The 2012 release of “The Hunger Games” was the first film in the series and marked a cultural revolution. It depicted clear signs of wealth inequality, poverty and a dystopian future in which children participate in a battle royale-style game.
The movie not only influenced culture but also people’s perspectives of authoritarian leaders. President Coriolanus Snow, the antagonist of the series, was an all-powerful dictator who determined who lived and who died.
Although the movie was created for entertainment, Suzanne Collins, the author of the trilogy, intended to depict real-world inequalities and wealth gaps, which are still relevant today in America.
In the first movie, The Capitol was the epicenter for wealth, abundance and luxury. The districts, however, were complete opposites. Individuals were left without food, water and shelter. Thirteen years after the movie's release, our very own government seems to be replicating the same behaviors of The Capitol.
The richest 10% of American households own over two-thirds of the U.S.’ wealth. This distribution of money is blatantly unequal, which is why the government provides benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid and housing assistance to provide for the 36.8 million Americans who live in poverty or low-income households as of 2023.
SNAP, a program that provides food benefits to lower-income families, has been defunded and left families without the means to afford groceries. The SNAP program does not hand out free money; it hands out money necessary to feed families across the U.S.
Think of the sponsored gifts throughout “The Hunger Games.” The government provides small amounts of food and water throughout the entirety of the games to help individuals struggling to survive and in reality it should be the bare minimum.
For the average family of four, SNAP provides $3,482.92 per month. This allows these individuals to afford basic needs to provide for their families; however, President Donald Trump thinks otherwise.
Defunding SNAP not only affects the families that benefit from the program but also the economy. For example, if Katniss, the main character and protagonist throughout “The Hunger Games” series, frequently goes to the local grocery store to spend her SNAP benefits, then said grocery store profits from the transaction.
However, now that Katniss, along with 1.45 million Ohioans, won't receive their SNAP benefits, grocery stores will lose profit, along with individuals losing access to resources for food.
Welfare has been a hot-button issue amongst policymakers for decades. In the 80s, former President Ronald Reagan referred to women receiving welfare as “welfare queens.” He believed these individuals were using welfare to purchase unnecessary items, like cars and expensive clothing, which is simply not the case.
Trump is an individual who has come from wealth. He will never understand what it’s like to live in poverty. He is defunding SNAP while simultaneously funding the National Guard’s deployment in various U.S. cities.
Sending the National Guard to Washington, D.C., costs roughly $1 million a day, and as of now, Trump has sent troops to Portland, Oregon, Chicago and Memphis, Tennessee. Trump's deployment of the National Guard is an absurd display of wealth and funds that should be allocated to the betterment of society.
On Halloween, Trump hosted a “Great Gatsby” themed party at Mar-a-Lago. The slogan for the event was, “A little party never killed nobody,” but cutting off resources to low-income families does.
In the novel “The Hunger Games,” Snow frequently threw lavish parties to show off his extreme wealth, while people were starving in the districts he oversaw. The choice to throw a lavish party for his wealthy friends, while cutting food benefits for millions of Americans, puts Trump dangerously in line with the actions of the fictional dictator Snow.
Although Trump has designated an emergency fund for SNAP, it could take months to put it in place. In the meantime, local food banks, such as Athens County Food Pantry and the Community Food Initiative, will see a major increase in use. It’s a privilege and responsibility of our community to support and fund these food banks to prevent families from starving.
The Trump administration is failing the American people. Families should have the security our administration can provide for them and faith in the administration. Benefits such as SNAP are put in place to relieve this imbalance; however, removing them creates an even further divide.
Adam Gerber is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Adam about their column? Email them at ag967424@ohio.edu
