[Movies] The Hunger Games racist?

[blakdog]

The fact you think this says more about your own thoughts. The movie brought in some scenarios from the other two books, like the riots in District 11. There were a mix of ethnic groups during the Riots. Even in today's society if you were to pick two random people from certain towns or cities the chances of them both being from the same ethnic mix is significantly high. The district is a town. It stands to reason that any given District would have a higher percentage of a single cultural background.

Also, there was a huge multi-culture thing going on in the Capital. The Capital and District are the remains of the United States. Today black people only make up 13% of the population with white people at 72%. The book is true to current statistics.

I never once thought Rue was white. She mentions multiple times she is dark skinned in the book.

As for the tweets, I think it's irresponsible of that Website to be finding the worst tweets about a movie then writing an article about it. They had nothing of significance to add to our society with that article. If you start searching the internet, it's easy to find trolls, bigots and people looking to excite others through their words.

The biggest problem with the movie is that it was turned into a love story not about children being forced to kill other children, and the poverty the other districts were made to live in.

How in the world did skin color conversations even happen? Or right, all it takes is for a single troll to say something about white vs black people and the internet blows up.

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The topic has been defeated. Collect your loot and re-queue.

[Palli]

removed

Please edit your post and put this in a spoiler section.

[Vornesoul]

/facepalm

Maybe the director was attempting to continue with the theme found in The Hunger Games of discrimination based on living location and poverty levels? It's the difference between saying "All black people are poor and should stay that way" and saying "These black people continue to be poor because society is helping to hold them down."

As has been pointed out, District 12 is in the same situation. It was cast that way to be more reflective of our modern day world and therefor more relate-able. It's not racism.

[Neyze]

"but when the population is predominately black, crime is only a step away." I was with you up until that part-- cuz that's a pretty racist thought. It does seem realistic that in a book there would be districts with predominate races. That's how it is irl. But to go on and say "sorry but populations with mostly black people will result in more crime" is increeeeedibly racist.

But the thing is that's kind of the way it is in real life. Crime rates are highest in ghettos populated with an abundant number of african americans. By the way I know I kind of just contradicted everything I just said in this thread.

[Deleted]

Yeah to be honest the book/film is not racist. The people that commented with all that rubbish however are.

Look at the internet backlash from some closed minded fanboys at the casting Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury in the whole Marvel franchise, or the similar reaction at Idris Elba's casting of Heimdall in Thor, and you can see this is nothing new.

You know, at the end of the day weither she was black in the original book or not is beside the point, the girl is a fantastic little actress and as so brings life to her role, just like Samuel brings the cool factor to Nick Fury.

I hear the whole discussion of racism almost daily, and it will never end.

My wife is black and my two children are mixed race, and you know what I do feel that sometimes stereotypes are used in derogatory ways in the media, but thats nothing new, and can actually help break down barriers, a lame example but The Help for instance highlighted bad sides and good sides of life back in the ol' days.

If you pick up a Bollywood film you can still see blacked-up faces, watch some Nigerian films (which by the way are hilarious for all the wrong reasons) and you will see prejudice against other African countries, read an old book on the blues and you will see language used that will shock you, yet was not written to be harmful, was just how it was back then.

May have gone of point a little but I just feel that sometimes its easier on your mind and soul if you just laugh them off as ignorant and carry on. I know I do and it is certainly better then getting irate at people the other side of the world, with little minded views that you will never change.


I for one enjoyed the film, not being American had not heard of this series before the films but have taken up the books now.

[Neyze]

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The topic has been defeated. Collect your loot and re-queue.

Was that really necessary? It wasn't even clever...

[Odina]

But the thing is that's kind of the way it is in real life. Crime rates are highest in ghettos populated with an abundant number of african americans. By the way I know I kind of just contradicted everything I just said in this thread.

