Is Black Friday Shopping Really That Different from The Hunger Games?

Earlier today the headlines read "Violence flares as shoppers slug it out for the best Black Friday deals." Really? Is saving a few bucks on a big-screen TV worth risking your life? Apparently so...

This is one of my "Things that make me go hmmmm..." posts where I wonder what is wrong with humans when we are willing to incite violence over something as petty as a parking spot? How far off is this from the real (albeit fictional) Hunger Games in Panem? Could we be closer than we think to living in this dystopian world?

Let's look at the proof we have:

The Reaping
-In The Hunger Games trilogy, District children between the ages of 12-18 are reaped for the Games, though other children may volunteer to spare a fellow citizen.

-In the U.S., Black Friday shoppers are all volunteers, unless you are dragged there by a friend, spouse, or other family member. In some cases, bribery may be used to sweeten the deal.

Marketing for the Games
-Sponsors fork over tons of money to the Gamemakers to ensure their favored tribute wins the Games.

-Advertisers fork out tons of money to entice shoppers into their stores.

Mad Dash to the Cornucopia
-When the gong sounds, tributes sprint toward the cornucopia and fight over the best weapons and supplies.

-When the doors open, shoppers sprint to the designated displays to fight over the sale merchandise.

The Lone Victor
-Only one tribute becomes a Victor. The rest, of course, die.

-The only Victors on Black Friday are the people who stay home, realizing they don't need to fight to the death over junk they don't need.

Seems to me that our priorities are seriously messed up. At least Katniss volunteered for a noble cause: to save her sister. Any parent who risks their life to get a toy for a child is sending that child the message that the toy is more important than having a parent. And any kid who is bratty enough to prefer a toy over their parent is spoiled rotten doesn't deserve the toy in the first place.

How much more violence will it take for people to rise up and say enough is enough? Considering that it looks like this has been one of the most successful Black Fridays in recent years, my guess is not for a while.

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Classroom Connections: Have your students read about the violence that has occurred on past Black Friday shopping days. Then ask them:
-What could the stores have done differently?
-What could stores do in the future to prevent violent outbursts?

For a math connection: Have your students research the economic benefits of Black Friday shopping. Ask them:
-What would happen to the economy if there weren't sales on Black Friday?
-Would shoppers still buy the items they normally would during a sale? Or would they buy fewer items?

For social studies connection:
-When did Black Friday shopping sales begin?
-What was the reason (or event) that triggered that trend?

More Violence in Coming Attractions Than in The Hunger Games...a "Things That Make Me Go Hmmm" post

Warning: This post does contain spoilers.

As we waited to see the movie "The Hunger Games" (my second viewing), we were entertained with the customary coming attractions: new movie trailers to temp us back into the theater to see similar shows.

Of those attractions, three stood out: "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter," "G.I. Joe Retaliation," and "Dark Shadows." Not because I particulary enjoyed them. I wouldn't pay money to go see any of those. What struck me was the amount of violent acts shown in just the trailers. (In all fairness, "Dark Shadows" had the least, but the sexual references made up for the lack of them.)

I'm a mom of a 13-year-old boy who went through the Buzz Lightyear, Spiderman, Hulk, Star Wars, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles phases. We had the themed birthday parties, Halloween costumes, and VHS cassettes of the movies and cartoons. I am well aware of the violence shown in those movies and TV shows and had an open dialogue about it with my son while he was growing up. I would say something like, "You know, there's a much better way to solve problems than using violence." Said often enough and modeling it in real life, he got it.

Of course, it didn't stop him from role-playing that he was Spiderman, jumping from building to building and "shooting" the bad guys with his invisible web. When he pointed his "web" fingers at me one time when he was mad, I took away all his toys and grounded him from watching TV. It didn't take him long to realize that there's a difference between "pretend" play and real-life violent gestures.

I am a pacifist. I don't believe in using violence to problem-solve. However, I also understand human nature and the need to use violence for survival. For example, hunting and fishing for food is necessary. And if someone is attacked, obviously self-defense warrants the need to use force for protection.

