Hayashi, Daiki                                                                                                                         STS

2012-98083                                                                                                                     CAS-UPLB 

Do a development of technology, science, and society really make a better world?

Catching Fireis a science fiction movie because in the film, there are surly advanced science technologies that do not exist in the real world today. In the battlefield, people are using primitive technologies such as bow, arrow, and lance to fight each other or survive in the field. On the other hand, the game makers have a technology to make a thunder¹. It is actually a technology which is being developed even in the real world today. There was also a scene that characters that were chosen as players in the survival game were taken to capitol by very fast train. It looks like a linear motor car which can speed 500km per hour. It is now an available technology. That is why those technologies in this movie are very realistic and will be used in our society soon. Therefore, this is considered as a science fiction movie which will be attained in the foreseeable future.

Secondly, the film is commentary on past, present and future human society. The society of hunger game is dystopia which describes the negative image of the future world. The structure of society in hunger game is just same as our society now. And actually, it hasn’t changed from the past to now. In the past of our society, only few of powerful persons such as king, commander, religious leaders have been enjoying their privileges on the mass of people who contribute for them. They made a hierarchical society and made people to live only in their classes. Even now, in India, there is a caste system. The world in hunger game is exactly same as our human society in present and the past. And most probably, this system will remain in our future society however the technology developed.

In the world of hunger game, some people are suffered from poverty while some people are enjoying the wealth. There is no difference in the world today. A lot of people from developed countries don’t know what is the feeling of hunger is while people in developing countries don’t even know the feeling of being full. While children in first-world countries skip classes to play videogame at home, children in third-world countries are not even given chances to study at school.　

Today, closed-circuit television is being used in public places. It is being discussed because it might invade an individual’s privacy. Now, mass-media has so much influence on mass. People easily believe in what the mass media says. It is sometimes used by the government to control citizens even in the real world. It is absolutely true that science, technology and society have been developed now. However, it does not really mean that it succeeded to make our each individual happier with those developments. A lot of people watch this film because we all know that development of technology and science makes our life easier however, it does not necessary mean that all humans can enjoy the development in the society.

¹Rocket Triggered Lightnings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN4QRwHCOXQ