Dr. Keith Ablow: The psychological truth behind the 'Hunger Games'

[Dennis Olson]

The psychological truth behind the 'Hunger Games'

By Dr. Keith Ablow

Published March 26, 2012

| FoxNews.com

The Hunger Games, which now ranks as the most successful movie released during March—ever—adds to the toxic psychological forces it identifies, rather than reducing them.

In the movie, which takes place in a world given over to bloody entertainment, the government chooses young people to fight each other to the death on a reality television show. The writer of the film, Suzanne Collins, has stated she came up with the story while channel surfing first past news on the Iraq War, then past senseless, entertainment-driven reality TV shows. The mingling of those two messages, through one medium, seemed potentially harmful.

The trouble is that, rather than opposing the media forces that jam such disparate messages together, The Hunger Games embraces that toxic synergy. It is an entertainment product of complete fiction and great potency, given its intense level of fantasy and violence. As such, it only conveys young people closer to “expressing” in a virtual format their powerful and primitive instincts (potentially kindling their desire to truly express such instincts) while conveying them further from their daily realities and a little further still from their real selves.

The Hunger Games is like a film that claims to sensitize young people to the dangers of drugs and unprotected sex by casting good-looking, scantily-clad teenagers shooting up heroin constantly, then getting naked and making love in scene after scene, while supposedly starring in a new television show that is produced by maniacal, manipulative adults. For young minds, the images of kids getting high and having unprotected sex would be likely to completely eclipse the underlying cautionary message.

There really isn’t any risk that a nation anytime soon will choose to broadcast a murder competition between teens. This is no documentary, nor is it a fictional work loosely based on reality. So no one who sees the film is really going to come out of it intent on short-circuiting a cabal designed to prey upon the young via reality TV. Almost no one will emerge from a theater swearing off shows like the Keeping Up With the Kardashians, or Jersey Shore because they are produced by adults happy enough to make a buck off of stupefying teenagers. They are more likely to come out of theaters having shed some measure of the healthy psychological defenses (which are, luckily, partly reinforced by socialization) that keep them at a distance from their violent impulses. And they are likely to come out more confused than ever why extreme violence would ever result in real-world suffering or a real war would require true sacrifice.

Other than entertaining millions and millions of teenagers and making millions and millions of dollars, the net result of The Hunger Games is likely to be:

1) Females will be further distanced from their traditional feminine characteristics that (sadly, some wrongly insist) suggested they were not being real “girls” if they were extremely physically violent.

2) Young teens and many pre-teens will be awakened to the fact that they are capable of extreme violence, given the right set of circumstances.

3) A few psychologically vulnerable teens—who would have come to no good anyhow—may be inspired to replicate the film’s violence.

That’s about it. But, hey, I didn’t much go for Harry Potter wrenching kids into a realm of wizards and demons, spells and incantations, when we’ve got real life lessons to teach them—and seem to be failing rather miserably at that.

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatrist and member of the Fox News Medical A-Team. Dr. Ablow can be reached at info@keithablow.com.


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[mzkitty]

Well, all this is the stuff people are fed to make money. A lot of people make a lot of money. They will tell you it's for a higher purpose (to educate) but it's not really.

I haven't seen very many movies in the past decade. This is why. They're all lies to make money.

The real truth is never allowed to be shown anywhere, is it?

You have to find that out yourself.

[ainitfunny]

Well, I felt like a fish swimming upstream against a flood of fish going the other way. Apparently, I was not the only one going upstream, not the only one "pontificating" about the ill considered consequences of violent movies like this and their subtle influence on young people, inuring them to violence, forcing them to consider what should be regarded and rejected immediately as unthinkable, unacceptable for "debate".

Otherwise, without such a line in the sand, eventually we will find ourselves pushed to discuss the merits of and asked WHY is it wrong to rape women, commit bestiality, eat humans, enslave people, torture people and animals, imprison the innocent, kill our wounded, commit genocide if doing these things "solves" other problems?"

You don't "debate" the devil with him setting the rules, you stick with God.

[Jeff Allen]

Guess working for faux news helps one forget the REAL message behind the hunger games is one against an overbearing tyrannical government and sticking it to them!

But since faux news is bought and paid for by the socialist rino's...I'm not surprised.

J

[Sefus]

Unfortunately I am guessing that the 99%er/occupy idiots will see the message as more on their side against the big bad conservative/republicans. They're ignorance will make them think they are the rebels...


Thoughts?

-Sefus

[Double_A]

I would suggest the Shrink wrote this to make money.

[Double_A]

Unfortunately I am guessing that the 99%er/occupy idiots will see the message as more on their side against the big bad conservative/republicans. They're ignorance will make them think they are the rebels...