Playing defense is one thing; it's playing offense--and the reasoning behind it--that I usually question.

That said, I sat there in the theater and wondered why so many people are voicing their concern about the violence in "The Hunger Games" movie, when the message of the book (and movie) is an opposition to violence? There is no glory in the Games. When they are through, you are not cheering for the Victors, you are sobbing for those who died. And for those who had to kill because they will never forget the acts of evil they were forced to commit. The characters are broken, depressed. There is no fanfare except that which is forced upon the Victors and citizens (by the Capitol/President Snow) in the Victory Tour.

Yet, these other movies encourage you to applaud and cheer when they blow up the enemies. That is the wrong message. I didn't hear any outrage or opposition when the "Spiderman," "Batman," "G.I. Joe," "Incredible Hulk," or "Transformers" movies came out. Did you? Were these same people up in arms over those movies that glorify violence?

While watching these coming attractions, I noticed there were more acts of violence in just the trailer from "G.I. Joe" than in the ENTIRE movie "The Hunger Games." Heck, probably more than in the entire book The Hunger Games. And what, exactly, is G.I. Joe's message? Is it one of wanting peace through non-violence? I'm pretty sure it's not.

And yet, that is the message of Suzanne Collins' trilogy.

Katniss chooses NOT to kill Peeta in the end. Peeta chooses NOT to kill Katniss. Both characters chose to act with humanity toward their fellow tributes. Both take a stand against the Capitol, sending the message that this--the Hunger Games--is wrong. Katniss and Peeta are the true role models here.

What do you think?

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To read more about my thoughts on the PG-13 rating and message of The Hunger Games, see these posts:
Defense for Teaching The Hunger Games
Connecting The Hunger Games to The Holocaust
Why is the Rating of "The Hunger Games" Movie Questionable?
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Photo sources:

"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" image courtesy of IGN: Image 3574963

media.movies.ign.com

"G.I. Joe Retaliation" image courtesy of bigshinyrobot.com

 http://www.bigshinyrobot.com/reviews/archives/36565

"Dark Shadows" image courtesy of teenspot.com

Why is the Rating of "The Hunger Games" Movie Questionable?

I've read several articles over the past few months that discussed the concern over the PG-13 rating for the upcoming "The Hunger Games" movie (which will star Jennifer Lawrence, in case you haven't heard). When I read these articles, I wonder what all the fuss is about. To me, the violence–because it is used to teach a valuable lesson–is not enough to warrant an R-rating. And there just aren't other factors (like drug use, sex, language, adult situations) that would push it further than a PG-13 rating.


I thought writer Sharon Eberson of the Pittsburg Post-Gazette wrote an excellent article about the concerns, offering many different views from credible sources. I just wonder if it is an article that needs to be written. Are there that many concerns over the rating of the movie? Have these people who are concerned read the book? How is the violence any different than other teen books/movies with PG-13 ratings?


One student in the article brought up the violence in the Harry Potter series. But I believe a more equitable comparison would be to "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith," the third installment of the Star Wars saga, which happens to be rated PG-13. If you haven't seen it, there are some spoilers ahead.


"Revenge of the Sith" features child violence. Actually, the entire saga is violent in nature, although the other five films had PG ratings. "Revenge of the Sith" is the darkest and most disturbing of them, though, as we see the young Anakin Skywalker turn to the "dark side" and commit evil acts of violence. Acts that are utterly reprehensible. Acts against innocent children. Just recall the scene in which Anakin kills all the young jedis-in-training. This was part of a universal call for mass murder, with evil triumphing over good. In the opening scenes, viewers witness a decapitation. And, yet, I remember reading about the concern that it would be rated PG-13 rather than just PG, but never that it should have an R-rating.

