We Are The Capitol... America and the Hunger Games
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ส.ค. 2024
- Lately I have repeatedly been thinking about the concept that America has begun to resemble the dystopian Capitol of Panem from The Hunger Games.
In some ways, that may be exaggerated, but in others, the parallels are striking and the similarity is undeniable. Today I wanted to discuss that idea and see how the audience reacts. We Are The Capitol. America and the Hunger Games.
PATREON: / ueg
LOCALS: upperechelon.locals.com/support
Become a channel member: / @upperechelon
COMPLETE CYBER SECURITY PRODUCT LIST: linktr.ee/upperechelonsecurity
ODYSEE INVITE: odysee.com/$/invite/@UpperEch...
⦁ MERCH: teespring.com/stores/upper-ec...
⦁ UPPER ECHELON WEBSITE: upperechelon.gg
⦁ UPPER ECHELON CUSTOM MERCH STORE: agentink.gg/collections/ue
⦁ DISCORD SERVER: / discord
⦁ Giraffe Video: • Giraffe running in her...
⦁ Outtro Song: • Hot Heat - Topher Mohr... MY
BUSINESS EMAIL: upperechelongamers@yahoo.com
#bitboy #hitnetwork #crypto - บันเทิง
![[TH] GEN vs SEN | FPX vs TH - VALORANT Champions 2024 DAY 1](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VcyH-0LAlhs/mqdefault.jpg)
For anyone interested... here are the links to on and off platform support memberships.
PATREON: www.patreon.com/UEG
LOCALS: upperechelon.locals.com/support
BECOME A MEMBER: th-cam.com/channels/hI0q9a-ZcbZh7dAu_-J-hg.htmljoin
The Romans had the vomit thing
The urge to unsubscribe from vtubers to support you instead is real. Behold, tonight this will come to light.
P.S. vax is still unsafe. Try not to reproduce with a vaxxer. No good will come from it.
this seems like your commie arc tbh, will see in future
The giraffe at the end reminds me of an observation someone made recently: _How are unicorns fake but giraffes are real like what's more believable a horse with a horn or a leopard-moose-camel with a 40 foot neck_
wait until Upper Echelon learns about ancient Rome.
It's almost like Hunger Games had a message behind it or something.
When you figure out what an allegory is
The irony that the head actress of the hunger games is on board with it.
I had the exact same thought
Lmao. Right?
They’re actors. Their job is literally to emulate what they are told to emulate.
Yeah, it's called being an actress, fucking wow.
I'm referring to her comments outside of films but okay.
"The alien anthropologists
Admitted they were still perplexed
But on eliminating every other reason for our sad demise
They logged the only explanation left
This species has amused itself to death" - Amused to Death by Roger Waters
What god wants god gets, god help us all
Most based Pink Floyd member.
@@onlinerando-xfr9kd44 I'd argue on behalf of Sid. So based he didn't need to keep giving his message to the world.
Oh dear what a surprise to see someone mention this song ! Roger waters and jeff beck at their finest !
The WHOLE album of the same name is prophetic to the end of our civilization from the onset of world war 2. Pure art
What's with that weird capitalisation, that was a pain to read man
I don't know about a lot of this. I currently work in the trucking business and I travel to basically every state all the time and I meet so many different kinds of people. Most people are just worried about paying their bills on time, getting to their kids soccer game, and maybe watch some Friends at the end of the day. I think this only really applies to the "loud minority" where it appears everyone cares about all this stuff, because that's what the media and social media want you to believe. And this isn't a uniquely America problem, it's apparent, sometimes more prominent, in other Western countries. Hell, it's even spreading to the Eastern countries. I'm originally from Bosnia and you're seeing some of this there, and that's a Balkan country. Just my two cents on this.
Well said. I legitimately think most people are normal people just trying to make it at the end of the day. Using the fact that some idiots get plastic surgery as some form that we’re a dystopia is a straw man at best.
