Tainted Societal Purity

   What. Was. That. All. About? I didn't finish Hunger Games so I was actually a little bit clueless in the beginning. But it didn't really matter since I was focusing on what was going to happen. The past is only a backdrop: a glorious curtain which was pulled up to reveal the real show, the true story. I really wasn't interested in the movie, even though people have been all like, "dude, you've got to see Catching Fire!" Or something similar to that. Or throwing tantrums because they can't watch. I spent Php 500.00 (approximately, come on now), for the day because of it. It seriously blew a hole through my pocket (figuratively, of course).But well, a man's got to do what he's got to do. Thankfully it wasn't just another chick flick, or a simple action flick. Interestingly, it got me thinking. I am kind of partial to movies that get me thinking. Especially those that involve social dynamics on a macro scale. Anyway, having finished the movie, I have formulated some answers to the questions at hand.

   Is this a sci-fi movie? This is actually a trick question. It would actually take root from and grow on your basic assumptions. Most would argue that it is, well, a science fiction movie. But is it really safe to assume that such technology doesn't exist? Knowledge is power. When you lack knowledge, or when the truth is being hidden away from you, that power is taken. Countries often hide their greatest secrets, their trump cards, in order to be one step ahead of all others. So from this, we can say that our information is not perfect. Wakaranai. We don't know. So again, is this a sci-fi movie? If we base it on the currently disclosed information on technology, we can say that yes, it is a sci-fi movie, judging from the force fields and the ability to rain blood, pump out water-soluble corrosive bog, intentionally striking lightning down the same tree over and over, conjure up a deluge from thin air at a particular time of day, etc. But if we consider the trends and advance of modern technology and even the possibility of things that we don't know or are being hidden from us, we can say that there is probably a chance that it is not a science fiction film at all, that the technology exists and this particular scenario can actually occur in contemporary society.

   Now here's something fun to think about. If you were to locate the story in the timeline of human history, where would you find it? It's actually fun because it's a mix of the past, the present, and the future of human society. I wouldn't really want to delve in to the specifics, but here are a few. One style of their presentation is somewhat like the ancient Romans, another is like MAMA 2013, and the control room for the game is very futuristic. If I were asked the same question, I'd likely give up. I wouldn't be able to do so. Blame my way of thinking, but hey, I think that the movie is actually a commentary of human history as a whole. It gives as a blast from the past, a reflection of the present, and a sneak peek of the future. Though we can't say that this is entirely possible, we can't actually dismiss the possibility. There's always that possibility. Also, if we mix in Hegel into this mess, there really is a possibility that our current thesis might get crushed and the new synthesis would be that government ruled by Snow, the Dark-Heart. Or if we salute Marx and believe in his ultimate-end-state-of-society theory, we can say that this government is that of the past, since he believes that communism comes after capitalism, which is coupled with democracy of course (in contrast with the vile dictatorship of our dear Prexy). With some future technology, an old government, and some contemporary lovey-dovey scenes, it's quite a pain to locate this on our timeline. It's like forcing a perfect circle into a series of ellipses with varying, well, shapes. They're all ellipses, but a little varied so they won't fit. Same thing with this problem. Annoying, isn't it? So in the end, it's a commentary of all of those, at once. But not the really ancient nomadic (or even the cave-people-like) ones, of course. 

   You know why science, technology and society fails to succeed in the world of the 13 districts? It's because of that fascist dictatorship, that's why. With the government gripping the people at their throats, the people can't work to their full potential. Full productivity cannot be realized. Not everyone is happy. Those damned bourgeosies keep everything to themselves. They hoard and monopolize, leaving the proletariat masses to starve. They even created an entertainment system that takes advantage of the common people's yearning for survival! And a brutal one at that. As long as that fascism is the structure of the government and the ruling class are such heartless wretches, advance towards self-actualization is not possible. Yes, people can innovate, people can create, but when factors that cause social tension shoot up to an intolerable degree, peoples capabilities are nullified to a great extent. Also, the people are disincentivized because everything that they produce are taken, and only a fraction, if any, is given. With such harsh conditions, people crack under the pressure. The energy that could've been used to create, to invent, and to build is wasted on efforts to topple the current society with a revolution, a rebellion, an uprising. The government is also keeping its power by keeping the proletariat masses ignorant. Upon my observation, the people that are not from the capital, especially those from the far-off districts, are not educated, nor any attempt to educate them is evident. Without knowing the hows, the people can't advance even if they have the will. Even if they know what they want, even if they are dying of desperation, if they do not have the resources, the land, labor and the capital, and the know-how, they wouldn't be able to create, invent, and build, leaving their current society in a technological standstill. Additionally, with the degree of fear induced by the current government, the people drop into a state of learned helplessness, wherein their severely injured psyches prevent them from acting even if their souls desperately years for liberation. A total creative and scientific gangrene exists in their world, even if time still continues to flow, not caring even a teensy bit.

   Interestingly, hmmmm... Nevermind. I might be killed for what I was about to say. You never know when PRISM is listening. Moving on.

   I'm interested though, in how everything will play out. Will they win? Probably. Will anyone else die? Sa, who knows? Only thing I know is that those fascist bulldogs can go die. You don't mess with the collective consciousness. When you get it mad, it will alienate you, and erase you. I hope that's what happens to our old buddy, Snow. Seriously man, begone. I want to see progress. I want to see time flow as if it really does flow. Development is a clear sign of Time-sama's footprints. Inequality always exists, yes. Shortage always exists, indeed. But not to the extent where people infinitely suffer, and have to sacrifice their kindred in order to survive. This system, this evil system, corrupts people, even though they are doing nothing. They are being brainwashed into thinking that this is how the world works. They are being told that this is the truth, just because the ruling class thinks so. We all just want to self-actualize and be happy, don't you think? If you were forced down to begging for your basic commodities and not be able to attain the top of Maslow's pyramid, what would you feel? Enraged, I imagine. Therefore, let's see how this plays out. Watch out for the third installment. It's gonna be war from here on out. It's gonna be fun~

by John Paul N. Ada

2010-46567