Hunger Games

It came. It went. It rocked. The phonomena that is the Hunger Games hit Buenos Aires last Thursday. "Buy your tickets early," everyone told us. Make sure you get a seat. Well kids, let me tell you, when we showed up to buy our tickets at the Belgrano Theatre the only thing that was packed was the McDonalds next door. So at 4:30 pm, Linette, Bry, Tif and I sat down with nine 14 year old school girls, one old couple and three teenage boys (slouched in the corner) to watch Los Juegos del Hambre. Two and a half hours later, I walked out of that theatre feeling like quite the badass. It was a phenominal movie, well filmed and loyal to the book. The intreguing plotline carrys the book through youthful writing, but the movie carried itself. Disecting the movie afterwards was almost as enjoyable as the film itself. It made me reminice of those days contemplating upcoming Harry Potter films. It's amazing what can create a community. The influence one thing can have on entire demographics of people. And It makes me wonder, can a community trap us?

Today in my gender history class (which contrary to popular belief is not Feminism 101) we discussed colonial Latin America and the role the Catholic church played in both dictating women's roles in society and allowing them to trancend set standards. Communities were built around femininity, saints, families, wealth, and race. Women of these factions created communities based on their acceptence of a book of a different kind. While it may seem a far cry from Harry Potter fandom, The Twilight idioma, or the recent Hunger Games craze, the modern day following of popular secular crazes, creates within its comunity an understanding, much like that of the Colonial Catholic church. It was, at the time, the duty of the church to 'protect the virtue' of it's women and this was done through enclosure. Women were kept from all parts of social connection save those deemed acceptable by the Church. Within those gatherings, women were safe, free of sinful opportunities and for all intensive purposes, free.

While today this seems outrageous and archaic, we are again centering ourselves around safety. Hollywood spoonfeeds us more than enough fictional calories to keep us satisfied. And we happily and willingly continue to sit at our highchair playing 'here comes the airplane.' Books are a magical thing. I have had an intimate relationship with them for most of my life, and it has been through this that I have come to understand the fascinating danger with continual complacence. The longer we sit in the high chair, the harder it will be to walk, and though wonderful as temporary companions, books don't make very helpful crutches.

Thus ends my time on the soapbox. I'm too clumsy to stay up here long anyway. How about some pictures?

Gearing Up with some posters. 

Even the spanish adds are awesome.

The gang: Tif, Me Bry, Netty

I'm not sure Bry was as excited as the rest of us...

Besos as always, 

Hil