I’m originally from Greek and yeah, some of this dumb stuff is happening there. These countries act so much better than the west, yet they’re heading the same way.
I usually agree with Echelon, he has made great videos. But this video is a massive miss for me. Maybe with more time spent on it, and more evidence, i could be more convinced. I doubt it though.
We tend to get distracted by these tiny boxes full of light, transferring numbers through the air. Presenting the best and worst of humanity while gorging ourselves with entertainment. So much so that we look at these boxes of light and think, "this is the world and everything in it", to distracted to look around and explore on our own.
I'm a hypocrite in this as here we are commenting on a video that we watched on a box of light.
@@isaach.1135 Being a hypocrite does not mean your argument is wrong. I think you hit the nail with what you have said. Somewhere along the way, with our infatuation over "the greater world" presented to us through these boxes of light, many have forgotten the world that surrounds us every day.
Maybe you, I, and everyone else is hypocritical for criticizing this phenomenon on the medium that creates it, but it doesn't invalidate the argument.
Of course it is. Like every dystopian story, The Hunger Games is secretly a critique of modern society. Like 1984 and Brave New World before it, it shines a light on issues in our world and shows a future based on them getting worse. This isn’t hard to figure out.
It seems alot of people don't understand that...
There's always a bunch of snobs in these comments turning their nose up and telling everyone they "should already know this". And that's true. Too many of us *should* know about these things but there are a few things to remember.
1: There are new people being born into this world everyday and they need to be taught. Not expected to know automatically.
2: Even after we learn these things and remember them subconsciously, we still need reminders to shake us out of the daily grind.
That's why these videos are useful, even if you think they are a waste of time.
@@Copperkaiju but all it’s doing is stating an obvious truth. It’s like me saying the sky is blue.
You are right, but while the writers writing the dystopias most of the time thought "look at this and think about what is happening now" some people read it and saw it as inspiration, something to aspire to.
At least in Brave New World, people were having sex and the mental health drugs actually worked.
In modern America we have drugs that turn unfuckable losers into unhappy killers.
"Needles in the street, people barely surviving. Living next to highways full of cars self driving." - Oliver Anthony
I've been telling this exact thing to my wife for a few years now, but more around the idea of the WEF aspiring to become the capitol.
this is it.
Davos is far closer to the capital then america
Couldn't it be considered that Davos curated many districts to its liking? It's not checkmate yet.
If you want to find out who's in charge, then you have to look at where their plans are not happening...
There is a plan to build a new planned city in the middle of all the farmland in the Netherlands. I'm sure the plan is to grow their own food and keep it to themselves, while they force us to eat bugs.
The most similar dystopian future movie to our current state is: Demolition Man. It's actually eerie how accurate the predictions made on that movie are.
I think its closest to Atlas Shrugged. I still catch people saying the (almost word for word) things used to cause the slow decent into nightmare described in that book, with the same outcomes expressed therein.
It’s an amalgamation of all dystopias.
Demolition mans PC, yet insidious culture.
Brave New Worlds obsession with Distraction and killing off the nuclear family.
Fahrenheit 451’s obsession with shorts upon shorts upon shorts and again, obsession with social media and to prevent getting ideas, to the point all books are banned.
1984’s concepts of thought crime, newspeak, double think, the memory hole, the ministry of Truth and insane propaganda.
About the only thing that hasn’t happened is Taco Bell and the two sea shells.
@@biffbifford402you know at one point in time before toilet paper the seashells was a thing
I mean, i think this is gonna be a more boring dystopia like the world of Cruelty Squad
You should see the amount of food they throw away at schools, sealed little cartons of milk and lots of other perfectly good food in pre packaged bags.
Even grocery stores. I worked for Kroger for only 4 months. In that time, the amount of perfectly good food I saw thrown away made me depressed.
