The Hunger Games contradiction

In Suzanne Collins's trilogy, and the recent movie
adaptation of the first book, the Hunger Games are a nationally-televised
spectacle in which 24 randomly chosen teenagers are forced to fight to the
death in a man-made arena. The annual Hunger Games are an instrument of
oppression by the Capitol--the center of totalitarian power that survived a
rebellion--to remind the 12 districts under its power just how powerless they
are.

The citizens of the Capitol love the Hunger Games. To
them it is pure entertainment. To the citizens of the 12 subservient districts,
it is a form of torture. Their children and neighbors become murderers or
victims, and they are forced to watch (literally--viewing is mandatory).

There is a paradox at the heart of The Hunger Games' appeal. The book's message is fundamentally
anti-violence and antiestablishment, but the action of the Games is its main
draw. The first half of the book introduces the Games as the unjust,
inescapable instrument of exploitation they are. But going on to read about the
Games in the second half is just really fun.