FEATURE: THE HUNGER GAMES Coming Under Racist Fire Over The Character RUE.

FEATURE: THE HUNGER GAMES Coming Under Racist Fire Over The Character RUE.

With the recent release of The Hunger Games, a lot of fans have been on a Twitter frenzy about the THG character Rue's race change.

By SageMode - Mar 26, 2012 07:03 PM EST
Filed Under: Action



(sighs) As if there wasn't enough negative controversy surrounding various character racial deviations in pop culture mediums, many "angry" fans have voiced their racially-charged pinions on the change over the character ethnic deviations of The Hunger Games.

From a half-Black half-Hispanic kid taking over the role of Spider-Man after Parker's death, to Perry White being played by African-American actor Laurence Fishburne, we have seen quite an uproar with the fans over the subjects at hand. And with the release of The Hunger Games, it is no different. The following are some Twitter tweets that address such ignorance.......



As you can see, one goes to call when to call Rue, who was portrayed by young actress Amanda Stenberg, a "Black B**tch", while another goes to describe her as a "N-word". As being an African-American, this kind of stupidity really upsets me, and has me flabbergasted that we still live in a world where this kind of behavior and mindset is still existent. But as a whole, is it really that big of a deal that her character's racial background was altered? SMH........And the very sad thing is even though her race was never really described in the book, but it lead to many assumptions due to the following exerpt from the book....

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.


What do you all think about this

Source: Jezebel and Twitter
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soundwave129
soundwave129 - 3/26/2012, 7:46 PM
It appalls me that there are still people like this. Plus, I'm pretty sure Rue was specified as being black in the book.
SmittsMcGee
SmittsMcGee - 3/26/2012, 7:48 PM
I don't want to live on this planet anymore...
TheMadman
TheMadman - 3/26/2012, 7:50 PM
Oh boy, here comes the Heimdall controversy again...
JDUKE25
JDUKE25 - 3/26/2012, 7:50 PM
How f*ckin stupid. I LOVED Rue. I quote from the book of Rue's description, this is from Katniss.

"I throw my spear, which I'm not too bad at actually, if I don't have to throw too far, and see the little girl from District 11 standing back a bit, watching us. She's the twelve-year-old, the one who reminded me so of Prim in stature. Up close she looks about ten. She has bright, dark eyes and satiny brown skin and stands tilted up on her toes with her arms slightly extended to her side, as if ready to take wing at the slightest sound."
Bane2099
Bane2099 - 3/26/2012, 7:51 PM
Of course now that the film is making money, people have to start some sort of outrage against it, sad people out there i guess
LuBeTHiGhWalK3R
LuBeTHiGhWalK3R - 3/26/2012, 7:54 PM
Wow a digital klan meeting...
CaptainAmerica
CaptainAmerica - 3/26/2012, 7:55 PM
I dont [frick]ing get it, both are black in the book. Are these people retarded????
JDUKE25
JDUKE25 - 3/26/2012, 7:57 PM
@CaptainAmerica that's what I'm thinking!! I mean how......f*ckin......stupid are these morons.... That's like causing a fuss over Superman being a man.
CloserPleasures
CloserPleasures - 3/26/2012, 8:01 PM
haha wow ppl got super rascist haha damn
luffycapri
luffycapri - 3/26/2012, 8:05 PM
f$%k you cliff kigar
tazmaniak
tazmaniak - 3/26/2012, 8:06 PM
These people are idiots.The author herself stated a year ago that the characters were African-American.

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/04/07/hunger-games-suzanne-collins-gary-ross-exclusive/

"GR: Thresh and Rue.

SC: They’re African-American."
RunDTC
RunDTC - 3/26/2012, 8:06 PM
wonder what Al Sharpton has to say on the matter....probably something stupid.

I'm disgusted by what some of these a-holes wrote. makes me sick.
CaptainAmerica
CaptainAmerica - 3/26/2012, 8:07 PM
@Jduke, lmao exactly. Just a bunch of dumb[frick]s.
JDUKE25
JDUKE25 - 3/26/2012, 8:15 PM
These people need to be put down. Put THEM in an arena to fight to the death.

