Hungry, Anyone?

I joined the masses and read The Hunger Games (and it's 2 sequels) the other week. I didn't actually know how popular the book was when I read it. After finishing it, I thought it seemed like the kind of book that would be turned into a movie, but had no clue about it. A day or two later, I learned that the movie was soon coming out in the theaters. Sometimes I just a little out of the loop when it comes to pop culture.

I can't get the books out of my mind. The premise is pretty barbaric - adolescents fighting to the death in an arena for the entertainment of the wealthy, spoiled Capitol city residents in a fictitious future nation. I keep thinking how this book illustrates the social and economic disparity in our world today. The heroine of the book comes from one of the poorest areas where families rarely have enough to eat and wear, and old age and a little extra weight gain is seen as a good thing because it implies you are wealthy, or at least have enough. Compare that to the people from "The Capitol" who spend their days frivolously, getting unnecessary cosmetic surgery,wearing crazy make up and getting upset when they can't find just the right food for a party they're throwing. Oh, and all the stuff they have is made by the residents of the poor people from the rest of the nation, the "Districts." One group lives in excess while many others go without.

Do the others reading this book see the parallels to our world? Aren't we in the US (and other developed nations) like The Capitol: we exploit other people so we can have stuff cheap and have it in abundance. I think of gasoline, electronics, clothing, etc. etc. And we are entertained by violence. Just reading or watching The Hunger Games is an example of that.

All I keep thinking is: what can I do differently, so that I can contribute less to the oppression of others?