Social Control and The Hunger Games

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The Hunger Games, a film based off of a novel written by Susan Collins, was released in March of 2012. The film, and the book it was based on, chronicles the struggles of a girl named Katniss Everdeen, a girl who lives in a poverty stricken province or “District”, until untimely circumstances forces her to play in the Hunger Games, a gladiatorial like contest where children between the ages of 12 and 18 are forced to fight to the death. A contest that was set up by an oppressive and authoritarian government, and has thus far been sustained via the forced obedience of the rebellious Districts, the brainwashing and conditioning of Districts 1 and 2, and the conditioning of the residents of its Capitol. The movie has a variety of messages, most especially in regards toward social control and social conditioning. With these ideas in mind, a case could very well be made that The Hunger Games, throughout its two hour long run time, shows a very realistic look at a socially conditioned society and what humanity can become with the right amount of conditioning and control by an authoritarian force. The contest within The Hunger Games is rooted deep in the film's backstory, in which the nation of Panem was rocked by a civil war. Twelve oppressed Districts rose up against an oppressive Capitol, and the end result of this civil war was a Capitol victory (Hunger Games). In response to the rebellion of its outer provinces, the government of Panem decreed the creation of the Hunger Games, in which each District would send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to fight in a battle to the death, until only one Victor emerged supreme, who would then, “be showered with glory”, by the Capitol, in order to show the mercy and ... ... middle of paper ... .... Thus, it is with these three key points that the government of Panem has been able to keep the Games going on for so long, without the system collapsing in on itself. Furthermore, The Hunger Games also shows us just what we as a species could become with the right about of social influence and conditioning by an authoritarian force. The peoples of the Capitol and Districts have been taught and conditioned for decades to accept the Hunger Games, especially so in the case of the Capitol, where its citizens applaud and enjoy the Hunger Games, much like many Romans enjoyed the Colosseum in ancient times. It is a rather frightening, but realistic, look at what any of us could become with the right social influences and conditioning. Works Cited Ross, G. (Director), Collins, S. (Writer), Jacobson, N. (Producer) (2012). The Hunger Games. United States: Color Force

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