The Hunger Games Fans: How Dare You Trick Us Into Caring About a Little Black Girl?

March 26th, 2012 - By Brande Victorian

Source: Screen Rant

I don’t have to know anything about the Hunger Games to know that it’s leaving its mark on American culture in some huge ways. This weekend, the movie made the third highest-grossing debut in North American box office history raking in $155 million. It’s also exposed something we knew was true about black men, women, and children in real-life but apparently also carries over into fictional cinema—we cannot be innocent, good, or cared about instinctively.

I know nothing about Suzanne Collins’ novel except for the fact that the book has cultivated a Twilight-Harry Potter-cultish-like following of which my little cousin is a part of. As is expected with diehard fans, there are going to be indiscrepancies between the way they visualized things in the book and how they are portrayed on film, but I don’t think anyone expected so much outrage over the character of Rue, played by Amandla Stenberg, a biracial black girl.

Call me crazy, but if I’d read page 45 of the novel and saw this sole description of Rue, Amandla is exactly who I would have expected to see on screen:

“…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…”

Apparently for “Hunger Games” readers, dark brown is like the “I’m the same color as you” comments I get from white people during the summer when they come back from an island vacation and think we’re skin twins. They thought Rue would be a dark-skinned white person, and to say they were disappointed that Rue was played by a black girl would be an understatement. The Tumblr Hunger Game Tweets, set up to expose people who talk a bunch of ish but aren’t really fans of the book, as evidenced by their lack of knowledge, caught a startling number of angry responses to Amandla’s character that weren’t just about being shocked that she was black, but more so her blackness changing their entire opinion of the character and the movie. Tweets ranged from:

“Why does Rue have to be black not gonna lie kinda ruined the movie” to

“I was pumped about the Hunger Games. Until I learned a black girl was playing Rue” to

“Kk call me racist but when I found out Rue was black her death wasn’t as sad. #Ihatemyself” to

“Sense when has rue been a n***er” I don’t even have time to go into all that is wrong with that statement.

The viewers weren’t too thrilled about Lenny Kravitz playing Cinna either, although since his dark skin wasn’t mentioned in the book, they weren’t totally blindsided into liking a black person. As for another character named Thresh, there apparently was no clue he’d be black either, despite this description: “The boy tribute from District 11, Thresh, has the same dark skin as Rue, but the resemblance stops there. He’s one of the giants, probably six and half feet tall and built like an ox.”

Another tweeter sent this reaction on the collective inclusion of black characters:

“Cinna and Rue weren’t supposed to be black. Why did the producers make all the good characters black smh”

The most ironic twist in all this discussion is when it comes to the lead character Katniss no one has said a word. That’s most likely because the producers cast a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl by the name of Jennifer Lawrence as a character that was described in the book as having olive skin and straight black hair. To their credit, they did manage to dye her hair dark— it all sort of reminds me of Elizabeth Taylor and Angelina Jolie playing Cleopatra. The lack of outrage over that change proves this argument is not about incongruences, it’s about the inability for black people to be seen as anything but villains in real life and in cinema.

What’s worse is we talk day in and day out about how we need to change the images on the screen. We need more positive images of black people, we need to be seen in leading roles, but will it make a difference? If we’re talking about black films the people who need to see these images likely won’t even bother to watch the movies. And in this case we see that having positive images didn’t challenge any of the viewers internalized ideals about black people, it simply made them view the portrayals as unrealistic, even making them angry that they had somehow been tricked to care about a little black girl when they didn’t think she was a little black girl. If we can’t soften the youth when it comes to stereotypes and prejudices about black people through an entertainment medium of all things, what can we possibly do that will make a difference?

Since buzzfeed and other sites have run stories about these fans’ racist reactions to the film, Hunger Games Tweets has proudly reported that the number of tweets about Rue and Thresh being black has greatly reduced, but I wouldn’t count that as a victory just yet. I’m willing to bet those people have only stopped commenting because they don’t want to see their twitter accounts blasted across the Internet. No one has had a sudden change of heart about the audacity of movie producers invoking sympathy for a black character. Of course, the fans’ reactions aren’t totally startling considering all that’s going on around us in black America today, but to say they’re disturbing, yet sadly, somewhat expected, would be an understatement.

Are you familiar with The Hunger Games at all? Do you think having more positive images of black characters in films is really the answer in situations like this?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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  • A R Goodness

    I have read all three books more than once while waiting for the movies to come out.  This story takes place in post-apocalyptic USA, so did they think that all the black people were killed during the revolution?  I thought it was kinda funny that all black characters were from the agricultural district where they worked in fields and lived in shacks, but nonetheless it a fun series to read.  

