Hunger Games

So, is anyone else completely psyched about going to see Hunger Games? Well, if not, you should be. Because Hunger Games is gonna kick butt.

A lot of people are gettin' real worked up about the Games... You can read about disability here and race here and here, and gender here. Caught up?

Okay, so let's talk about girls. First off, can I just tell y'all that when I was about ten I pretty much assumed that I would know how to shoot a bow and arrow by now? Sadly, I have failed in that particular life goal. (Also: I do not own a magical blue Cinderella dress, and I am not any better at walking in heels.) And now there's going to be an entire new generation of girls who want to shoot bows and arrows and want magical red fire dresses! This is only good news, to me.

Also, I read the Hunger Games trilogy as an adult so I'm not even sure what I would have gotten out of it as a kid, but it's a pretty metaphor ready book. In it, there are some really explicit critiques of exploitative labor practices. Since I work at a Starbucks near a movie theater, I was able to take advantage of this. On opening night, we were flooded with Hunger Games fans. We agreed to keep our tip jar out, but to also display a jar for "District 12", which we would donate to Yaya. We didn't get a ton of money, but we talked to probably a hundred fans about farm workers in Central Florida in a context that they were excited about. Which, I think, is kind of cool. The Hunger Games might not be perfect (and I'm sure that there are at least twenty really great reasons why it isn't), but it gave us a moment to connect with younger women who have connected with fictional laborers about actual laborers.

Thoughts?