P862010
P862010 - 3/26/2012, 8:17 PM
one person said actually said they wont feel as bad about rue's demise since she is black

but ok if she was white and died lol
tazmaniak
tazmaniak - 3/26/2012, 8:24 PM
This is ridiculous.You have 2 main characters who are described as having black hair and Olive skin, which would give you the impression they're of mixed ancestry and no one has a problem with 2 white, blond haired, blue eyed actors playing them.But people have a fit over a character described as having dark brown skin, dark brown hair and brown eyes being played by a black actress?Seriously?
SotNatt
SotNatt - 3/26/2012, 8:28 PM
SageMode
SageMode - 3/26/2012, 8:43 PM
OVERTAPPEAL -"Ah, okay, I get why this was posted. The author is just posting this to get a reaction so he can get page impressions and make extra money. Nevermind."

1. Only EDITORS get payed for their articles.

2. Ignorant stuff likes this needs to be put on notice. Just to show how narrow-minded and idiotic people can be, especially over something as small as this.

And your ridiculous comment just adds a small fraction to that half of the pie. Get more educated about your "claims" before you state them. Thanks.
ecksmanfan
ecksmanfan - 3/26/2012, 8:51 PM
1- people are dumb.

2- ANYONE can get paid for their articles as ANYONE can install adsense on their articles. That is the ONE AND ONLY WAY PEOPLE (EDITOR OR NOT) GET PAID ON THIS SITE!

Galactus and CBM do not pay their editors. It is a strictly volunteer program.
AutobotCommander84
AutobotCommander84 - 3/26/2012, 8:51 PM
Retards these days.
CaptainAmerica
CaptainAmerica - 3/26/2012, 9:00 PM
Ironic that you're saying he's not the Internet Police.
Robert
Robert - 3/26/2012, 9:10 PM
Rasicm at it's best. This planet is going to hell faster than I expected.
SageMode
SageMode - 3/26/2012, 9:11 PM
OVERTAPPEAL:

And I'm sure that those trying to get paid for their articles would've known that information you just provided, correct?

You just contradicted yourself by calling out my misunderstanding.

And this is no different than those articles about Idris Elba being cast as Heimdall in THOR, or the Half-black Half-Hispanic kid taking over as Spider-Man, or Laurence Fishburne being cast as Perry White in MOS. are those articles inconsequential also?

Genius.

SotNatt
SotNatt - 3/26/2012, 9:34 PM
@0SageMode0

Agreed.

@overtappeal

This controversy has showed up on several other well-known, highly trafficked blog sites, so yeah...I would say 0SageMode0's article is justified, especially since CBM.com took it upon themselves to cover a film in great detail that isn't at all a comic book adaptation (or even one where such a thing is being made).

Fair game.

Calling people out and blasting them on their stupidity isn't policing. That's freedom of speech. They got the freedom to make bigoted and racist comments, so we should have the freedom to examine our fellow "man" at full length and discuss their levels of stupidity.

BatmanIsBaddest
BatmanIsBaddest - 3/26/2012, 9:53 PM
To be fair, I'd say only some of these posts are blatantly racist, while the others require greater context to understand properly. I can understand there being some people who are shocked by this development; it is not racist to have a mental image of a character that better fits your frame of reference. Say if a white kid is adopted by black parents. Whenever the kid hears the word "Dad" when describing someone, he'll think that that person must be black. This isn't because he's racist, but because it fits his frame of reference. I'd say the first three posts and the sixth have to be taken with a grain of salt. I've never read the book or seen the movie, so I have no idea how this character is described, but I wouldn't be jumping to conclusions so fast about it.

That being said, I sympathize with fans who don't appreciate it when characters switch races from page to screen or from film to film. I get a little frustrated when I try to rectify Billy Dee Williams playing Harvey Dent in the first Batman film and then Tommy Lee Jones playing him in the third -- but it's just something I shrug off. Basically I see it like this: What if Shaft was to be played by Jason Statham? What if Superman was to be played by Wesley Snipes? If you find either scenario undesirable, it doesn't mean that you're a racist. Traditionally, Shaft is black and Superman is white, and there's nothing wrong with that.

When it comes to characters like the Kingpin, Heimdall, and Perry White, it is more acceptable to me for the producers to change their races, as they are supporting characters and quite bland in the comics. I very much enjoyed Michael Clarke Duncan as the Kingpin and Idris Elba as Heimdall, and I'm really looking forward to Laurence Fishburne as Perry White. I have no problem with any of those choices, but if someone tried to cast Batman as black, I would be highly offended... And why is that? It's not because I'm racist, but because Batman is traditionally white, and being white is not a crime.

