Are You Hungry Games
As I started this post I got the feeling I had already written something about this. When I looked however I didn't see it so it's possible that I thought about doing this post before and never got around to it. It is also possible that you have already read a similar one from me.
I've been spotting some adds on line for Hunger Games jewelry. I must admit some of it is pretty cute in a very steam punk sort of way but I wonder if people are actually buying and wearing it. I also wonder if wearing this jewelry actually sends off a good message. It seems as people we have a tendency to identify with the oppressed. Possibly wearing this jewelry would show that we sympathize with the cause of the oppressed. I suppose that wouldn't be a bad thing, however I think more often the wearers would be doing it out of a felt affinity to the oppressed.
Before the movie came out there was a site where you could upload your picture and fill out a few basic questions and out would pop an identification card with your district and occupation. I must confess I did this myself. However I think it sort of misses the point of the books. We are not the oppressed people striving to make ends meet, get enough food on our tables and facing the bitter reality of possibly not surviving another year. We ARE the capitol. We are the ones with so much food it rots in our fridge. We are the ones more obsessed with beauty than survival. It is our indulgences that are making sure that the other people in the world do not have enough.
My daughter asked me a pointed question the other day (she has a knack for picking up on hard hitting topics). She asked, "Is the world going to run out of food?" As usual this was a difficult one for me to answer. I told her that there is always people growing more food and keeping track of how much there is (although I didn't tell her that farm land keeps being turned into residential property and the farmers are being pushed out of work). I also did tell her that there are parts of the world where there isn't enough to eat and the people are hungry all the time. We are very lucky to be in Canada where there is enough and it's not something we worry about. She agreed and thought if she was in one of those places with not enough food she would be hungry all the time.
A lot of this is about location. We were blessed with the insane luck to be born in a country with not only enough but an excess. We just as easily could have been born in a place where the water was unclean the food was scarce and the government was something to truly fear rather than just an occasional irritant. This does however make us the people in the "Capitol". Of course I'm sure a lot of those people would be blissfully unaware of the difficulties in the districts, just like in the real world. Once we realize I believe we have a responsibility. I will admit that I haven't been much of a relief to the poor and unlucky. Sure, I've done little things here and there but I'm not really sure how to make a BIG difference. I just hope I don't put my head in the sand and pretend I'm not the one that's hard done by.
I've been spotting some adds on line for Hunger Games jewelry. I must admit some of it is pretty cute in a very steam punk sort of way but I wonder if people are actually buying and wearing it. I also wonder if wearing this jewelry actually sends off a good message. It seems as people we have a tendency to identify with the oppressed. Possibly wearing this jewelry would show that we sympathize with the cause of the oppressed. I suppose that wouldn't be a bad thing, however I think more often the wearers would be doing it out of a felt affinity to the oppressed.
Before the movie came out there was a site where you could upload your picture and fill out a few basic questions and out would pop an identification card with your district and occupation. I must confess I did this myself. However I think it sort of misses the point of the books. We are not the oppressed people striving to make ends meet, get enough food on our tables and facing the bitter reality of possibly not surviving another year. We ARE the capitol. We are the ones with so much food it rots in our fridge. We are the ones more obsessed with beauty than survival. It is our indulgences that are making sure that the other people in the world do not have enough.
My daughter asked me a pointed question the other day (she has a knack for picking up on hard hitting topics). She asked, "Is the world going to run out of food?" As usual this was a difficult one for me to answer. I told her that there is always people growing more food and keeping track of how much there is (although I didn't tell her that farm land keeps being turned into residential property and the farmers are being pushed out of work). I also did tell her that there are parts of the world where there isn't enough to eat and the people are hungry all the time. We are very lucky to be in Canada where there is enough and it's not something we worry about. She agreed and thought if she was in one of those places with not enough food she would be hungry all the time.
A lot of this is about location. We were blessed with the insane luck to be born in a country with not only enough but an excess. We just as easily could have been born in a place where the water was unclean the food was scarce and the government was something to truly fear rather than just an occasional irritant. This does however make us the people in the "Capitol". Of course I'm sure a lot of those people would be blissfully unaware of the difficulties in the districts, just like in the real world. Once we realize I believe we have a responsibility. I will admit that I haven't been much of a relief to the poor and unlucky. Sure, I've done little things here and there but I'm not really sure how to make a BIG difference. I just hope I don't put my head in the sand and pretend I'm not the one that's hard done by.
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