Posted on 04/01/2012 3:14:31 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Altar.
“Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010 by Charles Murray”
A must read.
The main thing I took away from The Hunger Games, is that in the future, everybody is going to look like Lady Gaga.
Reading both The Hunger Games and Coming Apart at the moment.
Both are excellent.
Oh yea when i read the books i took them for a parable of where our society is headed.
I think "Idiocracy" is more accurate.
With the millions of kids aborted in the U.S., we already have a version of the Reaping. How far away are we from having them in an arena hacking each other up for show?
Of course I did like the movie better, back when it was called, “The Running Man.”
Rats, I was hoping for a future based on Ziggy Stardust. Bowie was 40 years ahead of the curve.
Not far....UFC.
From the previews, it looks like the Hunger Games is very similar to “The Lottery.” If anyone has seen it, was that the case?
The Hunger Games were, BY FAR, the worst dystopian society novels I have ever read. The plot holes were so big I could drive a darn planet through em.
Atlas Shrugged is a much better and mature comparison to our society today and the Hunger Games should be viewed in the light in which it was written: As a little girl’s romantic heroine fantasy.
IMO, the Hunger Games is so popular because the majority of today’s Society cannot comprehend Ayn Rand’s masterpiece and this trilogy presents a dystopian tale on a 4th grade level. It truly is an insult to anyone with a modicum of intelligence.
Theres Washington a few large liberal states forever in their corner and the rest. The book mirrors that.
President Snowbama dreams of a place like the one depicted the Hunger Games.
In fairness the Hunger Games novels were of the “young adult” genre.
I’ve read Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, and although prescient, they’re tough sledding.
I have not read the "hunger games" books on which the movie was based, nor seen the movie. YET. Nor have I read the books cited in this article. Nonetheless, I think the movie is probably a good one to spark discussion about the future of our nation among young people. (Dear reader, hopefully you realize that I am thinking something like "...compared to Iron Man, or anything by Michael Moore or Al Gore, or Freddie Looks in the 13th Nightmare Basement or whatever...").
Anyway, I hope to go see it soon, or when it is released to DVD / Netflix.
I do NOT think that young people are taught to "think in a straight line" (my shorthand for using logic, good judgement, analyzing, and drawing conclusions). In fact, I don't think they think much at all. Just my opinion. I was no exception to that rule. Growing up, having a family, being in the military, etc is just as good as getting mugged for turning a liberal into a conservative.
As far as I know, third world tyrrany / tribal-centered-control and safe efficient distribution continue to be the main problem in solving "world hunger". We have the capacity to feed the world!
Seems to me that the fascism / communism we have witnessed throughout history are always ready to make the "hard decisions". Like Stalin(?) said: "One death is a tragedy; a thousand deaths is a statstic." So, although for many, the shocking view of the future portrayed in the movie would be relatively far-fetched. However, for the academia and other liberal intelligentzia in the audience, I bet the reality-show-lottery by the elite ruling class would seem to be a kinder, gentler form of eugenics.
I find it very interesting that controlling the lives of the masses and "killing children for entertainment" are main elements in this movie (at least from what I have heard and read).
Flyover thought in summary: "Bread and Circuses" leading up to the fall of Rome.
Interesting, almost a mirror of today’s society. IMHO, Corporations control the rank and file workers through various means like layoffs, forced relocation like you either move or get laid off, the stress of work you are assigned like political games, petty rules (incl. unwritten) and depending your status, how you are dealt with when you break them. The “penalty” can vary from nothing happens to outright fired or put on probation like a “performance improvement plan (PIP). The PIP can be designed where failure is a guarantee.
My impression, companies have gotten mean and they make sure you know it since the job market is pretty bad.
I've read Atlas Shrugged and loved it. I've seen the Terminator TV series. And of course, some of the other books and movies in that typology. As a fan of the genre, I would love to hear your opinion on what is worth reading / watching. I can add it to my "to be read list" or whatever. Note: I am speaking of fiction; although I am not ~allergic~ to non-fiction....
By the way, I purchased Travis McGee's 99 cent Kindle book he had on special a couple of weeks ago, but have not read it yet.
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