I have been debating racists on the internet for several years now (I know a fairly futile effort, right?), but it is important to distinguish between blatant racism (i.e., hatred) and perceived racism (i.e., confused statements or beliefs). Obviously I condemn hatred in all its forms and I am utterly opposed to anyone (black or white) using the "N-Word" whatsoever, but not all those posts have racially charged insults in them, so give them the benefit of the doubt. Anyways, that's my two cents...
PsyGuy
PsyGuy - 3/26/2012, 10:36 PM
What the hell??? RUE WAS BLACK IN THE BOOK...
Are these people dumb?
leftcoastpunk
leftcoastpunk - 3/26/2012, 11:19 PM
@batmanisbaddest- lots of good points, well put. As for the author of this article, does this honestly bother you that much? Most of it isn't racist. There has always been racism in the world and there will always be dip-shits who believe that way, but this is random people talking about fictional characters. People that search for things that could possibly be perceived as racism, in situations that have no direct effect on anyone, isn't bringing awarness to anything or helping anything. In some ways I think it actually stirs up more shit.
BrotherQStark
BrotherQStark - 3/26/2012, 11:47 PM
Shes only 13 you racist [frick]s, damn I hate the intolerance and ignorance of single-minded assholes, Americans especially
acidbath
acidbath - 3/27/2012, 1:23 AM
@mranonymous Uhm I'm American and white but not an ignorant racist so why do you hate Americans? I understand if you hate our government but most people here were born here just like a person is born into the race they are. Hating people over nationality is just as bad you are making yourself out to be a hypocritical asshat.
EarOne
EarOne - 3/27/2012, 1:44 AM
for me TWITTER is something that is something human race DO NOT NEED and should just be avoided altogether. it's started nothing but ill feels, troubles and conflicts.
Oarsis
Oarsis - 3/27/2012, 3:23 AM
Ok, these people are supposed to be fans?
Yeah...right.

Rue was BLACK in the books. The author said so herslef.
These ignorant idiots need to get off the computer, and go re-read the book. Now.
superman7
superman7 - 3/27/2012, 4:09 AM
@ soundwave129:

I think a lot of people assumed she was white because of how much she reminded her of Prim, who had had blond hair and blue eyes. I actually thought she was white also. And I think it says that her skin was tanned from exposure to the sun from farming.

bending the race of a side character, especially if it isn't specified, really doesn't change anything about the character though, so who cares? Its more about the character's personality being properly portrayed.
Bandrews1
Bandrews1 - 3/27/2012, 5:44 AM
I'm black myself and its a sad world where we still live in a racist world, smh. But if these idiots had actually read the book they would know that both Rue and Thresh were black.
EpicMan
EpicMan - 3/27/2012, 8:36 AM
You can call me racist all you want but my opinion is:

If you were not born in Africa and then moved to America (AND ESPESCIALLY if you have never even been to Africa) you are not African American. You are just American.

If you want to label yourself differently then fine Black American if you must.

I dont call myself White American or European American because my ancestors came from Europe.

You should be proud to be AMERICAN if not GTFO
miguelus
miguelus - 3/27/2012, 12:07 PM
...it amazes me how cliff kigar can actually spell the "n" word correctly, but can't even spell "since". what an uneducated idiot...
Giraffehead
Giraffehead - 3/27/2012, 4:29 PM
@MrAnonymous

'Shes only 13 you racist [frick]s, damn I hate the intolerance and ignorance of single-minded assholes, Americans especially'

Prejudices are ugly in all their forms, it is interesting that you bash against one but show another. There are words for this... 'ignorance' and 'single-minded' come to mind.

On a side note: what does her age have anything to do with this issue?
kamikazeturtle
kamikazeturtle - 3/27/2012, 8:52 PM
The book does spell out their ethnicity pretty clearly. I actually didn't remember that. So when I saw the casting I was a little surprised but really, all I could think was, wow, that totally is Rue. I saw the movie and she was so incredibly perfect.

@0SageMode0, yeah, I'm glad this is up. It is *deeply* disturbing to hear people say they no longer care about a *child's* death because of her color. So then murder, suffering, genocide, etc are totally fine as long as it's not happening to white people? Says a lot of very disturbing things about what's still going on in the world today.
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