Recently, I bought an E-reader at a discounted price. What was the first book I bought for it? The Hunger Games. I had heard so much about how great it was, and how people were psyched for the movie version. The book did not disappoint.
While I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it, the basic premise is that the story is set in a dystopian future, where a central government rules over twelve districts following a great war. Every year, as a reminder of the district’s disobedience of the government during the war, the government holds the Hunger Games, which pits one male teen (12-18) and one female teen from each district against the others in a death match. Only one of the kids can survive. That kid ensures his district a steady stream of supplies, and becomes a celebrity, and a mentor to future Games “contestants” from their district. The thing that brings this all home to readers is the fact that the Games are televised as a reality show, and are “produced” as such. If the “contestants” are too boring, and are not fighting enough, the Gamemakers can try to kill the “contestants” themselves with traps and tricks, or force them to battle each other. The “contestants” also have sponsors that can give them gifts in the arena that can help them.
The brilliant author, Suzanne Collins, got her idea when flipping channels and saw both coverage of the Iraq war, and reality shows. How far away are we from a situation like the Hunger Games? How far are we from a situation like 1984? We already have a show on TV that follows people living in a house for three months and having to vote to evict each other (Big Brother). In the international versions of the show, the audience chooses who to evict. They choose who is deemed unworthy. While it is all fun and games, and no one gets hurt, how far away are we from a situation where someone does get hurt? Society’s fascination with reality shows can only last so long with the way they stand now. How long until something happens that makes reality shows too real?
I’m not saying that we’re going to have an all-powerful all-knowing government, ala Big Brother in 1984. Do I think that really could happen though? Absolutely. Nothing that Orwell wrote about was impossible. And nothing that Collins wrote about is either.