It's on purpose. If it's was given away free then poor people wouldn't need to work as hard and homeless nes and starvation wouldn't be as big a threat. I've seen places trash the food then pour bleach on it to prevent dumpster diving. Or my favorite. "we can't donate it or give it away because of liability" yeah like some judge is gonna see a trial of homeless dumpster diver vs Safeway food poisoning case and rule against the company.
All of this is by design.
The Met gala is probably the best comparison to the Capitol imo. Great video, as always sir. Thanks for the diagnosis!
I saw Sander Cohen and Ramon Salazar there once.
The fact that AOC attended that one time exposed her for the fraud she was. Although it was fairly easy to see even before that.
But only a few hundred people go to the Met gala. In the Hunger Games basically everyone in the Capitol dresses like that every day.
@@jordan1192 Good point. Frequency is important.
@@corvuscorax8459 And the whole point of the Met gala is to wear something insane that no one would ever wear normally. In the Capitol those clothes are normal.
To be America’s enemy is dangerous. To be its ally is fatal.- Henry Kissinger
Kissinger is the expert at mass slaughter, so.
there is an incredible amount of irony in that statement, given the man who said it
@@beanjm9773 Yep, a personification of the word Warmonger
Unless you're Israel
Its funny when someone thinks this says something, but it really doesnt.
I mean... you realise that media like the hunger games or cyberpunk, or whatever other dystopian stories, take what is going on currently, then emphasise those points to make it dystopian. If youre going "wow, things are starting to look like that for real" then congratulations, you got the point of the book.
How many times do i have to say this: Dystopian media is not meant to be a blueprint for society, it's meant to entertain, horrify, and/or warn
I've had this thought since the story came out, and it's only been more and more reinforced as time has gone on. You have the perfect platform and ability to articulate it, so thank you for taking the time to make this video. All that said, I believe it's too late
Same. Thats probably why to story felt real in some sense. Especially since Im a white European who grew up in Africa.
The ancient Roman elite lived in their own walled districts and did a lot of things which the lore Capitol does. I believe that ancient Rome inspired a lot of the lore.
I'd say it's not much America specifically. The same thing happens in many other countries. It's more the haves and havenots. There are plenty of "slums" here too.
Fair I guess. But America compares itself INFINITELY FAVORABLY to every other country in any matter.
The elitism of America and Americans is comedic at the very least.
I think you should travel a bit and you'll see just how bizarre the US actually is. A bunch of elites making you think you matter while milking you dry and propagandizing its population.
Honestly hunger games in real life describes davos more then america
Even those that live in our slums have more access to luxuries than people in some foreign countries. The homeless population in cities wouldn't grow if they weren't getting clean food and water at the very least.
Have you ever seen those videos of hobos in (I forget the exact city) California with smartphones and game consoles in their tent running power off some nearby building.
@@seraphcreed840 Wait until the Americans find out what the majority of the world really thinks of them. I tell them all the time that wokeness is an extreme minority in the world and crunch the numbers for them. I just get "Lol literally everybody is woke and always have been". All those poor Asian and brown people don't count I guess.
To an outsider looking in, America is like a crazy soap opera or reality TV show that you just know is gonna end badly but you can't look away
That is how it started inside. The people who run the country and humanity have been looting it.
Just remember how much global influence America has and that the collapse is going to affect every country on the planet
For example every nato country is going to get a lot weaker with the us paying 70% of the nato budget and nato being the largest military alliance on the planet so theres ramifications for that
@@snakedick4753 then get your shit together then
Ehhh if the USA falls, pretty much all our close partners fall with us like Europe and China. Especially Europe if they’re forced to actually spend on defense if we can’t maintain a military
You can probably make this comparison to any culture at the height of it's power. Rome and Persia for instance would probably line up pretty accurately as well I'd imagine; minus the obvious technological things you'd have to replace with spies or whatever timeline equivalent you could think of.
true. during roman times they through up on purpose so they could keep eating.....
yeah there is a word for it. Decadence. Usually it leads to the downfall of the nation.
