Hunger Games: An eerie reflection of our “new American society”

My wife and I went to watch the blockbuster movie “The Hunger Games”. Before going to the movie I already understood that the ruling class, so expertly portrayed in Hunger Games, does in fact exist here in America.

Hunger Games is not science fiction; rather it is an eerie reflection of our “new American society”.

In Hunger Games the citizens of twelve fictional colonies do not govern themselves but rather are kept in a perpetual state of hunger by a “new upper class” that has arisen from the ashes of a nuclear war. In the book there are rumors of a thirteenth colony, sound familiar? The rational for their totalitarian policies is to prevent another war (rebellion). Citizens of each colony are allowed to produce a unique product (e.g. food, fuel, and clothing), which is then redistributed to the other colonies under the strict control of the new upper class. Annually children are selected from each colony for sacrifice upon the alter of the central government called the Hunger Game.

I read two books recently that describe a new American society not unlike that portrayed in The Hunger Game: Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010 by Charles Murray and The Ruling Class: How they Corrupted America and what we can do abo... by Professor Angelo M. Codevilla.

Charles Murray describes two fictional neighborhoods called Belmont and Fishtown to describe the “new upper class” from the “new lower class”. He uses these fictional neighborhoods, which are based in reality, to track key indicators in white America, from 1960 to 2010. He calls these indicators “the founding virtues” of America: industriousness, honesty, marriage and religiosity.

This new upper class is well educated, wealthy and powerful. Murray writes, “[W]hile there is no such thing as an ordinary American, it is not the case that most Americans are balkanized into enclaves where they know little of what life is like for most other Americans. ‘The American mainstream’ may be hard to specify in detail, but it exists."

"Many members of the new upper class are balkanized,” states Murray. They live in large and modern cities much like Belmont described in Murray’s book. Murray identifies the new upper class as “overwhelmingly white and urban”. This mirrors the capital city in Hunger Games.

Murray analyzed where the “new upper class” lives in the United States by zip code. He found they are clustered primarily in four key centers or capitols: Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In these four communities, and smaller ones across the nation, the new upper class controls the money, high level jobs, political power and policies in their areas. You can easily identify them in your own community. You may also identify those at the opposite end of the spectrum known as the “new lower class”. Here in Sarasota County, Florida we have the communities of Longboat Key and Newtown which parallel Belmont and Fishtown respectively in Murray’s book.

Professor Codevilla in his book describes the “ruling class” as, “formed by an educational system that exposed them to the same ideas and gave them remarkably uniform guidance, as well as tastes and habits.” According to Professor Codevilla, “What really distinguishes these privileged people demographically is that, whether in government power directly or as officers in companies, their careers and fortunes depend on government.” Both Charles Murray and Professor Codevilla are describing the scenario in Hunger Games. As professor Codevilla writes, and as we see in Hunger Games, “For our Ruling Class, identity always trumps truth.”

In Hunger Games "the truth" is the upper class is killing children for entertainment. Killing children becomes an annual event with sponsors, pageantry and rewards to the lone survivor. It is the Roman gladiatorial arena taken to a new level of high technology.

Frances Grund, the seventh son of a German Baron educated in Vienna, who immigrated to Philadelphia in 1825 wrote, “No government could be established on the same principle as that of the United States with a different set of morals. The American Constitution is remarkable for its simplicity; but it can only suffice a people correct in their actions. Change the domestic habits of the Americans, their religious devotion, and their highest respect for morality and it will not be necessary to change a single letter of the Constitution in order to vary the whole form of their government.” [My emphasis]

As Patrick Henry wrote, “Bad men cannot make good citizens.” Self-governing requires individual citizens govern their own behavior first and foremost.

The Hunger Games are coming to a community near you!

