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Obamacare

(277 posts)
Mon Mar 26, 2012, 03:08 PM Mar 2012

Racist 'Hunger Games' Fans disappointed that Black Characters are casted with Black Actors

Racist Hunger Games Fans Are Very Disappointed

http://jezebel.com/5896408/racist-hunger-games-fans-dont-care-how-much-money-the-movie-made

The good news? The Hunger Games made $155 million at the box office its opening weekend, making it the third-best debut in North American box office history. The bad news, however, reflects a level of idiocy that we weren't really expecting.
As CNN reports, "Only Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and The Dark Knight — both sequels, with the strength of a franchise behind each — recorded bigger opening weekends." Plus, unlike those two flicks, Hunger Games was written by a woman and stars a woman — a true lady-centric blockbuster franchise.
Now as you may know, Katniss, the main character in the book and film, was described as having "straight black hair" and "olive skin." It's a post-apocalyptic world, so she could be a mix of things, but some pictured a Native American. Blonde-haired, blue-eyed Jennifer Lawrence won the part and dyed her hair dark.
But when it came to the casting of Rue, Thresh, and Cinna, many audience members did not understand why there were black actors playing those parts. Cinna's skin is not discussed in the book, so truthfully, though Lenny Kravitz was cast, a white, Asian or Latino actor could have played the part.
But. On page 45 of Suzanne Collins's book, Katniss sees Rue for the first time:
…And most hauntingly, a twelve-year-old girl from District 11. She has dark brown skin and eyes, but other than that's she's very like Prim in size and demeanor…

Later, she sees Thresh:
The boy tribute from District 11, Thresh, has the same dark skin as Rue, gut the resemblance stops there. He's one of the giants, probably six and half feet tall and built like an ox.

Dark skin. That is what the novelist, the creator of the series, specified. But there were plenty of audience members who were "shocked," or confused, or just plain angry.
The tumblr Hunger Games Tweets has collected a smattering of Twitter postings, with the goal of exposing "Hunger Games fans on Twitter who dare to call themselves fans yet don't know a damn thing about the books." What people are saying is disappointing, sad, stomach-churning, and just plain racist.


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This young woman considered the movie "ruined."


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This girl wants to know why they "made all the good characters black." Good people cannot possibly be black. Black people are villainous. Duh.

"Stick to the book dude." Read the book again, carefully this time, dude.


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At least this person had the good sense to hate himself.


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The actress Amandla Sternberg literally looks like a tiny angel, but this movie-goer equates blonde with innocence. A little black girl is not automatically innocent, no. Only a little white girl. Actually, only a blonde.


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The posts go on and on and on. It's not just a coupe of tweets, it's not just a coincidence. There's an underlying rage, coming out as overt prejudice and plain old racism. Sternberg is called a "black bitch," a "******" and one person writes that though he pictured Rue with "darker skin," he "didn't really take it all the way to black." It's as if that is the worst possible thing a person could be. As the person who runs the tumblr writes:
Here's what scares me…
All these… people… read the Hunger Games. Clearly, they all fell in love with and cared about Rue. Though what they really fell in love with was an image of Rue that they'd created in their minds. A girl that they knew they could love and adore and mourn at the thought of knowing that she's been brutally killed.
And then the casting is revealed (or they go see the movie) and they're shocked to see that Rue is black. Now… this is so much more than, "Oh, she's bigger than I thought". The reactions are all based on feelings of disgust.
These people are MAD that the girl that they cried over while reading the book was "some black girl" all along. So now they're angry. Wasted tears, wasted emotions. It's sad to think that had they known that she was black all along, there would have been [no] sorrow or sadness over her death.
There are MAJOR TIE-INS to these reactions and the injustices that we see around the world today. I don't even need to spell it out because I know that you're all a smart bunch.
This is a BIG problem. Think of all the murdered children. Think of all the missing children that get NO SCREEN TIME on the news.
It is NOT a coincidence.
THIS is the purpose of my blog… and to also point out shitty reading comprehension. LOL

Hunger Games sets US box office record [BBC News]
'Hunger Games' sets box office records [CNN]
Box Office Monster 'Hunger Games' Likely Headed for $350 Mil Domestic Run [The Hollywood Reporter]
Hunger Games Tweets [Tumblr]

And yet some people thought racism was over after Obama was elected, yeah right!! Racism, the gift that keeps on giving.smh