  • Ebonydiva82

    It’s not the answer for racist bigots but it is the answer for us black folks. Regardless of some people’s negativity, we need to make Hollywood create roles which show us in a positive and heroic light for our own good. We need to know that we don’t have to play the villain, drug dealer, prostitiute, abusive parent, good-for-nothing s.o.b. (which is too often associated with us) to get roles in movies. 

  • Naewerd

    yo wtf! i didn’t even care about skin color i thought it was great there was so many black people. we trying to win and they hating. WE ARE NOT THE VILLAINS. WE ARE ALL HUMAN BEINGS. *life blown momentarily*

  • Shirley

    REMEMBER…SUCCESS IS THE BEST REVENGE!!!

  • Tanya

    It is time for Hollywood movies to move beyond the ghetto-zation of black people in films because we are a part of every class group in this country. Unfortunately, some people are only use to and comfortable with seeing black characters in one particular type of film and become upset and shock when we move beyond the stereotypes they prefer. The black characters in Hunger Games are a leap forward and we need to see more of the same in the future, we also need to support these movies by buying tickets. 

  • bits

    as a black actress and a member of this racist society i honestly believe that in general people are very naive and willing to believe anything they see on the news or in movies as the truth. i think that if more movies depicted black characters like they depict white characters in these countless romantic comedies, action flicks etc…that it would gradually and inevitably change the way shallow people view not only the black race but other races of color as well. if i see another all white cast on a sitcom or a romantic comedy released in the movie theater i might hurt myself. smh.

  • Smacks_hoes

    I could careless…why are people even surprised when they hear a racist remark? I don’t understand? Do you think everyone in the world is nice and sweet with loads of compassion and live for other people? are we seriously that naive? This world is messed up you guys so get over it. but I agree it was obvious that she was
    black in the book and the movie is great…screw the ignorant folks and their silly remarks. No one cares what they think so next..

  • Kirsten_brown69

    If the character is described as black hy is a biracial girl playing her?….. How is someone biracial and black?

    • Davis

       Cause she ain’t Puerto Rican that’s why. And to the eyes of the world she is black which is why some of them are so mad. I’m black/biracial and I play black roles in  plays because that’s who we are racially, culturally and historically.

  • cabugs

    This is beyond sad. I am one of those people who always gives people the benefit of the doubt and may look the other way or ignore underhanded comments or actions that appear to be racist because I just feel that I may have misinterpreted them or whatever. This is a wake up call (for me especially) that a few very ignorant Americans (I’m guessing the tweets were by Americans since the movie was released here first) still exist. It makes me incredible sad to know that someone actually tweeted: “Kk call me racist but when I found out Rue was black her death wasn’t as sad. #Ihatemyself”. What is wrong with the human race? Where do people learn this hatred from? Wow. I really understand what some Black Americans are so angry about. Being a black immigrant (I moved to the U.S.) living in some suburb, I feel like I actually haven’t faced a lot of discrimination in America, so sometimes it was hard for me to relate to accounts of very serious and overt racism that some Black Americans experience; even though I always empathize. 
    It’s as though White America is blind to their privilege. So I wonder, did this tweeter consider all the “mainstream” movies that audiences across America go watch – movies full of white actors and actresses that Blacks, Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, and Whites alike see – and are captivated, moved, saddened, enlightened, filled with joy, by the characters despite the color of their skin? I cried when I watched Titanic, I laughed when I watched Mean Girls, I laughed and cried when I watched the Notebook; and not once did I think for a second that any moments of these movies were compromised nor did I feel less moved because the actors and actresses were white. WOW. I still cannot believe it, honestly. This really shows the extent to which actors and actresses from racial and ethnic groups besides White are TRULY underrepresented (understatement) in the mainstream and how some whites really view other racial and ethnic groups as “other” while they are the standard; otherwise it wouldn’t be so “SHOCKING” that one of the main characters of a book is a cute little biracial (black/white) girl! Especially since apparently, the novel describes her skin as “dark brown”! My goodness.
    p.s. Of course there are good and bad of every race; even every person has a good and a bad side, and it sucks that these few ignorant tweeters may make a whole race look bad.

    • Barnes4975

      Yeah they leave racist comments but most of these white women want black men and biracial kids. I just dont get it.

    • sameera

      i loveeee what you said . very smart you are! bc thats how i feel when i watch movies the color of skin never comes to mind. i feel what the makers of the movie want the audience to feel. i laugh i cry. skin color doesnt affect my mind but i guess its just how i was raised. i wasnt raised to hate.