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Comment by Frank E. Landrey on April 7, 2012 at 11:36am: "Hunger Games" is a great movie. My wife and I went April 5th. It reminded me of the reason that I lobbied the Indiana Legislature from 1979-1981 in an attempt to stop the 12 Federal Regions from becoming America's federalized umbrella of beauracracy that one day could replace state legislatures altogether. Watching the movie, I recalled sitting with a fellow republican on a stage awaiting our speeches to a crowd or patriotic voters. I looked at the governor candidate sitting beside me and when our eyes met, I asked him a pointed question. "If you get elected and I don't, I will still lobby the legislature for the bill to stop regional government. If and when we get that bill to your desk, will you sign it to keep Indiana free from more federal overreach?" He looked right at me, his eyes pierced mine. Then, he calmly replied, "Frank, you can count on me. I am with you." Well, you guessed it. I lost, he won. We did get that all important bill passed and on his desk. All he had to do to stop the 12 Regional Federal Beauracracy was to sign it. He let it die on his desk. Let the "Hunger Games" begin, I thought while sitting in that movie theatre. Fellow Tea Party members we have been lied to by our own and of course we’ve been lied to by the enemies of freedom in the other party. It is up to us to set the record straight for our grandchildren and our own freedoms. Let the rollback of Statist Rule continue, I pray to God!

www.NoDictator.com

Comment by Ronald Sorrells on April 2, 2012 at 8:42am: Dr. Swier:

Adams appropriately stated that This Constitution was developed by and for moral and religious people.

Madison stated that "If men were Angels there would be no need for government".

Certainly Morality and Righteousness is the keys to real Freedom and Justice.

Ron

Comment by Ronald Sorrells on April 2, 2012 at 8:35am: Donald:

The shame comes for us Americans that "We have turned a "Land of Plenty into a Land of Plunder". The Tribes of Native Americans that inhabited this land upon our arrival "did not gather and store great amounts of provisions sell and trade the part that they did not consume for profit, rather they "took as they needed and left the rest for the next traveler". They did not erect fences and claimed land because THEY HAD NO CONCEPT OF HAVING THE "AUTHORITY" TO ACTUALLY "OWN A PIECE OF THE EARTH".

We must decide if we replenish our land and "take a different path" or proceed own until all is consumed?

Ron

Comment by Dr. Rich Swier on April 2, 2012 at 7:43am: @hunter60 - agree with you completely. Just pointing out that religion is key to self-governance. Without it we cannot survive as a republic. I only wish Ayn had embraced that as the only cure for secularism.

Comment by Donald Walker on April 2, 2012 at 7:37am: If you watch Agenda21 YouTube "for dummies," you can see exactly the plan that our "betters" have for the "bewildered herd." They have been striving for this since the end of serfdom: Nobles and serfs.

The video is a ten minute U.N. presentation on how we are to be herded into "Smart Growth" urban zones. We shall take light rail to our fascist run factories. The elites will run the farms with the few big crony capitalist agriculture companies. Salt water fishing must already be registered with the Fed even though most states have their own licenses. The small fishermen in New England and the Gulf are being bankrupted.

The "Hunger Games" is an appropriate theme for the movie since socialism always ends in starvation. As the socialist destroy private industry, they run the economy so poorly through their planned economy that GDP drops like a rock. See any evidence of that now? Then regardless of whether they print money like banshees or not, the currency is devalued and inflation soars. Therefore, they order that we must have price ceilings. When it cost the farmers more to produce a crop then they can sell it for under the price caps, they produce for themselves. Everyone else is on their own since the farmers could not even produce at a loss long before joining the bankrupt. So the government winds up with the farms.