That's because we essentially are late stage Rome right before the collapse
@@cxngo8124it's not the decadence that does it though, it's the unsustainable growth.
There's a lot of parallels to be drawn between the Roman Republic and the US. The increasingly corrupt Republic, the internal tensions between the common people, the nation built on sustained growth.
We've got economic growth, theirs was conquering Europe. Neither one of those things could keep happening forever. Eventually you run out of resources, people, land, time, something, and either you've set up your government to function when it stops, or it all falls apart.
We're at the "what happens when endless growth stops being endless" phase of our civilization, and I'd say we're largely failing to handle it properly, but, we do have time to figure it out, and I've got hope that we will.
I would say the US is more on the decadent phase. The height of its power was probably in the 50s.
Hey man, don't worry about the topics you cover in your videos, its always a pleasure hearing your perspective and opinions.
To not live on the path paved by politicians and corporations is to die
And many layman refuse to admit they have overlords...
I remember reading those books when they first came out. So good. The movies were alright but didn't capture some of the darker tones of the torture they put the contestants and districts through.
Shout out to Kurt Metzger, who gave Upper Echelon a shout out when he was on JRE.
I think certain parts of America are like this. Places where the political, entertainment, and corporate elite live and hang out. The people in the upper middle class are more like District 2 - 4, with the rest of urban America being more like district 5 or 6. The rural areas of America are more like District 7 and 8. We don't really have the uber poor as described in the rest of the Districts.
6:54 I'm sure Stacey and her two moms are a good example of the future of our armed forces military capacity
Not really. Just because the US military likes to pander once in a while doesn’t mean it’s not still one of the strongest in the world. Let us not forget that, because it’s a double-edged sword.
@@t700ehow about them recruitment numbers 🤡
I see America and west as the society in Brave New World
This was such a well researched and informative video. Really enjoyed seeing your deep dive into the sunject.
"But muh iphone and its green campaign" or "but i need a powerful yet overpriced rtx so i can run muh game with ray tracing". Thanks murica for increasing prices for a product that was needed for a work production, now i cant afford it so i become a neet.
"Life in dystipian future book/ movie is just like an overemphasised version of now!"
Congrats on understanding the theme, i guess lol
For real lol
I noticed awhile back now, depression will do that to you, make you think and make you notice this kind of thing. Now it just plagues my life because it’s all just aggravating
Pan-Am controlling the capital and starving the 13 colonies to death so they have to play a real-life Fortnite sounds like another kind of cyberpunk dystopia. Some book authors really are insane.
"This is where we're headed."
The most common phrase I used while I was playing through Cyberpunk 2077. Johnny Silverhand's speech after breaching the Blackwall strongly resonated with me.
I hate to bring this to you, but that is exactly what is happening today, just on bigger scale and in a more subtle way
All that grain that was suppose to go to Africa, you know how much of it never makes it to Africa?
That's not even mentioning what China's doing. Orwell would be both terrified and impressed.
@@viktoriyaserebryakov2755 I can only imagine...
you did make that comparison during an awards show in the community tab before yeeting it
I forgot about that. Ive been thinking about doing a video on it a long time
@@UpperEchelonread Hegel and Hermetic Tradition that his, Karl Marx and present woke socialist politics is pure cult religion that pretends to know true essence of human nature - social engineering policies to greater, social justice, economic justice, gender justice, racial justice programs. Social engineering relies on identity politics, for each identity there is only one type/mode of thinking itself. State is reflection of god on earth, so everything within state must be equal, with no distictions, cause individual distinctions leads to sin, greed and retreat from Unity with everyone and state.
I'm going to be totally honest, you had me at the title. Before I watched the video, I already knew it was on to something, having watched the Hunger Games myself and said to myself, "This feels alot like todays society".
Great video and the comparison is so fitting
What do you get when 1984, Brave New World, and The Hunger Games have a baby?
America.
