Saturday, November 29, 2014

Reactions to Mockingjay Part 1


When I went to see this movie, I was blown away. And although the movie was amazing, and it was a great adaptation, and the actors did great, that’s not what did it. 

There’s a scene where Katniss goes to district 8 and goes into the make shift hospital for those who were wounded in the capital’s bombing of the district. And somebody in the crowd of people asks, “are you here to fight with us?” and she says, “yes” and out of the corner of my eye I saw movement in the audience.  Someone put their arm up in the three fingered salute, and right after everyone on screen did the same. 

The first thought that flickered in my mind was “how silly this person sitting in a comfy theater watching this movie is, doing the revolution’s symbol of the movie. And then I had an OH SHIT moment. Because this movie is dangerous.  Not in this country where we have democracy. But all over the world, this movie could be seen as dangerous.  It could be a REAL spark for revolution all around the world in countries where there is corrupt leadership.

So when I got home I did a search. “Mockingjay Part 1 banned”


There are countries that have banned Mockingjay for fear their people will finally rise up against them and start their own revolutions. There are people in Thailand that have been arrested for doing the three fingered salute.
If you still think these books about people standing up to their governments are just fads for teenagers you are blind and mistaken.”


It turns out that in Thailand, protesters against martial law there used the three finger salute themselves as an act of defiance, which resulted in the ban of the movie when it was released.

It feels unbelievable that this trendy piece of writing can have real life effects.  But its happening! Here in real life! That is amazing!  I often forget that living in the United States, I have a lot of freedom that not everyone in the world is privy to.  That what just may simply be entertainment to me is a spark of a revolution somewhere else in the world, today in the same exact moment.


 So I guess I’m writing this just as a little reminder to keep my eyes open about the rest of the real world that I’m sharing my experiences with.