The movie is set in a futuristic America called “Panem.” The thirteen impoverished “Districts” have failed in their uprising against the rich “Capitol.” To prevent further uprisings, the Capitol organized the “Hunger Games.” Every year, two youth tributes from each district are randomly selected to participate in a fight-to-death competition. The dehumanizing battles are televised for all citizens to see. This annual event will dramatically change its course when, on its 75th run, the protagonist in the film, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), challenged its very existence. Her first revolutionary
act was to volunteer herself as replacement for her younger sister, Prim (Willow Shields), whose name was drawn as a tribute. She became the first-ever volunteer to the Games. In the movie, the mainstream media was controlled by an oppressive government. This was emphasized by a film clip that was shown before the drawing of names. It flashed the history of the failed revolution of the thirteen Districts against the wealthy Capitol. It also falsely portrayed the tributes to be having fun; they were costumed impeccably to gain more commercial sponsorships and
public patronage for the media company. The fighting and killings among the representatives are also broadcasted and televised theatrically. Obviously, the mainstream media is used by the government to convey its message to the once rebellious districts—they are mere slaves and will never have power over them. This very message was even explicitly articulated by the top leader (played by Donald Sutherland) of the Capitol. Apparently, the media is used for the purpose of maintaining the oppressive status quo.
In a certain way, this also happened in the history of the Church. The invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany around 1590 paved the way for printing to become a “worldly profession.” Any individual could now create ideas and publish books that were “free from the Magisterium.” The Vatican became suspicious of these developments. The proliferation of heretical books and other publications prompted the Church to censor everything to be printed. It issued imprimatur (permission to print) on books whose contents are “free from doctrinal errors,” while those that contain dissent from the official teaching of the Church were banned, condemned, and destroyed. Penalties, both spiritual and financial, were meted out to those who did not abide with the censorship policy. 18 |
TINIG LOYOLA