44 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Racist 'Hunger Games' Fans disappointed that Black Characters are casted with Black Actors (Original Post) Obamacare Mar 2012 OP
kick Blue_Tires Mar 2012 #1
:-( nt stevenleser Mar 2012 #2
Sad and disturbing, redqueen Mar 2012 #3
Racists and poor readers....Thresh and Rue are clearly black in the books and the girl Bluenorthwest Mar 2012 #4
Yep. I remember thinking "perfect choices" when I first saw the casting. Lizzie Poppet Mar 2012 #5
Not so. The author didn't describe the characters as having "black" skin, she said they were onenote Mar 2012 #16
The young girl who played Rue in the film was perfect in the role and avebury Mar 2012 #33
In my opinion, they deserve their unhappiness for being dumb. nt ZombieHorde Mar 2012 #6
+1000 CakeGrrl Mar 2012 #7
lol Liberal_in_LA Mar 2012 #9
exactly... Javaman Mar 2012 #13
This. Starry Messenger Mar 2012 #18
wow. Liberal_in_LA Mar 2012 #8
Gee my main character is black. nadinbrzezinski Mar 2012 #10
the racists twitters featured in the article have been pulling their twitter pages. too late. Liberal_in_LA Mar 2012 #11
daaaamn RitchieRich Mar 2012 #30
Who said to go after them? obamanut2012 Mar 2012 #36
Tell them to go see The Last Airbender. nt Snake Alchemist Mar 2012 #12
Sadly, all I can say is "Big deal" ProudToBeBlueInRhody Mar 2012 #14
sf chronicle comments, everywhere. Any crime - they rush to the web, hoping the criminal is black Liberal_in_LA Mar 2012 #15
They are going nuts over there DocMac Mar 2012 #25
I hate sharing a world with such dumb people. Lilyeye Mar 2012 #17
Lenny Kravitz is a white man, just like Barack Obama LynneSin Mar 2012 #19
these are the same ones who thought the book supported a Conservative View of Govt ? JI7 Mar 2012 #20
What little lives and minds ohheckyeah Mar 2012 #21
I just finished reading the CRK7376 Mar 2012 #32
Very cool event at the school! obamanut2012 Mar 2012 #37
Completely Stupid-Not Fans erpowers Mar 2012 #22
Poor reading comprehension...that, or denial. NYC Liberal Mar 2012 #24
Most of these idiots didn't bother to read the damn book!!smh Obamacare Mar 2012 #23
This is really disturbing Marrah_G Mar 2012 #26
Very, very disturbing. Excellent blog. n/t K Gardner Mar 2012 #27
If this sort of thing really disturbs these folks so much that they must post such hateful crap mlevans Mar 2012 #28
I wonder how many of these dopes complaining about skin color realize the harun Mar 2012 #29
"casted" is not a word. ananda Mar 2012 #31
Really? Obamacare Mar 2012 #44
The casting was very good, especially Rue obamanut2012 Mar 2012 #34
I remember in high school we watched Brannagh's "Much Ado About Nothing" Blue_Tires Mar 2012 #35
From pure acting ability... awoke_in_2003 Mar 2012 #39
Is it just because I'm noticing it or is there a swelling of racism in the country? Kablooie Mar 2012 #38
I don't think it is swellling... awoke_in_2003 Mar 2012 #40
It keeps going. . . fightforfreedom123 Mar 2012 #41
It's all about privilege Creideiki Mar 2012 #42
"Casted" ? Grammar check please ! geeze people :( Ariuszme1 Mar 2012 #43

redqueen

(115,096 posts)
3. Sad and disturbing,
Mon Mar 26, 2012, 03:20 PM
Mar 2012

but hardly surprising.

Both poor reading comprehension and racism are in abundant supply.

 

Bluenorthwest

(45,319 posts)
4. Racists and poor readers....Thresh and Rue are clearly black in the books and the girl
Mon Mar 26, 2012, 03:25 PM
Mar 2012

playing Rue is a choice so perfect I'd say they were lucky to find her.

 

Lizzie Poppet

(10,164 posts)
5. Yep. I remember thinking "perfect choices" when I first saw the casting.
Mon Mar 26, 2012, 03:33 PM
Mar 2012

Turned out well, too. Thresh's part in the movie version is so small that it's hard to judge, but Amandla Sternberg's Rue is flawless.

onenote

(42,386 posts)
16. Not so. The author didn't describe the characters as having "black" skin, she said they were
Mon Mar 26, 2012, 05:11 PM
Mar 2012

"dark brown." Everyone knows that "dark brown" just means a white person with a good tan.

avebury

(10,946 posts)
33. The young girl who played Rue in the film was perfect in the role and
Tue Mar 27, 2012, 04:28 PM
Mar 2012

exactly what I would picture for the character. I loved her portrayal of the part. Racist idiots cannot accept that a minority character could be so beloved.

 

nadinbrzezinski

(154,021 posts)
10. Gee my main character is black.
Mon Mar 26, 2012, 04:26 PM
Mar 2012

And he is the hero, and a redemptive character... I am sure these kids will not be pleased.

 

Liberal_in_LA

(44,397 posts)
11. the racists twitters featured in the article have been pulling their twitter pages. too late.
Mon Mar 26, 2012, 04:35 PM
Mar 2012

name, pic, and racist statements already posted in article.

ProudToBeBlueInRhody

(16,399 posts)
14. Sadly, all I can say is "Big deal"
Mon Mar 26, 2012, 04:42 PM
Mar 2012

Go to Yahoo. The comments section of every story devolves into basically calling Obama the n-word.

I'm just not surprised that a few fans of this (I know zip about it) are being racists. The internet has become the place to say whatever vile spew you want to nowadays.

DocMac

(1,628 posts)
25. They are going nuts over there
Tue Mar 27, 2012, 11:30 AM
Mar 2012

about the comment that Santorum made about Zimmerman.

