I hate poor people and I openly root for their defeat…in movies.

‘

Fictional poor people are the worst parasites walking around in whatever fictional universe they exist in. While modern storytelling displays them as downtrodden and sympathetic, in reality, they are a screenwriter’s catalyst for destroying a great functional society and collapsing it into something far worse.

Stop me if you have watched this movie or television show before…A small group of wealthy elites is oppressing a large dirt poor population. While rich people enjoy the luxuries of steak, lobster, and nice clothes; poor people are sentenced to a life of brutality and slavery. One day, the poor people decide to rise up and rebel against the rich, putting them out of power.

Nice story right?

Hunger Games mirrors this plot perfectly. In a world where the Capitol is lavishly rich and technologically advanced, the districts suffer in varying states of poverty thanks to the brutal dictatorship of President Snow.

In the story, Katniss Everdeen becomes the propaganda arm of the resistance and with her help, the districts overthrow the Captial and all of their elites.

Once the poor have obtained the power to control all aspects of society that once belonged to the rich, they decide to destroy the “evil” capitalist system that has oppressed them for decades and bring in a more “fair” marxist system to assure that their oppression is never suffered again…

And here lies the problem.

This is where every ‘poor vs rich’ fantasy porn loses me. It is here where you realize that the theme of what you have watched is not “the rich vs the poor” it’s “capitalism vs communism”.

When you look deeper than what a film is showing you, you can see exactly what a film is telling you. You see the real story that is being told and what the people behind the scenes are really trying to tell you.

For decades the war on classism has been told through one lens in Hollywood. Capitalism is for the rich and Communism is for the poor. Whenever you see powerful wealthy rich individuals or groups, they are just an allegory for capitalism. In vice versa, communists see themselves as the working poor.

When the poor in fiction overcome the rich, the writer is presenting their fantasy of communism overcoming capitalism. Sure, Hollywood loves to shine a microscope on capitalism and criticize it’s every nook and cranny but they never address what is going to replace it?

Here is a question for you.

If you are one of the millions of people out there that actually like living in a capitalist society, enjoying the perks and freedom that comes with it, why would you ever root for the people who seek to destroy it? Why would you support the same people who seek your demise?

Bong Joon-ho has become a Hollywood darling due to his work creating films like Snowpierce and Parasite. In both films, Joon-ho uses classism has a vehicle to expose the evils of what the media calls “late-stage capitalism”. In the eyes of those that follow the teaches of Karl Marx, Capitalism leads to injustices and inequality which oppresses the poor and empowers the rich. This is why so many modern entertainment outlet openly make calls to “eat the rich“

If we just got rid of capitalism and replaced it with “something better”, the poor would no longer have to suffer by the hands of the rich. If we just got rid of private property, the rich wouldn’t be able to obtain wealth, making things fairer. If we established a progressive tax, everyone would have all their basic needs and wouldn’t have to slave for it ever again. If we just got rid of billionaires, we could take their money and give it to those who really need it. If Katniss Everdeen could overthrow President Snow, then the Workers of the world can unite!

RELATED: Hollywood’s History Of Communism

But what if you like Capitalism?

What if you like the idea of private property? Having something that you can call your own whether it’s a home, a business, or a bank account. What if you like being a part of a system that allows you to profit based on the principles of supply and demand? What if you believe that no one should be able to tell you what to do with your wealth except for you?

What if you like the idea of luxury? Whether it’s adding extra cheese on your burger, going out to eat a steak, buying a larger television, buying a nice phone. What if you become so successful at what you do, you decide to buy a large swimming pool and fill it with Gold coins to swim in?

While some decisions may not be as wise as others, the decision will be yours to make. So if you enjoy the luxuries that living in a capitalist society gives you then why would you root for a group of people who seek to fundamentally destroy everything you have. If you are pro-capitalism, then you can not support poor people in fiction because the people who created them see the poor as a weapon to destroy you.

While poor people in real life have been dealt a harsh hand based on a number of factors that any reasonable human being can sympathize with, in the world of entertainment they are avatars for communism, death, and destruction.

So no, I would not root for Katniss’s revolution against the Capital because poor people are nothing more than dirty rotten commies…in movies.

Don’t forget to Subscribe for Updates. Also, Follow Us at Society-Reviews, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Odysee, Twitch, & Letterboxd