People are Stupid.

From Huffingtonpost (via Jezebel):

It wasn't all good news for Team "Hunger Games" over the weekend. Despite fawning reviews and record-breaking ticket sales, some fans of the blockbuster young adult trilogy by author Suzanne Collins were upset by the decision to cast an African-American actress as Rue, one of the supporting characters. Never mind that she's described as having "dark brown skin" in the original book.

As Jezebel notes, many "Hunger Games" viewers resorted to sending racist tweets over the fact that Rue (played in the film by young actress Amandla Sternberg) was black.

"Why does Rue have to be black," wrote one ignorant fan, whose Twitter page no longer exists. "Not gonna lie, kinda ruined the movie."

Another girl wanted to know "why they 'made all the good characters black.' "

"Awkward moment when Rue is some black girl and not the innocent blonde girl you picture," wrote another user, whose account has also been deleted.

---

As who pictured? Racists or people who lack basic reading comprehension? 

Rue's description in the book:

…And most hauntingly, a twelve-year-old girl from District 11. She has dark brown skin and eyes, but other than that she's very like Prim in size and demeanor…

(elsewhere she's described as having 'dark satiny brown skin'

Thresh's description in 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...

Rue and Thresh were unambiguously characters of color in the book. (As are Rue's and Thresh's families in "Catching Fire.")  What next? These same 'readers' missed the distinct implication that the "adjacent to District 12/Appalachia) District 11 happens to mostly likely be the deep South (and the history that evokes) ... and possibly some of the grain producing mid-West (as 11 was distinctly agrarian).  Did they miss that too?

And even if those characters weren't cast to look exactly the way that they were described in the books (even though they are)  SO WHAT?!  Cinna is played by a bi-racial man in the movie, though I don't recall Cinna's race being discussed in the novels (so he's open to just about any interpretation.)  And, you know what?  It just means that Lenny Kravitz got a job.  It doesn't 'change' Cinna in any way!

Also, why is it upsetting that 'the good characters' are black?  1) Do Peeta, Prim, Haymitch, and Gale not count as 'good"?  2) Does having three 'good' black characters strike them as an 'imbalance'?!!  WTH?

Guh.  People are stupid.

People are Stupid.

From Huffingtonpost (via Jezebel):

It wasn't all good news for Team "Hunger Games" over the weekend. Despite fawning reviews and record-breaking ticket sales, some fans of the blockbuster young adult trilogy by author Suzanne Collins were upset by the decision to cast an African-American actress as Rue, one of the supporting characters. Never mind that she's described as having "dark brown skin" in the original book.

As Jezebel notes, many "Hunger Games" viewers resorted to sending racist tweets over the fact that Rue (played in the film by young actress Amandla Sternberg) was black.

"Why does Rue have to be black," wrote one ignorant fan, whose Twitter page no longer exists. "Not gonna lie, kinda ruined the movie."

Another girl wanted to know "why they 'made all the good characters black.' "

"Awkward moment when Rue is some black girl and not the innocent blonde girl you picture," wrote another user, whose account has also been deleted.

---

As who pictured? Racists or people who lack basic reading comprehension? 

Rue's description in the book:

…And most hauntingly, a twelve-year-old girl from District 11. She has dark brown skin and eyes, but other than that she's very like Prim in size and demeanor…

(elsewhere she's described as having 'dark satiny brown skin'

Thresh's description in 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...

Rue and Thresh were unambiguously characters of color in the book. (As are Rue's and Thresh's families in "Catching Fire.")  What next? These same 'readers' missed the distinct implication that the "adjacent to District 12/Appalachia) District 11 happens to mostly likely be the deep South (and the history that evokes) ... and possibly some of the grain producing mid-West (as 11 was distinctly agrarian).  Did they miss that too?

And even if those characters weren't cast to look exactly the way that they were described in the books (even though they are)  SO WHAT?!  Cinna is played by a bi-racial man in the movie, though I don't recall Cinna's race being discussed in the novels (so he's open to just about any interpretation.)  And, you know what?  It just means that Lenny Kravitz got a job.  It doesn't 'change' Cinna in any way!

Also, why is it upsetting that 'the good characters' are black?  1) Do Peeta, Prim, Haymitch, and Gale not count as 'good"?  2) Does having three 'good' black characters strike them as an 'imbalance'?!!  WTH?

Guh.  People are stupid.

People are Stupid.

From Huffingtonpost (via Jezebel):

It wasn't all good news for Team "Hunger Games" over the weekend. Despite fawning reviews and record-breaking ticket sales, some fans of the blockbuster young adult trilogy by author Suzanne Collins were upset by the decision to cast an African-American actress as Rue, one of the supporting characters. Never mind that she's described as having "dark brown skin" in the original book.

As Jezebel notes, many "Hunger Games" viewers resorted to sending racist tweets over the fact that Rue (played in the film by young actress Amandla Sternberg) was black.

"Why does Rue have to be black," wrote one ignorant fan, whose Twitter page no longer exists. "Not gonna lie, kinda ruined the movie."

Another girl wanted to know "why they 'made all the good characters black.' "

"Awkward moment when Rue is some black girl and not the innocent blonde girl you picture," wrote another user, whose account has also been deleted.

---

As who pictured? Racists or people who lack basic reading comprehension? 

Rue's description in the book:

…And most hauntingly, a twelve-year-old girl from District 11. She has dark brown skin and eyes, but other than that she's very like Prim in size and demeanor…

(elsewhere she's described as having 'dark satiny brown skin'

Thresh's description in 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...

Rue and Thresh were unambiguously characters of color in the book. (As are Rue's and Thresh's families in "Catching Fire.")  What next? These same 'readers' missed the distinct implication that the "adjacent to District 12/Appalachia) District 11 happens to mostly likely be the deep South (and the history that evokes) ... and possibly some of the grain producing mid-West (as 11 was distinctly agrarian).  Did they miss that too?

And even if those characters weren't cast to look exactly the way that they were described in the books (even though they are)  SO WHAT?!  Cinna is played by a bi-racial man in the movie, though I don't recall Cinna's race being discussed in the novels (so he's open to just about any interpretation.)  And, you know what?  It just means that Lenny Kravitz got a job.  It doesn't 'change' Cinna in any way!

Also, why is it upsetting that 'the good characters' are black?  1) Do Peeta, Prim, Haymitch, and Gale not count as 'good"?  2) Does having three 'good' black characters strike them as an 'imbalance'?!!  WTH?

Guh.  People are stupid.