All vids you makes are pretty entertaining and informative. I really don't care what the topic is on as long the giraffe is shown at the end
I've got that song burned into my head.
Bravo for framing this in a fictional context and voicing these issues to a broader audience. I hope this is not suppressed by the algorithm.
I think we're edging closer to Cyberpunk territory than Hunger Games - wherein the very technology required to compete is rigged to plot every data point in your life and sell it to whichever entity can use it for the most gain, all while attempting to manipulate your habits and make you more dependent on the system.
But without any of the actually cool stuff like cyberware. So more like a Bladrunner style world
Neuromancer and snow blind would be the perfect examples of possible cyberpunk outcomes.
50/50 cyberpunk or Idiocracy.... I still can't decide which...
Fantastic video! Very good summery.All whats left is people fighting to death in colloseums again.
"Most people want to be told how to act. And most people are idiots." -- Pastor Richards
Awesome Video! I really enjoy this kind of content and it's nice to see you doing it more.
There’s a reason Hunger Games is banned from many schools. They don’t want children to critically think about how messed up our culture is
the book is banned? i mean they cant banned movies
Really? Banned? That I kinda hard to believe.
I have a hard time believing that it's banned
not to mention the only thing schools teach is how to obey and not how to suceed in life
@@nicholasmorgan7609 you can believe it or not. All it takes is a simple google search
Great video as usual and I really appreciate your thoughts on this - definitely “food for thought”.
Excellent work an observations UE, keep up the good work!
Love your analysis
WHAT'S THE NUMBER ONE TELEVISION SHOW IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!? THE RUNNING MAN!
I think pointing out the problem is helpful and nice. It will be better if you can provide a few sentences on how individuals can contribute to fixing the issues.
Less government.
Yeah of course upper echelon is now comming up with instructions for each and everyone 😂😂😂😂 i cant take it anymore
@@The2808eriklike yeah nah... More goverment! Like one liners will definitly be the solution!
Marxisms!
FREE Marktes!
Just choose one... Idiocracity
Common sense needs to be implemented here, rather than Upper Echelon saying what we should or should not do.. It seems obvious: don't partake in any way. There's what you do. If people don't partake, it won't last. I think UE would agree with my statement.. he seems to be a beacon of guiding light as far as common sense goes. Ya buddy! =)
Stay safe, stay free - to copy the words of a smart person.
✌🏼❤☯️
some are pretty simple, don't watch those shows, tell other people not to watch them and explain why. Don't waste food, don't engage in the frivolous fashion or plastic surgery.
I’m recently homeless. It’s staggering how many people are increasingly getting priced out of their homes.
Loved this video
100% correct. My wife has been saying this for the past 8 years. Interesting you touch on several of the same points she has been making.
How many people can't afford a surgery that could save their lives or make their lives something worth living. It's gross that so many plastic surgeries are performed. Thank you for the amazing video, it pissed me off.
Lmao reality can do that. I’d feel the same way if I wasn’t numb to this
Plastic surgery is all private and on people’s bucks. Doesn’t really affect anything but their wallet
Thought provokong and insightful one here, UE. Glad you made it
A good analysis and comparison. Make more videos like this one.
I wondered how long it would take for someone to highlight this. Annnnnd it happens to be you, my fav investigative journalist who is articulate, intelligent and thorough. Oh yes, and tenacious! GG great vid.
I would argue that the author of The Hunger Games took inspiration for The Capital from the world they live in as well as other fictional works that likely also take inspiration from elements of modern and past societies the authors grew up in. Simply put...we don't emulate the book; the book emulates us and people are just starting to realize it.
This is deep. Please keep going this direction.
XD comments like these make me wanna kill myself out of despair for humanity
Great vid! Glad to see you trying different stuff.
Hell yeah, I love this channel! ✌🏼
Most everything he talks about is relevant to our daily life. I appreciate that. There's too many damn haters these days. And they're all just hating because UE tells the truth.
Lol, what's up with the giraffe tho?? 😂
How does this help you with your daily live? Like i am realy curious?