Thoughts?

-Sefus

I'm thinking that people who are worried the government is too big for their britches would see this as a glimpse of things to come if the government is not stopped.

[Dennis Olson]

So is Rollerball....

[Publius]

Sounds like Ancient Roman Gladiator Fights with Gaius Caligula as President.

[Dennis Olson]

Gaius Caligula as President


I thought he IS....

[blueridge]

Several worthy thoughts expressed above - and fortunately no one has pounced on the writers - yet.

Glad that the super-hype of the first weekend is over - it was a bit much.

OK, it made a lot of $$$, and lots of folks enjoyed it - great, now let's move on.

[mzkitty]

Several worthy thoughts expressed above - and fortunately no one has pounced on the writers - yet.

Glad that the super-hype of the first weekend is over - it was a bit much.

OK, it made a lot of $$$, and lots of folks enjoyed it - great, now let's move on.

The problem is that this movie and others like it only touch on a small part of the problems. This movie doesn't say this is pretty much what's happening now, only that it's a possibility in the future. Meanwhile we're almost all being sort of eaten alive by the system, and nothing ever changes. But some people make money.

Real education is not allowed, as I said.

Now someone make me a movie showing how to get close to God; how to really fix the problems, and I'll go see it.

What? No? Oh, it wouldn't make any $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

[Kathy in FL]

Hmmm, no where in his psych profile above state that he had actually read the books or watched the movie. Hmmm. Methinks that destroys his credibility. Nor did he give any specific examples to back up his assertions.

Have you read this guy's bio? He's an author of pyschological thrillers, seven of them I think that have the same character. He has also written books on various high-profile crimes ... Ramsey and Peterson are the two I was able to find for sure. He's an attention hound and not really a practicing psychologist though he keeps his license current in several states.

In other words, this guy is a talking head. And sure, he can have his opinion, but that doesn't mean I'd give his opinion too much weight ... especially if he hasn't read the books or watched the movie personally.

[mythreemonkeykids]

I think people underestimate teens. They are much smarter than you think and are quite capable of seeing this as a fictional piece. It does have political messages that I feel should be discussed. It's funny people object to this but will watch Friday the 13th and other crap.

[workerbee]

I cannot stand Keith Blowhard....self righteous blathering

[techcas]

Guess working for faux news helps one forget the REAL message behind the hunger games is one against an overbearing tyrannical government and sticking it to them!

But since faux news is bought and paid for by the socialist rino's...I'm not surprised.

J

Jeff you figured it out.
I read the books and will see the movie.
TPTB cant have us drawing our own conclusions they must provide them for us.

[gunnersmom]

Haven't seen the movie, nor have I read the book. I don't intend to do either. That being said, the premise of this movie is nothing new. Steven King did it back in the 80s, I believe, and Aaaarnold starred in it. I read that book, but the name of it eludes me. I did enjoy reading it, and I actually think of it often as I flip past today's overwhelming fare of reality teevee.

[gunnersmom]

I meant to add that Keith Ablow is a Dr. Phll wanna be. I can't stand either one of them. Can we say attention-slut?

[Tessa Blue]

Haven't seen the movie, nor have I read the book. I don't intend to do either. That being said, the premise of this movie is nothing new. Steven King did it back in the 80s, I believe, and Aaaarnold starred in it. I read that book, but the name of it eludes me. I did enjoy reading it, and I actually think of it often as I flip past today's overwhelming fare of reality teevee.

I believe you're thinking of The Running Man. Most plots are reused - it's the fresh telling of them that makes it readable... or watchable. Although it's obviously arguable, a lot of writers feel there are only seven definitive plots. Stories all work around those seven...

[Housecarl]

If they really want something "relevant" for a film subject, they should do one on the child soldiers of Africa.

"Hotel Rwanda" went there, as did "In the Land of Blood and Honey", "Tears of the Sun", and "Beyond Rangoon" as examples.

The sci-fi genre allows the exploration of a lot of questions of the human condition like "Surrogates", "I Am Robot", "Omega Man/I Am Legend", or "Gattaca" as examples.

No I have not read the books or seen the film so all that I've got to go with are the trailers and reviews. That being said, IMHO it feels like a sci-fi retelling of the reigns of Caligula and Nero. If that's your stuff, go for it. I prefer my historical representations in the exact context and period they belong in.

[TWSTR]

I took my 12 year old daughter to see the movie this weekend. Afterwards on the way out to the parking lot, I asked her what she thought the movie was about. She said that she thought it was about tyranny, a government with too much power that was corrupt and controlling the people with food, medicine and other things that they needed to survive and be healthy. She said that she hopes in the second movie that there is a rebellion against the government. I couldn't have been more proud of her response.

