The past few weeks* have been pretty rough for, you know, society. Compounding the pain of current events is the horrific timeliness of the release of Mockingjay, which has continued the Hunger Games tradition of giving us real-world political resonance through a bevy of parallels I really wish weren’t so resonant. This isn’t something that’s gone unexplored, but Laci Green laid it out pretty effectively in a new video for MTV.
It’s important in moments like these to raise up the voices of those actually being the most affected by what’s happening, so while you’re watching Green’s video you should also check out these pieces by actual black males. I also encourage you to check out the #AliveWhileBlack hashtag.
What we need now isn’t necessarily a white face explaining racial parallels, but Green — who I’m thrilled to see headlining Braless for MTV — has been an ally and intersectional feminist for a long while now (ETA: though a far from a perfect one), and she continues to be so in this video**. In fact, she explains things in exactly the way I’ve been trying (and failing) to do to some relatives who have been posting less-than-great things on Facebook about recent events.
Any extra materials I can have at hand to help people understand how horrific what’s happening is — and why the Hunger Games series means so much to me on levels that far exceed my continued affection for Jennifer Lawrence and well-written teenage girls — is something I am grateful for. Because these parallels are straight-up terrifying:
Tell your story of police brutality using—> #MyHungerGames #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/TIbcNeSfB7
— Shawn Reilly (@smarkreilly) November 30, 2014
Are the odds ever in our favor w/ police force serving & protecting themselves? #MyHungerGames #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/rpdjmk488C
— Shawn Reilly (@smarkreilly) November 30, 2014
Ferguson. Now we wait. I can’t breathe. #JusticeForMikeBrown #MyHungerGames pic.twitter.com/OrBDrSeGIo
— Jessica (@_veritaserum) November 24, 2014
*It’s also been a rough few decades/centuries.
**Commenters have rightfully pointed out some big flaws in Green’s feminism. You can read more here.
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Published: Dec 6, 2014 03:30 pm