I watched the movie, “The Hunger Games,” last week with a little sadness. The slogan of the games was “May the odds be ever in your favor.” What a striking difference from “May God be with you” or “God bless you.”
This started out the movie and left me with a hollow feeling throughout a very fast moving action movie.
“The Hunger Games” is set in a post-apocalyptic world where children fight other children in a Roman-like fight to the death. The theme of this very popular trilogy of books by Suzanne Collins and published by Scholastic Press is about how the 12 districts each send one boy and one girl, ages 12-18, as tribute from their district to fight each other to the death, until only one remains.
This tribute is payment for some treachery or treason of these districts performed some 70-plus years earlier and not identified in the movie. All of these districts are enslaved by “the Capitol” for their treason. Each district produces a natural resource, for the benefit of the Capitol and the rest of the citizens, without rewarding the districts that produce them.
In this case, the main character of the movie, 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, “volunteers” to go to the games in lieu of Prim, her 12-year-old sister, when Prim’s name was drawn from the hat. This was a very noble and “Christ-like” action offering to substitute her life for her sister’s.
When she gets to the games, all of the very pompously and strangely dressed citizens of the Capitol are cheering all the tributes on, in an “Olympic Opening Ceremony” kind of way. But in these games all the children, but one, will die. The Colosseum for the “games” is a man-made cage with TV cameras placed everywhere, much like the Jim Carrey movie, “The Truman Show”. But in this case the contestants know they are on TV and play for popularity in order to have sponsors send them war materiel.
I won’t ruin the movie for you by telling you how it ends, but I couldn’t help thinking that Panem (this post-apocalyptic North America) was similar to Obama’s view of the future.
Obama-ville versus Panem, think about these attributes of Panem and ask yourself what is different …
- “The Capitol” is in control;
- No guns for the citizens only the government;
- No cars;
- High speed mag lev trains are the principal mode of transportation;
- Children are used to manipulate the masses;
- Government employees being supported by enslaving those that disagree with him;
- The citizens of the Capitol are privileged, apparently non-working adults, living off the prosperity of the enslaved districts;
- The masses are God-less, earth worshippers and government dependent;
- The Capitol changes the rules as it suits them (you will have to see the movie to understand this one);
- The Districts’ “sins” have not been forgiven and the annual Hunger Games are to remind them who is in charge and keep the dissidents in line;
- Government workers playing “God” over the Tributes in the games;
- The audiences of Panem are fickle and easily swayed;
- The ultimate sacrifice is to give your life for the entertainment of the masses.
Now, for you conspiracy theorists out there, they didn’t have any black helicopters (that I could see), but the similarities of this God-Less Post-Apocalyptic and Obama-ville are left to you the reader to decide.
Coincidence? You have to wonder …
What an insightful article. Not surprising coming from Mr. Peotter.
I have not read the book or seen the movie. I do have a hard time with so many young kids (preteens and early teens) that are so infatuated with children fighting to the death. That being said, all I can say about similarities to what you said… pray.
After watching the depressing news the other day, I came to a sad realization, that our once great country is in the death throes of democracy. Our liberties are widdled away for the sake of the few. We can no longer manage simple tasks ourselves and must have the government do it for us. We vote for more government and less freedoms. Our legislature is more than happy to pass more repressive laws and without oversight or accountability. We no longer want to work, we want handouts. Making money and being successful in business is now a sign of greed, and those that have, need to give it up to the have-nots.
What has happened to us?
Although I have not seen the movie, I have the sense that some of the comparisons might be a little extreme. That said, I think it is unquestionable that our accelerating move toward socialism is an “Obamanation” to the principles of our forefathers, and entitlements have been the kindling that started that socialist fire blazing.
I haven’t seen the movie…nor read the book. But it seems that you missed the most obvious parallel: the resulting want from a controlled/over-regulating central authority, creating deadly competition between groups for the means of survival (by dividing the pie, not growing it).
Interesting direction. Sport became “entertainment”. Education became “entertainment”. Perhaps the Hunger Games simply portray Government as “entertainment”…and the trivialization of life to it’s entertainment value.
Excellent article.