This is how many children that died in the Hunger Games, without even being mentioned throughout the three books. All these children were under 18. All these children had parents. All these parents' hearts sank to their knees during their child's reaping. All these parents saw their terrified child off at the train station. All these parents heard the sound that signified their child's death. All these parents received their cold, dead child in a wooden box. All these parents' lives ended there. All these parents could say or do nothing. All these parents were marly thanked that they gave up their child. Thanked. And the media focuses on the love triangle.
People might say, all these children and parents aren't real. Yeah, sure, I guess that's true. None of these people were real. But let's focus on what this series, and this fact, say about our society. In the series, the Capitol's media focuses entire on the 'fun' of the Games - the fashion, the plot twists, the favourites, the strategies, the romance. And the entire time, they completely overlook the fact that 1,725 children between the ages of 12 and 18 have died. Usuall brutally murdered by other 12 to 18 year old children.
And how does our real-life media react to this story when news of a movie adaptation reaches them? They talk about the romance. This tragic story of a girl who must choose between her long-time best friend and her new love. Even if she chooses Peeta, they still must fight to the death. The star-crossed lovers of District 12. And many readers of the original novels saw the books through the same lens. You would tell them that you read / were reading the books and their first reaction was, "Are you Team Gale or Team Peeta?"
Meanwhile, children are fighting to the death. The fact that our media and many every-day people reacted to the Hunger Games the same as the Capitol media scares me. I don't want this world to be anything like the Capitol. I don't think any of us do. And the fact that most of us (including myself) never really considered how many children had died in the games also scares me.
The math:
24 Tributes = (1 girl + 1 boy) x 12 districts = 1 Victor + 23 Dead every year.
73 Games = 23 x 73 = 1,697 kids
But on the 50th games (The games Haymitch competed in) had DOUBLE the number of tributes.
48 Tributes = 1 Victor + 47 Dead = 24 extra + 1,697 = 1,703
Now, 22 kids died in Katnis and Peeta's first game, because they both live.
1,725.
In 74 years, the brutal, violent murders of 1,725 children aired on TV in Panem and in both the Capitol, and on the red carpet in our world, the first question people want to ask it "Team Peeta?" Damn. Something to think about isn't it? Sorry for the long post though.
XOXO,
nna