The internet is shining a light these hateful people.

LynneSin

(95,337 posts)
19. Lenny Kravitz is a white man, just like Barack Obama
Mon Mar 26, 2012, 05:20 PM
Mar 2012

His father was Jewish of Russian heritage.

So Lenny, like our president is half-black, half white.

ohheckyeah

(9,314 posts)
21. What little lives and minds
Mon Mar 26, 2012, 05:33 PM
Mar 2012

these people must have.

I read all 3 books and loved them and I couldn't tell you how any of the characters were described as far as skin tone, hair color, etc. It just didn't matter to me what race or ethnicity they were. I could tell you what kind of person they were but not what they looked like.



CRK7376

(2,190 posts)
32. I just finished reading the
Tue Mar 27, 2012, 04:05 PM
Mar 2012

Hunger Games. I really enjoyed the book and will read the other two in the series shortly. A middle school in Columbia SC asked Fort Jackson for some Soldiers to help with their reading program. Several of us responded and were participants in the Middle School Hunger Games. I taught knot tieing, some of the others helped the kids with their obstacle course and we all had a fun day. As a parting gift the school gave each of us a copy of the Hunger Games. Knowing that the movie was filmed in my home state, NC I decided to read it. Very enjoyable book, I look forward to seeing it once it's on netflix or redbox. After reading the book, I gave it to my 13yo daughter and she is reading it too.. Funny, neither of us, sees color as an issue in the book. I think it's great that they cast Rue and some of the other characters as a Black kids.

erpowers

(9,350 posts)
22. Completely Stupid-Not Fans
Mon Mar 26, 2012, 06:29 PM
Mar 2012

These people are completely stupid. In addition, these people are not fans of the book. Anyone who read the book would know that Rue is black or dark skinned. Even if someone did the weakest of reads would have known that fact in that it was spelled out in the book.

Furthermore, people not knowing one of the main characters in a book is black even though it is spelled out in the book is not poor reading comprehension. Poor reading comprehension is reading a book and not understanding what you just read.

Marrah_G

(28,581 posts)
26. This is really disturbing
Tue Mar 27, 2012, 11:41 AM
Mar 2012

Is it just perception or are racists becoming more vocal and visible again?

mlevans

(843 posts)
28. If this sort of thing really disturbs these folks so much that they must post such hateful crap
Tue Mar 27, 2012, 02:39 PM
Mar 2012

perhaps they should head over to YouTube and watch the fan video of Hunger Games. In that one Thresh is black, but Rue is white, so at least they can mourn her death as they'd like. Personally I find it pathetic; the book isn't about racial issues. If that's all they got out of the film they ought just to have stayed home.

harun

(11,348 posts)
29. I wonder how many of these dopes complaining about skin color realize the
Tue Mar 27, 2012, 02:39 PM
Mar 2012

Hunger Games is an allegory not about States Rights vs. the Federal Government but about human rights vs. the MIC of the United States and the idiots cheering it on.

Those people in the capital dressed like clowns, yah that isn't Congress, that's YOU!

obamanut2012

(25,911 posts)
34. The casting was very good, especially Rue
Tue Mar 27, 2012, 04:41 PM
Mar 2012

She was exactly how I pictured her when I read the book. There is NO way not to know her character is Black, unless you just skimmed the book. I also saw Cinna as biracial, because of his eyeliner and his name, so the casting of Kravitz was very good.

I would say more, but I don't want to post spoilers. I wish we had hidden spoiler tags!

Blue_Tires

(55,445 posts)
35. I remember in high school we watched Brannagh's "Much Ado About Nothing"
Tue Mar 27, 2012, 04:47 PM
Mar 2012

and the only thing the class wanted to discuss was HOW Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves were brothers...It was impossible to resolve in their heads...

Kablooie

(18,572 posts)
38. Is it just because I'm noticing it or is there a swelling of racism in the country?
Tue Mar 27, 2012, 08:49 PM
Mar 2012

I assume the racism has always been here but it's becoming more acceptable to express it out in the open now in right wing enclaves. Seems its one of the unchanging core values for conservatives, to be racist at heart.

 

awoke_in_2003

(34,582 posts)
40. I don't think it is swellling...
Tue Mar 27, 2012, 09:05 PM
Mar 2012

it has always been there, lurking under the surface. Once Obama got into office, it just came back out in the open. That is my take, as a 44 year old white man living in Texas (god I hate this place)

 
41. It keeps going. . .
Tue Mar 27, 2012, 10:59 PM
Mar 2012

Treyton Martin (walking while black), Brandon Tina (sitting in house while transgendered), Gwen Ajario (gave great blowjobs while transgendered), Sean Shuland and Alfred Steward (Deaf while drinking in bar), Jonathan Burton (stomped to death while experiencing headache on aeroplane), the list keeps growing. :Sob:

Creideiki

(2,567 posts)
42. It's all about privilege
Tue Mar 27, 2012, 11:18 PM
Mar 2012

How dare they cast young people of color in roles that should have gone to young white people?

The entire country could do worse than to have to start considering the privileges that they have come to expect as theirs. In this case, it's race privilege.

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