viz.

Rachel,

Thanks for the response. War footage is a great example of an attempt to create a similar dynamic of complicity, whether to argue against the war or as propaganda for it. Compare the war footage of Vietnam to the "embedded" reporters of the Iraq War. It also might be worth thinking about how control over war reportage has developed since WWII to the present day. And, of course, in a democracy all citizens are complicit in their nation's wars.

I would hesitate to call Kony2012 an example of "failed sympathy." The situation may be such, but the viral campaign itself was stunningly successful, as evidenced by our having this conversation. A month ago, very few people knew who Kony was. Despite the campaign's imperfections, it certainly achieved its aim of making Joseph Kony infamous. 

What I'm trying to highlight is the possibility of a dystopic vision such as The Hunger Games of forcing audiences to recreate the attitude of the oppressor if they acquiesce to that subjectivity unthinkingly. And outside the frame of the fiction, how do we relate that experience to real-world horrors such as described in the Kony video? How uncomfortable should we be as we watch (and root for) these children killing other children? Between the microbrew and the goat-cheese tart, should we reflect on how many real, starving children died?

The books operate differently, by the way, which is one reason I thought this discussion belonged here at .viz. The reader lives more in Katniss's head and therefore experiences the horror of the games from her somewhate naive perspective. I expect the movie audience's perspective will shift in the sequels as the focus shifts to rebellion, but since Katniss remains quite oblivious to her role for so long it is open to interpretation.

By the way, I feel obligated to admit that it wasn't the amazing Alamo Drafthouse that served the purple melon prosciutto thing. It was Flix Brewhouse.