Comment by hunter60 on April 2, 2012 at 5:24am: @ Dr. Swier,

Rands atheism does not detract from her understanding of the leftist mind, the group mind, or leftist ideology in general. In fact it is that atheism that lends credibility to her writing as she spent the early part of her life under Soviet rule. The genius of Atlas is that Rand nails the essential characteristics of a leftist to the finest detail. The characters in Atlas are being played out by individuals in the Obama administration, one example is Tim Geithner as Wesley Mouch. The overreaches and excesses of the government in Atlas are being played out in real life, the EPA or USDA are excellent parallels to the regulators in Atlas. The predictable results of government intervention in every facet of the economy and private life are even quite obvious today, as more companies off shore and the number of expatriates grows. The Fountainhead is another excellent book and the character that stands out to me as a parallel to George Soros is Ellsworth Toohey who is the very definition of living evil.

My favorite quote from Rand is this: "You can avoid reality but you can't avoid the consequences of avoiding reality."

I think we find ourselves in agreement on the state of our nation. Sadly, we are watching Atlas unfold before our eyes and in my opinion it is not an "if" anymore but a "when".

Comment by David Thrush on April 1, 2012 at 5:55pm: Add the the four Elitist cities Berklee Ca., and Boulder Colorado near my home. Boulder is home to the highly educated white Elite who are also the most Liberal, pro abortion, and Anti Christian as well. They are marked by hypocrisy and elitist thinking. While claiming to be for the poor, underclass and minorities they LIVE and mostly work in the most anglicized and elite seperated communities in the Country. Boulder is called the Peoples republic of Boulder for good reason because if you do not fit the narrow mold of Liberalism you will find yourself out of place. Professor Ward Churchill formerly of C.U. Boulder revealingy said the victims of 9/11 were "Little Eichmanns", and demonstrates clearly the mindset of these highly educated traitors to America. They despise the Country they were born in, educated in, started their businesses and careers in, and raised their Families in. And they despise those of us who claim patriotism and love for their Country.

Comment by Jerry Morris on April 1, 2012 at 11:08am: Your quote from Patrick Henry and follow up comment compels me to share this eBook with everyone. Right is Might by Richard W. Witherwill, was originally written in 1950, but wasn't published until 1991. It's a free download in pdf format, or it's available in print. There are other publications at this link that are also free downloads, that are related to this same subject of self-governence.

It's all based on the principle of "Always think, say, and do what is right; refuse to think, say, and do what is wrong." The author had a good grasp of the absolute laws of "human nature", and how they apply to all of us as individuals and as a society as a whole.

Right is Might is not a new concept in understanding human nature and human behavior. The longest running observational study known to man has been the study of human nature/behavior. There's no telling how far back in mans history it goes, but we do have written observations by ancient philosophers, that are just as applicable today as they were in ancient times. The laws of human nature/behavior DO NOT change.... and never will.

Comment by Ronald Sorrells on April 1, 2012 at 10:55am: Alan:

Your words are so true !

WHAT "We the body of Jesus Christ" must remember that "SURVIVAL" IS NOT OUR CALLING BUT RATHER "LIFE" ! THEY ARE NOT THE SAME . BUT, MAN KNOWS NOT THE DIFFERENCE BECAUSE "ALL THAT HE HAS IS SURVIVAL" BUT JESUS SAID, "LET THE DEAD (SURVIVAL) BURY THE DEAD (PHYSICALLY DEAD)".

LIFE IS THAT "SPITITUAL RELATIONSHIP AND RIGHTEOUSNESS" NOT "HATEFULNESS".

Ron

Comment by Cynthia Catsman on April 1, 2012 at 10:49am: Also sounds like the movie "The Running Man." Haven't seen or read "The Hunger Games," but appears to be a cautionary tale. Most of these post-apocalyptic books and movies ("Mad Max") serve as entertainment and often as a warning. Of course there are themes that moral people would find objectionable - that's the point. And hopefully, to make people think.

What is disturbing is that new worthwhile literature does not receive exposure. One uplifting and beautifully written book that is not getting the attention it deserves - "The Lowlands of Heaven." It has a timeless message and unforgettable characters, one of whom is an angel. While the "dark" novels serve a purpose, for good or ill, positive books remain unknown. Again, a reflection of the current culture.