[gunnersmom]

I believe you're thinking of The Running Man. Most plots are reused - it's the fresh telling of them that makes it readable... or watchable. Although it's obviously arguable, a lot of writers feel there are only seven definitive plots. Stories all work around those seven...

Thanks for posting that, Tessa. It's something I've never heard before. Interesting. Like the fractal theory of writing. I'll have to read up on that, but first I may spend some time pondering what they are.

[ainitfunny]

They ought to have TSA strip searching those seeking to see the film. (like they do at the airport)

Perhaps then, some would see the connection between real life and the movies?

[Ender]

I took my 12 year old daughter to see the movie this weekend. Afterwards on the way out to the parking lot, I asked her what she thought the movie was about. She said that she thought it was about tyranny, a government with too much power that was corrupt and controlling the people with food, medicine and other things that they needed to survive and be healthy. She said that she hopes in the second movie that there is a rebellion against the government. I couldn't have been more proud of her response.

Two Thumbs Up for your daughter! Obviously she is smarter than the expert in the OP.

[Gitche Gumee Kid]

The problem is that this movie and others like it only touch on a small part of the problems. This movie doesn't say this is pretty much what's happening now, only that it's a possibility in the future. Meanwhile we're almost all being sort of eaten alive by the system, and nothing ever changes. But some people make money.

Real education is not allowed, as I said.

Now someone make me a movie showing how to get close to God; how to really fix the problems, and I'll go see it.

What? No? Oh, it wouldn't make any $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

<=============0=================>
mzkitty,
They have made just the movie that you described.
I've seen it . It's very well done . And according to Wiki it made money.
Title---> "Courageous"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courageous_%28film%29
GGK

[Jeff Allen]

15 and 18DD's both saw the movie with a whole gaggle of friends and relatives.

They were disappointed with the visual clarity of the movie (they are used to HD on the projector...lol...pretty funny a $700 projector can outperform a city theater). They both also complained that the movie did not stay close to the books with regards to the violence....it was way watered down from whatever they had pictured in their minds...ha....

As for some comments above relating to something along the line of teenagers realizing that they are "dangerous"...LOLOLOLOL....ROTFLMAO...BOTH of my teenage daughters can shoot better than the vast majority of the population and one is a Rifleman (woman). They already damn well know they are dangerous and WHY we train. My kids are not naive and yours shouldn't be either. IMO, kids over 12 should be taught to be, and be expected to act like, ADULTS. We raise citizens in our home, not useless dependents.

J

[Giskard]

Psychology is crap. Want to pit one against the other? Here is what another psychologist thinks of Keith Ablow:

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archive...r-keith-ablow/

Which in part reads:

Dr. Keith Ablow, a practicing psychiatrist known as much for his media persona on the Fox News channel and elsewhere as his two New York Times bestsellers, wrote what I thought was a pretty savage, fear-mongering diatribe recently against parents letting their children watch any episode of “Dancing with the Stars” that features a person who has undergone transgender surgery, Chaz Bono.

His logic is a thing of beauty to behold in its twisted triumph: Because some children who may be watching may be undergoing their own self-identity and sexual transformation (as most teenagers do at some point in their normal development), they are “vulnerable:” “The last thing vulnerable children and adolescents need, as they wrestle with the normal process of establishing their identities [... is to watch an adult who's made the choice to change their gender].”

Except that Dr. Ablow says it in an emotionally-charged, vulgar manner so as to transform an immense and difficult decision into something that focuses solely on the physical aspects of a transgendered person’s identity.

I’ve typically come to expect shallow pop psychology from many of our media psychologists and psychiatrists. But somehow, I expected something more… well, thoughtful, from my colleague here in Newburyport.



It’s not as if Dr. Ablow doesn’t have the capacity for empathy and talking about a person’s sense of self (rather than focusing on shallow physical attributes). Because by the end of the very same article, he says:


And if all that failed, and if Chaz Bono wanted either to kill herself or to undergo gender reassignment surgery [Ed. - notice how he seemingly and not-so-subtly equates suicide to the thought of undergoing transgender surgery], I would have taken that journey with her, too. I would have talked her parents through the hell of it. We would make the best of it.

How does Dr. Ablow know this isn’t exactly what happened? I mean, most people who undergo the painful — both emotionally and physically — transgendered change do so only after lots of discussion usually accompanied by psychotherapy. It’s not like it’s a decision made on the spur of the moment.

