Patay Gutom

8^th of October, 2010

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I figured it was the new Harry Potter of the generation. But it wasn’t. I never realized it was aimed towards a young adult audience, even, after reading the book. Imagine, putting teenagers together in an arena to fight to the death, broadcasted on national television, just to show how the Capitol (the economic and cultural center of the pos-apocalyptic North America called Panem) can control the lives of those who live in the districts, or the periphery. These teenagers are picked through a lottery per district, starting at age 12, with increasing number of entries as they grow up or whenever they exchange tesserae grains for a couple of entries (these districts are usually very poor). Anyway, anyone can check Wikipedia for more information.

The book reminds me of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Endemol’s reality show Big Brother. That is why, I am writing to reflect on the important role of the media on these three novels.

First, it is clear how the politicians, the mentors of the teenage contestants in the Games and their stylists use television image as a powerful tool to get what they want. First, politicians, who also control broadcast television, filter all the happenings in the Hunger Games depending on how they want the public to behave. Signs and hints of rebellion from the brutal games are edited out, and then sensationalizing particular events to garner public interest.

Second, the mentors of the tributes (the chosen teens to battle one another), always come up with particular angles on how to market the tributes to the audience. Aloof, sexy, star-crossed lovers, barbaric, cute...anything goes, they do whatever it takes to get sponsors. And I truthfully say that this is happening to most, if not all of the actors here in the Philippines. It all fits into the picture: they fight for life in a fully-surveillanced area, letting the world know their every move (I can even hear the Pinoy Big Brother theme song playing from a distance).

Third are the stylists from the Capitol who use the Hunger Games as exposure for them. Doesn’t this always happen/ Advertising feature might ring a bell. All the fame, glitz and glamour for the love of social climbing, just for a place at the Capitol—the capital—CAPITALISM.

Somehow it’s really funny that capitalism becomes the root of every problem. Maintenance of the status quo. Let all the districts work and starve and die so the people in the Capitol can continue to party, dye their hair and skins, and create an illusion of what the ideal life is. Oh joy.

The only difference, however, is that the media in Panem do not really have a choice. Pretty much like the Marcos regime. But now, we all have a choice. And I do not want to take any more lives for the sake of the Capitol’s entertainment. After all, we don’t owe them any.

“May the odds be forever in our favor.”

Photo from http://www.onlinemovieshut.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/the-hunger-games.jpg