this is what happens when I try to sort out the sordid mess in my head( the hunger games and violence in entertainment)

I have been so conflicted and messed up over this point in life, I just wanted to...do something, to try and finally figure myself out. Like I've mentioned, a month before THG movie, and they are plugging away at it like all get-out. And THG, when I read it, really freaked me out, disturbed me, etc. I thought no one should ever read them again. But they really are really good. Instructive. Cautionary.

And now, America and the internet has turned into The Hunger Games Channel. All Hunger Games, all the time. it's everywhere. And anytime someone mentions it, I see an advertisement, I see people buying it, reading it, everywhere I turn. I stiffen, my gut twists, and I start thinking about it all over again.


And conversations with my Lakehouse sisters (I love you guys, you are my inspiration) have made me rethink some of my perspective and now I'm all confused.


Stick with me?

 Here's what happened after I read The Hunger Games (recap):

First of all, I stayed up till about four in the morning not being able to sleep or get those images out of my head. For a couple days after, it just got under my skin like nobody's business. I couldn't think about anything else. The day I finished Catching Fire,  I went swimming in the evening, and had to walk home by myself. I remember the pool glowing all creepily, and the insects making freaky noises in the trees, and me breathing hard and my heart racing and paranoid and convinced I was going to be attacked. And I had never been that freaked out. Ever. Don't think I'm exaggerating. I remember being wet from the pool walking home alone in the dark, and praying and singing worship songs under my breath in a vain effort to keep my sanity.

And it's not like I'm a sheltered kid who only read happy books about happy children skipping rope and running through daisy filled meadows. I already read the fair range of fantasy/sci fi, which includes its fair amounts of violence etc.

 And I encountered legions upon legions of people who read the books and ate em up. And they weren't like, jaded people who watched horror movies every night. Regular people. Little kids, even. Almost enough to convince me that I had had a huge overreaction. Almost.

For every 50 people that were like "HUNGER GAMES? OMG THAT"S MY FAVORITE BOOK SERIES I HAVE THE TEE SHIRT AND FOUR COPIES OF EACH BOOK AND WHAT DISTRICT WOULD YOU BE IN I"M DISTRICT FOUR" there was one person who felt the same way as I did. Abby. Lauren. Kate.

So, major conflict. So whenever someone asked me for my opinion of them "Should I read em?" I had no idea what to say. "Er-amer-te-augh, well, they were sorta scary." doesn't cover it by half. And it was even worse when another fan would chime in going "You thought they were scary? Really? No way! They were really good! Well...I guess they might be sorta scary." and give me a weird look that meant "-if you're three."

And they were really really good. Suspenseful. Flawlessly written. Chock full of morals. An interesting story of human nature.




Here's where I sort things out.

Yes, I admit to being easily disturbed.
No, I wasn't the only one.
Yes, I know people have different tolerances of disturbingocity and violence.
No, I don't believe that makes it ok.

Yes, I believe The Hunger Games has many many interesting and powerful things to say about us.
Yes, I believe that violence and disturbingness and fear are powerful tools that can be used to help a good story.
Yes, I believe there is a point where the disturbingness gets too far and the morals aren't worth it.
No, I don't believe that applies to the Hunger Games trilogy.

No, I am not sorry I read them now. (Although I was when I was immediately done with them.)
Yes, if you think you can handle it I think you should read them.

Yes, I believe there are a lot of people who overlooked the point of the story and don't take it or its message seriously enough.
Yes, I know for a fact some have a cavalier attitude toward unnecessary killing as a result of The Hunger Games.
Yes, this is what I was afraid of.

Yes, Hunger Games merchandise/plugging, Hunger Games fangirls, Hunger Games RP, Hunger Games "sorting quizzes" make me uneasy still.
Yes, I'm aware those who participate in Hunger Games RP are only having fun.
No, that doesn't make me feel any better about it.

Proverbs says to not envy violent people or walk in their ways.
Even so, I'm glad I read the Hunger Games trilogy. The ending was depressing, but it can be mucho instructive if you take it the right way. (HINT: it has something to do with living in a world without God and the results of trying to fix something all by ourselves)

 And of course I will watch the movie.

With that being over with(for now), a conversation about The Hunger Games sparked another interesting discussion on the role of violence, witchcraft, and scariness in entertainment. Is it relative per person?

 Is violence and movies in books/games/movies okay, since it's "just entertainment", and we're of course wayy too mature to take it to heart?

Now, being mostly cured, Amaranthine will attempt to make a dent in this subject. (rubs hands together)

Violence has a role in entertainment because it has a role in life. And of course there's minor forms of violence and darkness in pretty much every book and movie. But there is a point where it becomes too much.


Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
Phillipians 4:8.

I love this verse. And it's crystal clear. It tells us what to set our minds on in order to be stable, be joyful, and remain close to God. And it means entertainment choices, as well.

Entertainment is sometimes the closest thing to our hearts. Books/movies often dominate our hearts and minds. Sometimes it's the only thing we feel we have to live for, and sometimes, it's our escape from life.

As a result, entertainment is important. Nothing is ever just entertainment. Whether we like or not, values, people, character traits from our entertainment choices seep into our subconscious and help make us who we are. Whatever comes in through our eyes and ears flows into our hearts and soul.

Now, does this mean we should only read happy books with happy endings? Of course not!

Some people argue that books should reflect reality. They should be grim! They should sometimes be violent and scary! That's how life is, after all.

What do I believe?

Notice the verse. It doesn't say "Whatever is happy, whatever is easy, whatever is comfortable, whatever is pleasant-"

The verse calls for us to feed the values of truth, nobility, righteousness, and purity in our souls. These values don't need happiness and sunshine! They exist in the darkest of times. In fact, they thrive.

So, you see, it is possible to read books that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable, and still maybe have dark, crazy, and violent elements. But the most important thing is that the book pursues those values. . And that's where The Hunger Games falls short. All that...stuff. would have been fine with me if the truth, nobility, and rightness of Katniss&Co hadn't been lost along the way.

And a quick note about desensitization: Desensitization of violence is probably the scariest thing ever. Desensitization is the reason why no one, no one, should be allowed to watch horror movies or read horror books, ever. (besides the keeping noble/pure stuff) Those scary book/movie people are out to shock you. To make you feel. Each is more sensational than the last. If you watch that stuff too much, you start to get numb. To get used to the murder and blood and gore so much it you just don't care anymore. 

Same with video games. What is human life? Is it valuable anymore?

 So when real-life horror stories surface(Holocaust, Nanking, Rwanda?), stuff that we should be scared of, freaked out by, and crying about, the numb people just don't feel it.

People should never get used to other people dying.

God calls us to be innocent. And "innocent" has a lot of connotations in modern life. People are like "Innocent? EW! Get the innocence away from me! That stuff is like, for babies!"

But innocent doesn't mean "clueless". Innocent doesn't mean turning a blind eye to the evil in the world. It doesn't mean sheltered. (Well, it can, but not the way God calls us to be innocent)

Innocence is "freedom from sin or moral wrong." It means knowing about the evil, the dirt, the nastiness-and choosing not to participate in it. It means being apart from it. It means being free from it, and quickly giving it to God the moment it touches us. 


Seeing the evil for what it really is, not what the coolness it sometimes masquerades as. Understanding evil.
Innocence is way hard. 

Well, there's my post. It's a hot mess. But that was what I was thinking about. It probably should have been split into two posts, huh.    

I finished Eragon and Gregor the Overlander today. Loved both. Gregor is happily nothing like THG.