Unfortunately, it degenerates from there:


But I would feel no triumph in it, no sense of any heroic overcoming obstacles and righting the flesh in accordance with the soul. I would feel pathos. I would feel the limits of my attempts to truly heal Chaz Bono, and I would wish her well with a life that had veered, seemingly unavoidably, into a very dark place.

Apparently in Dr. Ablow’s eyes, people who undergo the transgendered process are broken individuals, in need of repair. There are no transgendered people — only people who are confused and in need of treatment to alleviate their condition.

This is an exquisite parallel to how psychiatrists used to talk about homosexuality at one time in the dark ages of psychiatry (the 1950s and ’60s). They once believed — we now know mistakenly — that all homosexuals were simply “mentally ill” and in need of psychoanalysis or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to help “cure” them of their homosexuality. Luckily such prejudicial and ignorant views were enlightened by the 1980s, when homosexuality was all but removed from the psychiatric diagnostic manual.

In my opinion, it’s also a very judgmental thing to say about a transgendered individual — from a mental health professional no less (who ostensibly are supposed to check their judgment at the office front door.) It also suggests a prejudice against people who’s sexual and self-identity doesn’t fit in with Dr. Ablow’s own ideas of what sexuality and self-identity is acceptable. A prejudice that only goes to reinforce the stigma, ignorance and hate against people who are transgendered.

But after gathering my mouth from the floor, I have to go back to whether Dr. Ablow’s position — that children could be either irreprepably harmed or unduly influenced by watching a single series of a television show — is based in any sort of reality. You know, like scientific evidence.

[rafter]

I took my 12 year old daughter to see the movie this weekend. Afterwards on the way out to the parking lot, I asked her what she thought the movie was about. She said that she thought it was about tyranny, a government with too much power that was corrupt and controlling the people with food, medicine and other things that they needed to survive and be healthy. She said that she hopes in the second movie that there is a rebellion against the government. I couldn't have been more proud of her response.

You should be very proud of her!

[Jeff Allen]

I took my 12 year old daughter to see the movie this weekend. Afterwards on the way out to the parking lot, I asked her what she thought the movie was about. She said that she thought it was about tyranny, a government with too much power that was corrupt and controlling the people with food, medicine and other things that they needed to survive and be healthy. She said that she hopes in the second movie that there is a rebellion against the government. I couldn't have been more proud of her response.

EPIC!!!

You sound like a hell of a parent to have been able to instill these values in your DD!!! GOOD JOB!!

J

[Samsmom]

It's rather obvious that the people who complain the most about the movie, have not nor intend to see the movie or read the books. But they have formed an opinion, nonetheless. Dr. Ablow seems to be in that category.

DH and I saw the movie this afternoon. He had already read the books and was looking forward to seeing the first movie. I started reading the first book in the car on the way to the movie theater.

I did enjoy the movie. It was well done. It was, however, hard not to focus on the violence but you could tell it was fake. I got quite a bit of information in the few chapters that I read in the car that was not depicted in the movie. I would recommend reading the books in addition to the movies, to get more insight.

Anyone whose opinion is based on what they have heard, will only focus their attention on their perceived horror of kids killing kids in order to survive. Have these people ever watched the news about school shootings, witnessed gang violence, or had their child serve on the front line during war? Kids have been killing kids in order to survive for a long time.

These books should be required reading in every school to teach children of the importance of individual freedom, the dangers of tyranny, personal and moral responsibility, and critical thinking.

All you have to do is replace the children with Jews, Christians, African-Americans, Native Americans, or any oppressed people and you can see where this scenario has been repeated time and time again. If we don't teach our children history, history will repeat itself.

[Dex]

How about that the idea has already been around for EVER. Societies of all ages and races have had to learn to survive under similar conditions. Civilizations would not survive if it were not for the efforts and dedication of the young and inexperienced. Just remember how many young American men either lied about their age or obtained parental consent to fight against the Axis during WWII. Our country cultivates this aggressive behavior, our culture is becoming more and more geared towards that sort of street survival. We, as a country, were founded upon the same idea. The American Revolution, the Civil War, etc, etc, etc. We are a bunch of tough MF's and our children need to learn that toughness, sadly. We are a warring tribe and have become so by conquest and ultimately survival.

It is unfortunate that our children our continuously having to give up their childhood and innocence due to the hubris of our seemingly stable society. They have been hoodwinked, they have been conned into the idea that the American Dream can actually be achieved, but they know better and they have lost hope. They are not stupid they are just under educated and mislead into delusional virtual reality ideas that have been spoon fed to the them since infancy. We in our community, need to strive to enlighten and educate the youth of our time, we need to attempt to open their eyes, to see the reality, the tyranny, the Orwellian control of everything and teach them to fight against these thing emotionally, mentally and physically.