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My research of The Hunger Games consisted of a wide array of internet platforms including Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, The New York Times, and several sites created by fans for fans with games and chatrooms to simulate The Hunger Games to allow fans to participate interactively in discussions and roleplaying games. I watched several trailers and interviews with the cast and crew. Some of the Youtube comments were interesting but what I found more thought-provoking were the discussions I was able to find through links posted in those Youtube comments. After some digging, I found several very heated debates about the book and the film. As I expected, all of the conversation threads were created by fans (most of whom are teenagers). As a person who has never read or watched the film version of The Hunger Games, I was able to view the conversations and arguments people were having without bringing in my own biases. 

One website I found hosted forums as well as links to live chat rooms for fans:

http://screenrant.com/hunger-games-movie-book-differences-johnh-160474/

Much of what people were discussing was inconsistency from the book to the film adaptation. These are two comments that I stumbled upon and responded to:

Comment # 1: “Not to mention Peeta loses his damn leg in the book!!!! They totally left that out. It plays a large part in catching fire when Peeta has trouble in the arena physically. They also left out how much the explosion of the food effected Katniss. She went deaf in one ear until the end of the book. They may have left those things out so as not to make the movie too violent, but in my opinion the tracker jacker scene was worse than that.”

 Comment #2: This may have been stated in a previous comment that I didn’t see, but personally I think the biggest oversight was Katniss’s hearing loss. After the explosion (in the book) she was completely deaf in one ear, which wasn’t repaired until she had won. This reconstruction of her ear is a major part of the plot in the second book, and I’ve very curious to see what the directors do about that. Also, while not as vital in future books/movies, a very powerful scene in the book shows Katniss’s terror at the thought of Peta dying after they’re separated in the helicopters following their win.I was very disappointed this was left out as it showed the changing dynamic of their relationship.

My response: 

“I have never read or watched The Hunger Games. However, as an outsider reading these comments about frustrations with the changes made for the film adaptation (Peeta's leg and Katniss' hearing loss), it is clear to me that plot developments crucial to understanding these characters as complex and three-dimensional, were left out. Especially the two examples I've given are instances where the film industry has omitted information in order to make it easier for the general public to relate to the main characters without complication. Hearing loss and the loss of a limb alter people/characters to make them non-normative outsiders. This is something that most of America is uncomfortable with. Yet again, corporations have neglected to tell the full story in order to make their product more lucrative, even at the expense of a person/character's dignity and full story.”

I don't know how my comment will be received as an outsider commenting on something that these people are so passionate about. Should I be able to add my two cents when I have had close to no exposure to this story and to these characters? No one has responded to my comment yet. We'll see what happens.