Cultural background has nothing to do with that at all but socio-economical status does. If you took say 100 "white" babies and put them in the same spot and took 100 "African america" babies and put them in a rich neighborhood they would both act the same as the people they were raised with.

The color of there skin has nothing to do with it! Identical twins given up for adoption that are sent to 2 different families yet act totally different based on where they were raised is a perfect example of this. There genes should make them act the same if it was a "racial" factor and not a socio-economic one.

[Neyze]

Cultural background has nothing to do with that at all but socio-economical status does. If you took say 100 "white" babies and put them in the same spot and took 100 "African america" babies and put them in a rich neighborhood they would both act the same as the people they were raised with.

The color of there skin has nothing to do with it! Identical twins given up for adoption that are sent to 2 different families yet act totally different based on where they were raised is a perfect example of this. There genes should make them act the same if it was a "racial" factor and not a socio-economic one.

Thank you for your input. Valid point and I accept that I was wrong.

[Thetruth1400]

Im so tired of the damn racist card being brought up with everything these days.

Me too. Just because some people tweeted racist things doesn't make the whole movie racist.

Could it be construed that the land in which the Hunger Games takes place as racist due to segregating the blacks into district 11? Yes. Does that make the movie, writer, actors, actresses, etc racist? Not by a long shot.

If I write a movie about that takes place in America back during the time of slavery, is that racist if I include a character that's a southern slave owner?

The whole politically correct movement needs to die a quick and painless death. Get the heck over it, people are different and some people are racist.

In addition to all that OP, I don't see you screaming racist because District 12 was segregated into all white people. If you're going to say that district 11 is racist because it's all blacks, you have to say the same for district 12. Both were extremely poor areas, you can't just select one and call it racist while ignoring the other one completely.

[Daws001]

I mean, the racist criticism is so absurd there really isn't much to say. The people shocked by Rue being cast as black...well, unless she was really into tanning, she wasn't white.

[Palli]

Cultural background has nothing to do with that at all but socio-economical status does. If you took say 100 "white" babies and put them in the same spot and took 100 "African america" babies and put them in a rich neighborhood they would both act the same as the people they were raised with.

The color of there skin has nothing to do with it! Identical twins given up for adoption that are sent to 2 different families yet act totally different based on where they were raised is a perfect example of this. There genes should make them act the same if it was a "racial" factor and not a socio-economic one.

Actually I would like you to cite some medical articles about the twins thing. Because from most of what I've read identical twins separated act more like each other than any of us would be comfortable to acknowledge. The nature vs nuture thing is still in huge debate and nuture obviously has a huge impact on ones life.

[sxefluff]

But the thing is that's kind of the way it is in real life. Crime rates are highest in ghettos populated with an abundant number of african americans. By the way I know I kind of just contradicted everything I just said in this thread.

Okay, saying crime rates are higher in ghetto populations makes sense. Saying it's because of africans is racist. I don't wanna sound like a pc asshole or anything, but you make it seem like it's BECAUSE they're black that there is crime. If we went through history but made white people into black people, and blacks into whites, would it make sense to say "ghetto areas have more crime because of the white people there."?? NO, because we know in reality that's not the case. Skin color doesn't effect what we do. Our environment does. You think Donald trump is rich cuz he was white, or because his environment he was born into (aka having a rich family) set him up to succeed? It's the environment dude.

[Marimba]

will smith > denzel washington.
okay that's not true. but will smith is like this generation's denzel.

Token black guy, lol.

[blakdog]

Was that really necessary? It wasn't even clever...

Yes. Yes, it was. Stop being racist to unwitty people.

[Neyze]

Okay, saying crime rates are higher in ghetto populations makes sense. Saying it's because of africans is racist. I don't wanna sound like a pc asshole or anything, but you make it seem like it's BECAUSE they're black that there is crime. If we went through history but made white people into black people, and blacks into whites, would it make sense to say "ghetto areas have more crime because of the white people there."?? NO, because we know in reality that's not the case. Skin color doesn't effect what we do. Our environment does. You think Donald trump is rich cuz he was white, or because his environment he was born into (aka having a rich family) set him up to succeed? It's the environment dude.