@@MrDasfriedrelevant isn’t the same as helpful
@@MrDasfriedperception is reality no? Waking people up to various perceptions otherwise oblivious can be beneficial to one's life.
nope reality exists without you perceving it.Different perspektives are still important though. I am with you at that point@@mr.neqtan
Wait, are you saying The Capital isn't a good blueprint for a society!?
Great video!
I agree, this video really brings a certain deleted TH-cam community post to mind.
You're right except for one thing: The U.S isn't the Capitol. Israel is the Capitol, and the 50 states of America are their districts. Think about it. The second Capitol is Ukraine, but that's a whole other rabbit hole.
#UpperEchelon - Unfortunately, a lot of very small, easily offended people will take issue with this video, since they have no personal identity, and they depend on others for a feeling of belonging, success and character. - Just know that what you say is true, and that those pathetic people need to hear your message. - Thank you.
My diagnosis. We lack gratitude.
We’ve forgotten how to enjoy the simple pleasures in life and the deep ones. People used to work hard to raise a family or go out and serve the community. We simply do not have that now. We’ve been lied to told that it’s not worth it and we believed the lie. Now we face the consequences of our own choice to seek ease instead of meaning
Love the video
I've actually just been rewatching the hunger games because it reminded me of joe biden's america 😂😂😂😂
It's all of America
Spot on. This is something I’ve been lamenting for a while.
Great video essay.
Love the new direction!
Good video bro. Keep that up!
I just recently reconnected with your content after ending my subscription years ago. I like the current versatile content. Hope you continue on this path for the content and you personally.
Nice to see this from you, seriously. ❤
Cheers bro, keep it coming.
I see it too, brother. Great video. It is true that it can’t be unseen.
> rich out of touch people
> up talking and lisping
> bulimia and weird fashion
> lots of surgery
Since the book was published 2008 I would venture to guess that the author based the capital on Beverly hills and other rich California hubs. Maybe the California disease has spread throughout the nation.
This topic would make for a greater in depth video. Looking forward to it.
Pan-Am is America. All the districts. That's the whole point of the book. The capitol is Washington D.C. Am is America it's name is cut short to symbolize the taking of the people's rights
Thank you for putting that thought into my head now
🎉 Glad you put it out there.
Damn it feels like you've opened my third Uzi Vert Dimond eye
Another banger, keep up the good fight 🍻
"Why am I not surprised?" - John Stewart/Green Lantern (Justice League Animated)
Interesting topic. Thanks
We DO do the hunger games arena!!!, it's called televised wars and coups. It reminds the weaker nations their place in the hierarchy. Remember how people clapped and chanted in time Square when they announced the death of O-Bin-L?
Good vid broski
This video needs millions more views.
Good video, I always like to hear people make parallels between fiction and reality.
I see it slightly differently, I don't see America writ-large as Panem, I see the DC-NYC Bubble and LA/SF bubbles as dsytopian capitols with the other states being the districts....
Been thinking the same for a while, spot on.
I've said this since the first time reading the books (pre-movies). It's so hard to get the point across to others.
I always enjoy your opinion videos
Great video. I largely agree with your assessment, though I haven’t read the books, so take that as you will!
This video and all the comments: people amazed that the Hunger Games was based off America's state at the time, misled into believing life imitated art instead of the other way around
Absolutely nailed it. 👍
This is probably my first time commenting.
Bro
This one hit me
Thank you and pls pls
No matter what happens, never ever stop
Your channel is one of the real ones left
So dang true man. Love it!
I remember thinking this after watching the movies. This definitely tracks.
We are literally slowly truning in to the dark eldar from 40k
The Gini Coefficient has been a reliable predictor once again.
Wtf … my colleagues were just talking about hunger games around the same time this video went live and now it’s on my suggested. This algorithm is wild
Good stuff, thank you. I was ignorant to the comparison but it’s obvious.