So my question is: why are so many people making a big deal of a PG-13 rating for "The Hunger Games" movie, which isn't even as dark or violent as "Revenge of the Sith"? Both are set in the future and deal with government control, both deal with children being the victims of society/controlling government, both deal with the good vs. evil theme, and both feature a young adult as the main protagonist.

For some reason, it seems, many parents are opposed to their children reading The Hunger Games, yet probably have no problem letting them see any of the "Star Wars" movies. I would just like to know what, really, is the difference? Just because "Star Wars" has cute, fluffy characters does not mask the violence. Heck, "war" is part of the title.

My point is, I think people are making a much bigger deal out of the violence in The Hunger Games than they should when it comes to appropriateness for children 12 and up. Students learn about far more violent things that happened in history (such as the Holocaust) by the time they are 13. And if they haven't, they should. The only way to prevent the past from repeating itself is to educate our youth on alternatives to violence to solve our problems. This is what Katniss Everdeen, our protagonist in The Hunger Games, teaches readers by modeling a non-violent, defensive (rather than offensive) behavior. She's a much better role model than our own leaders, who have offensively taken us into unnecessary wars with little or no remorse. Katniss' remorse over the violence is powerful, and contagious.

I wish more people would focus on the valuable lessons that can be learned from the series rather than the rating itself.

Connecting The Hunger Games to the Holocaust

Spoiler Alert:  Because my posts are going to focus mainly on using The Hunger Games trilogy in your classroom, there will be spoilers.  So please be warned if you have yet to read the novels!  And if you haven't read them, what in the world are you waiting for!? 

In an earlier post I mentioned there were many ways teachers could relate the material in the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins with World War II, Hitler, and the Holocaust.  The purpose of this post is to explore some of those connections students can make or you could point out.

As fellow teacher Carol Ann pointed out in a previous comment, one of the first connections we may make is to ancient Rome and the gladiator games where people would watch others fight to the death for entertainment.  And there are certainly plenty of allusions to this time period and society to support those connections.  Suzanne Collins admits she was inspired by Roman gladiators for the basis of the Hunger Games in an online interview on Scholastic Books' Hunger Games website.

I do like to have the students make connections to ancient Rome when they learn early on what the Hunger Games are.  But as we get further into the novel, I also like to connect it to more recent events/times, such as the Holocaust.  I think it helps students realize how easily we can be manipulated into believing murder is acceptable, and even necessary, to sustain or better our way of life.  Adolf Hitler wanted to establish a "New Order," which included domination (and extermination) of many groups of people.  As a result, millions of innocent people died in the Holocaust, including over six million of Jewish faith.

Photo courtesy of: http://israelchildren.co/The_Holocaust.html

While the Holocaust may not have been a public form of entertainment like the Games, the millions of children, women, and men who died were killed by those who were either forced to kill or it was their job and they willingly did it.  These murderers may have been the victims' peers, or their neighbors, and maybe even their friends.  Did they want to kill them?  Did they do it because they had to or because it meant their life was spared? Or were they brainwashed by the political propaganda they were fed and believed they were superior to the Jewish people and other minorities?  As you force your students to look at both perspectives, they should see that Katniss and the other tributes are put into the same position many German soldiers and citizens were: kill or be killed.

Defense for Teaching The Hunger Games to Those Who Oppose It

As the popularity of teaching The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins grows, the opposition also increases.  The most common reason, I've heard, is the violence in the novel is inappropriate for young adults.  The trilogy is listed as appropriate for ages 12 and up.

I am not going to argue that there isn't violence in the novel because it is essentially a trilogy about war--and the horrors of war--so, of course, there is obviously violence.  What I will argue is that there must be a portrayal of violence in order to teach that violence does not solve our problems and is unethical.

Anytime a lesson is to be learned, the objectionable behavior must be displayed to teach that it is wrong.  For example, our school has staged a couple of Operation Prom Night reenactments to show the students what could happen if you drink (or text) and drive.  Students are shown doing these acts and suffering terrible consequences.  Without showing the bad behavior, the reenactment would be much less effective.