Yes I see what you are saying, it makes sense. I apologize.

[LegendaryKate]

As a huge fan of both the books and the movie, this topic gets me really fired up. Panem is set in the US after a futuristic civil war. Each district is an actual geographic location that we currently have and is inhabited by the people that already inhabited in that area....though possibly ethnic identifiers are strengthened due to a lack of addition to the individual gene pools.

The district that Rue and Thresh are from is located in the South East US where Agriculture is a huge part of their production (Georgia Peaches anyone? How about Florida Oranges?) The reason for the distrect being predominently black is because, well, that part of the country has a huge density of black people! Now imagine in that area became an isolated gene pool....now everyone there would probably look pretty dark!

Katniss and Peeta are from a district that is located in the area that is now West Virginia/PA area. They mine coal. The ethnic stock there tends to be appalachian which is caucasian with significant American Indian traits. Explaining why both Peeta and Katniss are caucasian. Makes sense, no?

As far as wealth is concerned, the capitol is probably somewhere in the Nevada/Colorado area, as indicated by its distance from the East coast and its mountainous terrain. The districts that are closest to it, 1-3, are more likely to be sympathizers with the politics of the government due to geographical proximity. This is why these districs tend to be richer, and as a result, their tributes are stronger due to better nutrition and training throughout their young lives.

Everyone needs to do some thinking before they jump on the PC wagon....because you know what happens when you assume (especially about matters of racism)...

[Klutzington]

Sorry, but I don't think it's racist, it just sounds realistic to me. Africa, where almost everyone is black, is the cesspit of the Earth. In the most crime-ridden cities in the US, most people are black. Sorry if it hurts to accept, but when the population is predominately black, crime is only a step away. I'm not racist, I just don't give people credit they don't deserve just so I can make them feel better.

Thank you.

/thread

---------- Post added 2012-03-29 at 04:38 PM ----------

=Look at hollywood's biggest stars. the ONLY actor to transcend race is.. will smith.

Morgan Freeman would like a word with you.

[Odina]

Actually I would like you to cite some medical articles about the twins thing. Because from most of what I've read identical twins separated act more like each other than any of us would be comfortable to acknowledge. The nature vs nuture thing is still in huge debate and nuture obviously has a huge impact on ones life.

It will truly depend on what part of "act more like each other" If you read about 2 identical twins separated at birth both drinking, or engaging in risky behavior etc then yes I agree that is more nature as alcoholism etc can be linked to genetic traits. However if identical twins separated at birth both act the same when 1 was raised in say China and the other in Compton while being born from white parents out of Canada then I will be totally surprised as there is no genetic trait that solidifies cultural attitude.

This is why you can take any baby from any part of the world have them raised by an american family and they will be just like the rest of there community. Sure there will be visual physical trademarks but culturally they would never relate with where they originated (food taste, history, beliefs, language, leisure activities etc based on nature)


Here is a good scholarly journal that explain many issues with past twin studies and also emphasize the differences between "acting the same". It's a really great read if you have the time
http://www.unc.edu/~gguo/papers/05%2...20Contexts.pdf

sigh this makes me miss University... Socio classes ...where a week can be wasted due to one person contradicting another!

[Demonakat]

Thank you.

/thread

---------- Post added 2012-03-29 at 04:38 PM ----------



Morgan Freeman would like a word with you.

he never transcended the racial barrier. they use his voice because it's awesome, just like isaac hayes and james earl jones.

[Deleted]

Hmmm... I actually did not notice it while reading the book, but after watching the movie and having my sister pointing it out to me, i went back and read the part, she is indeed described as dark/brown skinned. So this has absolutely nothing to do with racism, and in al seriousness... stop bringing racism into everything.