Matt Palmer is the former social media coordinator of Catholic Review Media.

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I think you have a bit of an overreaction. The thing is, the author wants to make a statement about this universe they have created. It is an oppressive regime that takes away the innocence of a child, or at worst a life, that keep the masses in fear. The more food they borrow, the more likely they will be picked. It is about coming from the poor and showing the upper class who's boss. (Especially in the end scene with Peeta and Katniss. "They don't have to have a winner.") As a society outside of the book, we don't condone these things by showing them on our screens and reading about them. You almost have to desensitize yourself in order to learn the message the series is trying to teach. You can't compare your morals regarding children death matches to this series because we didn't grow up where the Hunger Games looms annually. Instead, we have to look at it objectively and hopefully: better ourselves. Look at your nieces. There are two or more ways to interpret every story: Face value, where it is children in a death match for entertainment of the crowd. Or, with an analytical mind: a story of rags showing the upper class whose boss, and creating a revolution. A satire on how media in our world makes contestants in a dog-eat-dog world or for people to put themselves in danger for cheap media entertainment. (And many more ideas)

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I found this video difficult to watch malniy because the people were so confused and affluent. Giving more money to someone will not guarantee that they will live out what God has planned for them. I felt sorry for them and would have liked to suggest to them that they give me some of their money and let me show them what to do with it. Seriously, I did not hear any of them speak about doing something for others or their moral beliefs.Interestingly, one of the interviewees mentioned how they went to a Christian school and was beaten up. I guess in that case his introduction to Christ was not a positive one. Some of the things that make the rich nervous also make poor nervous. The rich children worried about how to hold on to their money and the poor worry about how to get it. The rich are worried about someone knocking on their door saying you did not do something right, so now I am disowning you. The poor worry about someone knocking on their door saying your time is up and now you have to get out or bill collectors hounding them. There will always be worries that can overcome us when we live in a hollow life such as what was viewed.True freedom is knowing that God is in control and no matter what we see, these things are all temporal and we have a job to do. Seek the kingdom! All the other things will be added if we do the first step.These are just my thoughts..

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'Dark Knight Rises' midnight screening shooting hits home

 

I stumbled into my home around 3:30 a.m July 20 having just seen a midnight screening of the final installment in the Batman trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight Rises." I tip-toed into the bedroom and my wife woke up to ask if it was good. I explained my disappointment and we soon fell asleep.

I awoke this morning to see that dozens of people were shot  in Aurora, Colorado during a midnight screening. Now, an estimated 71 people were shot and, for now, 12 are dead. A 24-year-old young man, James Holmes, is accused of the heinous action. 

Throughout the day I haven't stopped thinking about how those people went into the theater with the same enthusiasm I  did. Batman is a man who fights violence and injustice in an often cruel world. He fights brutal people such as Bane and the Joker because he believes in Gotham City. 

There is something magical about going to the movies. The lights dim, the curtains part and the screen lights up. You might not know more than two people in a theater, but you're on the same wavelength with hundreds of people, especially with a pop culture phenomenon like  "The Dark Knight." It's an incredible communal experience, especially a midnight screening of a new movie. 

Real world violence captured the attention of those people in Colorado. No one saw that coming when the movie began at midnight. Movie theaters are a place for an escape from the real world. You can only imagine the horror they experienced and saw in that theater. Some of them of didn't get to go home to their parents, children, husbands, wives or friends last night. Some won't ever breathe again.

I went home to my pregnant wife and slept comfortably. I can't help but think about how lucky I am to write that and I pray for everyone involved in Colorado.  

7/20/2012 4:09:46 PM
By Matt Palmer