An autistic woman’s baseline anxiety level is identical to that of a contestant in The Hunger Games, according to sources.
Krista Shure, 22, is plagued by constant fear and dread, much like a plucky literary heroine being forced to fight to the death in a public arena.
Whether asking for directions to an airport’s quiet room, attending a work-mandated seminar on active listening or trying to order a macchiato without sounding like a dick, Shure reportedly experiences the helpless panic of someone being hunted by genetically-modified dogs and axe-wielding children.
Shure explained that she does not understand her feelings, since the books’ setting could not be further from reality.
She said: “The people of Panem live in a dystopian society where the ‘haves’ laugh decadently at the ‘have-nots’, people die in pursuit of their basic human rights and citizens are mercilessly punished for righteous rebellion. There have been vast advances in technology – but these seem engineered not to benefit society but to cater to the whims of the wealthy and privileged, deepening these great chasms of inequality. With every passing day, all hope of a just society becomes a fainter glimmer in the distance… Imagine if we lived in a world like that!”
“Katniss is constantly being watched and evaluated,” Shure continued. “Her government is just waiting to catch her out, to turn her into an unwitting public enemy. I wouldn’t know what that’s like, I’m just a disabled person in the UK. Scary thought, though, innit?”
Shure was last seen bursting into her local autism assessment service, shrieking: “I volunteer as tribute!”
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