  • guest

    All my friends and I thought that the best casting in the whole movie was rue and cinna! They are perfect representations of Suzanne Collins characters! smh

  • Alyse

    OMG! I cried when Rue died and it didn’t matter to me whether her skin was dark or light. I read the books and I thought Amandla Stenberg did an excellent job portraying Rue! People need to stop hating because everyone in the movie made the movie to be what it was (a great movie) not just one person or race.  

  • DoinMe

    HA!! And people think racism is over. SMH. America has brainwashed non-blacks so much that they can’t imagine blacks as “good characters” and when they do see us in this way, they can’t handle it. I’m betting that the ticket sales will drop drastically now that the word is out. Some people were even pissed that Lenny Kravitz played one of the characters.  
     

  • RUEFORTHEWIN!

    I think it is completely ridiculous to hear all these comments about Rue being black and her death not being sad because she is black. Black people are awesome! They can be good or bad, just like white people can be good or bad or like mexicans can be good or bad. People need to grow up and realize that there is not a difference in rights between races, we are all equal and no one is better than anyone else because of their skin color.

  • L-Boogie

    I have to see this movie.  Hopefully, I have the time.

  • FromUR2UB

    Narcissists forever. Never able to enjoy anything unless they’re made the centers of attention, the featured heroes, the most admired, envied by all.

  • Dana

    This just proves that people DO NOT READ AND COMPREHEND!  Rue was clearly described as a black character in the book.  Now, just because you visualized a white girl and didn’t get one doesn’t mean the producers effed up.  It means you need to go back and re-read the series.

  • Cleo

    Racism is a part of life and it is not going away period so we need to succeed in spite of it and irregardless of what people say and think. Hopefully, this film will be a starting point in the way Hollywood views its black characters.

  • Isabella

    They didn’t read the books because the author clearly stated that they were African American. The problem is that people aren’t use to seeing black people in these kind of major roles because we are usually killed off near the beginning of the movie. But this is something the close-minded ignorant people are gonna have to get use to and if they don’t Fu*k them! I’m laughing at those jealous stupid comments because they aren’t going to change a thing and the characters are here to stay whether they like it or not. These kind of people are use to seeing us in negative roles playing the typical downtrodden ghetto character and when we play the reverse of that image some people can’t handle it, too bad ain’t it. Just goes to show you how desperately Hollywood needs to change in their portrayals of black people.

  • Kelly

    Wow. Another instance that makes me reeally embarrassed to be white. What morons. I apologize for the stupidity of a large portion of my race.
    I LOVE the hunger games, and I’ll admit, I totally missed the part in the book in which Thresh and Rue were described as having dark skin, but I was GLAD when I saw the actors they chose for the movie. I had this weird idea that Panem (the country HG takes place in) was all white, and it was just strange, so I was relieved! I know I can never make up for what some ignorant, awful white people do, but I hope this apology can help a little…
    Oh and the little girl who played Rue is amazing. She was PERFECT! I cried when she died, and I didn’t do that when I read the book!

    • Guest

      Thanks for spoiling the ending.

      • Guest

        But, thanks for the comment. The fact that you didn’t realize the race when you read the book points to another problem too & is worrisome & shows that what pops into people’s minds what away and what is ‘normal’ is white. 

        • Kelly

          I actually missed a lot of things when I read the series because I was so eager to find out what happened, which is why I went back and read them all a second time :)  
          And in my defense, I didn’t think that everyone being white was normal, I thought it was weird, like I said I was relieved when I realized I had missed that part of the book and that I was wrong.

    • Tina

      I like what you’re trying to say here, but do not think you should have typed “large portion of my race”. It’s NOT a large portion. Comparatively speaking, it’s a small portion of ignorant people on both sides of the fence.

  • Dspeak08

    This article made a great point: 

    “We need more positive images of black people, we need to be seen in leading roles, but will it make a difference? If we’re talking about black films the people who need to see these images likely won’t even bother to watch the movies.”

    This is an example of why we shouldn’t care what people think. We live in a society that has been conditioned to believe that black people are crime committing, lazy, violent, crass individuals. In my opinion America depends on us not to properly educate ourselves outside of the watered down curriculum. They won’t tell you that during slavery times the west African woman introduced rice to american agriculture. That’s why it is so important that we educate our family and friends on what’s real cause white racist america isn’t making it a priority to highlight black achievements. I love being black and I love my black people, ain’t no white person opinion gone change that. but change needs to be made in our community, our kids need to believe they can do it and if they work hard and get a education NOBODY can deny them. In 2012 lets be the counterargument to the bullshit.

    • Smacks_hoes

      Agreed

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