After reading this book, I feel like the Games started off as punishment and turned into sheer entertainment. The people of the districts have become so accustomed to this event that most of them look forward to it and even train their children to fight for their district. Katniss is a rare mind that slowly starts to challenge the Games and their sick and twisted ways. This brings into question whether we will ever get to that point. Reality TV use to be somewhat calm, just us curiously peering into the lives of others. But as the years went on, I feel like people became bored with the slow pace of things and demanded there be more action. The producers of these shows knew that they needed to keep the drama up to bring in viewers and so they put the characters into unreal situations to get a reaction that induced excitement in the audience. We sit there and watch people on The Challenge fight because they are so stressed over winning the games they have to go through in order to win money. Or like Jersey Shore where they pick out people with personalities that they know will clash so we can get to see them argue and throw a few punches or act like complete sluts. We eat this up because we find their lives more entertaining than our own.
Even I admit that I crave the drama and violence. My favorite genre of movies is horror because it keeps me on my toes and I find the stories fascinating. The world in general is becoming more violent and sexually explicit because of the audience. We want producers to show us more and keep us guessing or we become bored with what we are watching. Like Gabler said in his article about voyeurism and how we enjoy to peer into the lives of others. It's completely true. It's sad to think that we find our lives so mundane that we need the entertainment of TV just to keep it entertaining.
I really hope that we never get to the point where we watch actual people kill each other, but we are getting there. Soon writers will run out of stories, then how will we keep ourselves from boredom. They say that history repeats itself and we have done this type of show before with the gladiators that we sent into the arena to die. Maybe one day we'll bring back that madness.
agree that I also love horror movies. I agree with your statement on my blog that the reason we enjoy these types of films is because we know that they are not real. We remove the humanity from these people because we know they are fake. like in the Hunger Games the game creators just ignore Katniss during her skill review. I feel like they forget she is a real person.
ReplyDeleteIt really is scary to think what, what will this world come to in the essence of entertainment? So many people want more violence, or more bloodshed, and sexual deviance. Viewers today crave this because like you said Megan, it keeps people on their toes. The hunger games seem so disturbing, however I've noticed that everyone I have talked to so far in class have liked the book alot. I wonder why we are all so intrigued in the book and why we all like it so much, especially compared to the other novels we have read so far. So although its disturbing, it doesn't seem so far-fetched. I hope that the hunger games never seek their way into our lives, or generations to come, because it seems so close and its extremely scary.
ReplyDeleteI too enjoy a good horror movie here and there, and it's exactly right that we remove the humanity from it and make it not real, that's why it's bearable to watch. I would need locked up if I had to watch one of the situations played out in Saw for example.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many points you made. I also thought that the hunger games are no longer a punishment, especially to the lower district number because they train their whole life for them. It seemed to me for Cato he saw it as a privlage to be a part of the deathly game. I do find reality tv entertaining but I am not all about the fighting and violence. I had to look away when the profesor had the gladiator clip on because that type of violence makes me sick. I know I will NEVER watch a show where people are fighting for thier live and killing others in the process. That is sick and I do not think that any reality show is to that degree. Sure their are comparable show but in no show are the people forced to be a part of it. FOr most shows the people volunteer to be on it. I know us as viewers are what keeps these show going but could they really continue if no on wanted to be on them?
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