, it was american idol meets the most dangerous game in a way almost apolitical entirely

and for any parent reading this, 11 is the minimum age, very dark themes

OP, I must respectfully and completely disagree with you. We are seeing the effects of 'disobedience' and 'anti-authority' today, all around us from our leaders down to two year olds throwing tantrums when they don't get their own way. If you cannot understand that this is indoctrination against all that God demands, the message and consequences are lost on you.

(The Pharisees said) "Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

He hit the nail on the head. They were looking for DISOBEDIENCE, goading Him to partake of it. His response in no way condemns one who seeks righteousness and justice, but underscores the trap that occurs when one's OWN behaviour sinks to the level of the oppressors. From your thread I can see that you think that 'disobedience' is the answer, and this is what the movie preaches for it's what those in charge WANT you to do. But do you not understand that meeting one wrong with another wrong does NOTHING to address an underlying problem of injustice? Injustice needs to be met with justice, evil with good etc. I would be distraught if I taught my own child to solve inequity with another wrong like disobedience.

"There is a difference between controlled disobedience and anarchy, which you don't seem to have any line between. My desire for disobedience rests in my desire for revolution, the only solution to the rule that currently oppresses all of our lives, though many of use choose to simply accept and live with it, rather than to deal with it head on. "

Lenin said "The best revolutionary is a youth devoid of morals." 
SOURCE: PAWNS IN THE GAME, page 126, by William Guy Carr, 1958

If you think that you are being oppressed now, and can't see that you have been led to your beliefs by those who despise you, then there is not much that I can say that will convince you. You will go down fighting an invisible enemy that has removed God and His truth from your life to get you to this very point.

Originally posted by Nephlim
reply to post by yourmaker

 

its a three book trilogy..
thats what everyone is talking about.

that's great, i'm talking about the movie.

I would not under any circumstance allow the schools to force that down my childs throat nor allow any poltiican to speak to me, instead of listen. I hire ears not mouths, period! Mouths are treason and that means I disobey you in your face!

I have a suggestion for them to teach in every school there is, and to demand my representative put out in flyers to every single person in his riding:

An End to World Wide Hunger In Months!


Fishing in the Phoenix Earthship

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I will not allow the teachers to teach my children any violence or aggression except for assertiveness to solve world problems as the employer group, which all citizens belong to.

reply to post by WhoKnows100


If God or Jesus were to remove us from slavery, they would have done it already. I do not put by faith in prophets and the dead, I instead rest in the living. While I believe in the moral virtues of the great men of the past, they are not here to live through it, they are not here to suffer, and they are not here to help, and so we must make our own tread or forever live in the shadow of negligence.

your thread I can see that you think that 'disobedience' is the answer, and this is what the movie preaches for it's what those in charge WANT you to do. But do you not understand that meeting one wrong with another wrong does NOTHING to address an underlying problem of injustice? Injustice needs to be met with justice, evil with good etc. I would be distraught if I taught my own child to solve inequity with another wrong like disobedience.

You assume that disobedience is injustice? If that is the case then your mind is so badly warped it would ever be hard to get through to you. That belief in itself states that you believe yourself and other incapable of making your own decisions and thus must obey others to get from point A to point B, incapable of survival on your own and thus must depend on others to make your choices for you. THAT is wrong.

You claim disobedience to be a "wrong" because you have been raised by a society that frowns upon it. As I stated in my OP, the older generation have grown accustomed to the system and would much rather live within and make excuses as to why it is working or why it is wrong to stand against it, then to ever actually stand against it. I believe disobedience can be quite good, can be a servant or justice, and can bring down any evil force that seeks to stop it.

If you think that you are being oppressed now, and can't see that you have been led to your beliefs by those who despise you, then there is not much that I can say that will convince you. You will go down fighting an invisible enemy that has removed God and His truth from your life to get you to this very point.

As I said, there will always be those that make their excuses to hide behind. The people say that those in power try to lure use towards revolution are delusional and brainwashed, because revolution is the single thing in history that has been unpredictable and unreliable, and it has also been the single greatest downfall of every entity of government that has strayed beyond their boundaries to control its people in unwilling ways.

The enemy is clear. They simply try to hide themselves behind handouts, false promises, and pretenses of past glory that no longer exists. Anyone with a mildly keen eye can spot them. They are everywhere, but you need only cut off the head of the snake to kill the beast. Disobedience is not the final answer, but it is the first step in the right direction towards that goal.







reply to post by Unity_99


Such a grand and noble cause, but ineffective in the end. Your "listeners" don't listen, and no amount of yelling changes that. No amount of barraging them with love and hoping they change their ways is going to change the reality of the world.

Nobody wants their children growing up to be violent. And, if parents actually took the time to speak and interact with their children to discuss such things, they wouldn't have to worry about the exposure to violence all around. Instead people will blame the media and entertainment for exposing them to such violence and take no responsibility for their upbringing. It is up to the parents to tell their children that violence is an unnecessary thing in this world, but that it is a REALITY. To deny that is to put your children's lives in danger and risk their survival in the future and I would hope no parent would want that for their child.

To each their own. I believe violence is a necessary act against those who have already proven that they only respond to violence and nothing else. Thus why I believe the more disobedient and questionable towards government that people, especially the future generations become, the closer we come to an actual revolution, and the greater fear that arises in the powers that control us, and the greater knowledge that if they continue to not listen - that we will have the will, means, power, motivation, and strength to take them down at a moments notice.

The Hunger Games is just one step closer to enlightening people that it is OK to question your handlers, and not only is it OK, it can change the world. It might not be so visible in the first book/movie, but in the trilogy it shines like the sun.

____________________

$$ for hollywood while desensitizing and making
'entertainment' out of genocide. . . I have better things
to do with my cash.

____________________

Originally posted by ToneDeaf
____________________

$$ for hollywood while desensitizing and making
'entertainment' out of genocide. . . I have better things
to do with my cash.

____________________

I understand your view. However, I would like to mention that there are some deep philosophical issues here.

For instance, the idea that fear and hope must always go hand in hand. Perhaps, since fear will always exist in a Homo Sapiens world, it is best to utilize that fear to create its natural counterpart, hope?

Perhaps, in order to maintain structure within a society that is clearly something less than a civilized nation, they are introducing fear to keep the social mind clear, and hope to give it purpose.

As a war-stricken country, we obviously do not support the idea of killing for fun. But look around: there is severe overpopulation in several regions of America, not to mention other countries. India, a country half the size of ours, has more people than we do.

Because we have developed an excessive amount of morals due to those who have none, we have presumed to create our own balance of nature, our own circle of life. Being human, we always create flawed systems and machines: is it any surprise that our cycle of life is always on the fritz?

In essence, we assume that a battle requiring the loss of human life for entertainment is barbaric. However, in an unstable human society, the most cruel of techniques becomes the most necessary. We are humans...when have we ever been the best at knowing what we need?

Most often, we reach for what's bad for us. Money, alcohol, drugs, promiscuity, obesity...these are all symptoms of our "wanting" disease. Fear is the most efficient tool for controlling a society with great potential to become unruly and reckless; hope is a genius stroke to keep the mentality at a stable level.

ATS may not understand this, because they abhor violence. But tell me...are the Hunger Games really that bad, when all they are doing is keeping control of their own nation, and we are bombing other nations because we have sticky fingers?

Personally, I believe we could take a leaf or two from the Hunger Games. Not the game itself, but the principles. Then again, who says we haven't already?

It's politics. Sometimes politics is necessary, but I prefer politics when it isn't run by humans.