A confession: I have not read the books but I watched the movie this past Sunday. I wanted to give myself some leeway so that I was not influenced by some of the negative reports that I read, concerning the racist attitudes of some viewers who were disappointed that a child of color played Rue in the movie. Being biracial, I am not going to go on a rampage bashing white people because such prevailing negative attitudes transcend race and ethnicity. Let’s instead refer to such phenomena as the pathology of the “Dominant” culture. See people of color numerically are the majority, not the minority. PEOPLE Of COLOR are the majority, NOT the minority. However most of us are not members of the dominant culture, which has so far consisted of Western European variables.
How does all of this relate to my impressions of: The Hunger Games?
Well The first thing to consider is how Katniss Everdeen looks. She is described as a 16-year old teenager having a “straight black hair, olive skin, and gray eyes.” Katniss is known to be a good hunter. So the girl that would fit the role should be lean and tough. She should be beautiful but not in a very stunning way. Actor Camilla Belle would have been a better choice.
Why Jennifer:
Jennifer Lawrence may have looked appropriate on this magazine cover below, but she didn’t even have that much color in the movie. Native Americans for the most part do not look Caucasian or old world European [Not they are trying to claim an American Indigenous ethnicity] and if the DNA is from a person of color it will dominate the repressive gene. (Particularly in a post Apocalyptic world) where bloodlines are further diluted. Ethnicities like: Swedish, English as well as most Germanic and Nordic genes are recessive.
Do you now understand why Hitler was obsessed with the Aryan ethnicity being annihilated if mixed with a dominant gene from another culture during World War ll?
This is called: Knowlege aquired from years of education and helps to explain racism.
So if they had to cast a Caucasian as the lead, then she shouldn’t look like one of my mountain dwelling relatives from West Virginia [Hey I told you that I am biracial] and that’s exactly where Katniss is from. Dayum.
More importantly, while watching The Hunger Games: I wanted to be able to suspend my disbelief. I didn’t want it to pop into my head that I’m watching Woody Harrelson in a really crappy wig play some obscene aristocrat who sacrifices youth for prime time entertainment. I didn’t want to wonder why no one said: Oh hell to the NO!
Everyone was resigned to being told that once the games begin beware and don’t run for the food because they are waiting tom blow you to bits. I would have reluctantly resorted to eating insects (Yuck). People eat bugs and plants all of the time. Besides Humans have survived terrible wars and rebellion is never permanently squelched.
“The entire group of children have grown up being fed Hunger Games annually, watching their friends disappear, forced to watch the steroidal Career Tributes eviscerate people that they know. They are, socialized to this, and it's worked -- if you suspend disbelief -- for 75 years as a means of social control.” Problem is, I couldn’t suspend my disbelief. I’ve always been insubordinate, it hasn’t always benefitted me, but question authority is what I do and I am still here. As a result I couldn’t move past this tacit socialization of state sponsored murder.
I also didn’t want to think: Hey this movie is a combination of: The Running Man, Meets Lord of the Flies on The Island. because the first two stories were good. I certainly didn’t want to look at the hideous costume designs and this character disturbed the hell out of me:
Was it intentional that I couldn’t tell the gender of this character? Was this character a winner of past Hunger Games?
I mean seriously, come on, Elizabeth Banks is so much better than this, and prettier too.
Ah the sterling attendees of Home Schools, serving to Devolve the dominant culture further.
Grade: B-
How does all of this relate to my impressions of: The Hunger Games?
Well The first thing to consider is how Katniss Everdeen looks. She is described as a 16-year old teenager having a “straight black hair, olive skin, and gray eyes.” Katniss is known to be a good hunter. So the girl that would fit the role should be lean and tough. She should be beautiful but not in a very stunning way. Actor Camilla Belle would have been a better choice.Why Jennifer:
Jennifer Lawrence may have looked appropriate on this magazine cover below, but she didn’t even have that much color in the movie. Native Americans for the most part do not look Caucasian or old world European [Not they are trying to claim an American Indigenous ethnicity] and if the DNA is from a person of color it will dominate the repressive gene. (Particularly in a post Apocalyptic world) where bloodlines are further diluted. Ethnicities like: Swedish, English as well as most Germanic and Nordic genes are recessive.
Do you now understand why Hitler was obsessed with the Aryan ethnicity being annihilated if mixed with a dominant gene from another culture during World War ll?
This is called: Knowlege aquired from years of education and helps to explain racism.
So if they had to cast a Caucasian as the lead, then she shouldn’t look like one of my mountain dwelling relatives from West Virginia [Hey I told you that I am biracial] and that’s exactly where Katniss is from. Dayum.
More importantly, while watching The Hunger Games: I wanted to be able to suspend my disbelief. I didn’t want it to pop into my head that I’m watching Woody Harrelson in a really crappy wig play some obscene aristocrat who sacrifices youth for prime time entertainment. I didn’t want to wonder why no one said: Oh hell to the NO! Everyone was resigned to being told that once the games begin beware and don’t run for the food because they are waiting tom blow you to bits. I would have reluctantly resorted to eating insects (Yuck). People eat bugs and plants all of the time. Besides Humans have survived terrible wars and rebellion is never permanently squelched.
“The entire group of children have grown up being fed Hunger Games annually, watching their friends disappear, forced to watch the steroidal Career Tributes eviscerate people that they know. They are, socialized to this, and it's worked -- if you suspend disbelief -- for 75 years as a means of social control.” Problem is, I couldn’t suspend my disbelief. I’ve always been insubordinate, it hasn’t always benefitted me, but question authority is what I do and I am still here. As a result I couldn’t move past this tacit socialization of state sponsored murder.
I also didn’t want to think: Hey this movie is a combination of: The Running Man, Meets Lord of the Flies on The Island. because the first two stories were good. I certainly didn’t want to look at the hideous costume designs and this character disturbed the hell out of me:
Was it intentional that I couldn’t tell the gender of this character? Was this character a winner of past Hunger Games?I mean seriously, come on, Elizabeth Banks is so much better than this, and prettier too.
In fact the only good performances in the movie was Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss and Amanda Sternberg as Rue. Granted she didn’t look like Katniss should have looked, but I sum that up to the dominant culture always having to be the center of attention and make every about them, they even went as far as to have dyed her hair darker as so to preserve underlying racial purity?
Far fetched but arguable nonetheless. May as well return to the Dominant Culture donning black-face to play Africans, or red-face to play Native Americans.
Far fetched but arguable nonetheless. May as well return to the Dominant Culture donning black-face to play Africans, or red-face to play Native Americans.
But I digress. As usual, Jennifer Lawrence played her role well (At least until the final scenes) and part or the majority of her success lay in the earthy timber of her voice, she has the soothing sound of a woman, not a whiny little girl and her interaction with Amanda Sternberg who played Rue was the most empathetic and compassionate in the entire movie.
“Amanda and co-star Dayo Okeniyi, who played District 11's male tribute, were the targets of disgusting tweets that proved some of the moviegoers to be both racist and sadly lacking in reading comprehension skills.” Ah the sterling attendees of Home Schools, serving to Devolve the dominant culture further.
Grade: B-