District 12 tributes are systematically set up to fail
In the 74 years that the Hunger Games were held, there were only 4 victors from District 12. Why is that? Well, sit down and get comfortable, and I’ll tell you.
Part One
District 12 is known for being the poorest district. Katniss mentions in the first book that it is not uncommon for kids to keel over and die of starvation. Being so close to death for the majority of their lives, the District 12 tributes are consistently malnourished. They wouldn’t even be able to well survive the wilderness of the arena, let alone fight against the careers that have been well fed and trained in physical combat their entire lives, or against the Capitol's genetic muttations designed to kill.
Not only are they at a disadvantage at the get-go because of this, but we also need to take into consideration their district's industry: coal. We learn from Katniss that people cannot work in the mines until they are 18, the same year they become ineligible for the reaping. If given the opportunity, they could gain great skill and strength in using a pickaxe, but they aren’t given the chance. On one hand, the Capitol could claim it as a safety protocol, but considering they send 24 children to slaughter each year, the point is mute. Especially when you consider that every other district both teaches the population a lot about their industry in school, as well as giving them hands-on experience for years before they go into the games. So every other set of tributes enters the game with some kind of skill, some of which range from getting food to using weapons. Consider Johanna Mason from district 7, who won because she had a ‘wicked ability with an axe’, because district 7’s industry is lumber.
There is the point of the merchant class; they might not have any skill, but the kids from district 12s merchant class always had enough to eat, giving them a major advantage over the poor who never had enough to eat. Why haven’t they won more often? Well, the reaping is at fault for that. Incomes tesserae. Tributes can enter their names into the drawing for the games more times if they wish to take out tesserae, a year's supply of grain and oil for each person in the house. Most of the starving population of District 12 has to take out tesserae to not starve to death, whereas the merchant class children only have to put their names in once. This obviously lessens the chance that a stronger merchant class child would be chosen for the games.
So before they even go into the games, the District 12 tributes are at a major disadvantage. Next, we’ll explore what happens to them between the reaping and the games themselves.
Part Two
One of the most important parts of being a contender in the games is gaining favor with the audience, so the way the tributes are perceived is critical. As usual, District 12 struggles with this.
Mentoring:
First of all, we all love Haymitch. He is personally one of my favorite characters. But, considering that in the first book Katniss and Peeta have to convince him to stay sober enough to help them, I think it’s safe to assume he wasn’t the best mentor in other years. Also, being the only victor from that district, he had to mentor by himself for 25 years, whereas all the other districts had multiple mentors to help each other out. A mentor is supposed to prepare tributes for the arena, present the tribute to the Capitol, and allocate any gifts that the sponsors want to send. Being the only district without a solid mentor severely reduces the tributes' chances at winning.
Bad Stylists:
We hear from Katniss a few times that the tributes from 12 never have good outfits for the opening ceremony, which is the tribute parade that officially introduces the Capitol and the people of Panem to the tributes. We know from Sunrise on the Reaping that this has gone on since before Haymithces games; the 50th. Having a showstopping outfit for the parade not only makes you popular with the Capitol crowd, who value fashion so intensely, but also attracts the eye of sponsors. If the tributes are dressed the same way each year or in some other boring fashion, who is going to look at them twice? So the District 12 tributes are consistently overlooked by sponsors, adding to their disadvantage.
Training Scores:
Being underfed their whole lives and not being able to gain any skill in their industry, 12 is known for getting bad training scores. Bad training scores usually result in fewer sponsors, again reducing their chances of winning.
Tribute Interviews:
I think that Caesar does a good job of treating the tributes equally, but in the career districts, where winning is such an honor, the tributes tend to be more camera-ready and charismatic, and do very well in the interviews. Most of the other interviews, including 12s, are awkward and forgettable. While this does lessen chances at sponsors, I don’t think this specifically targets District 12.
Sponsors:
Sponsors are the only people who can send gifts to tributes in the arena. A lot of the time, these gifts can really mean the difference between winning and losing; many tributes have died of hunger, or thirst, or the cold; if a sponsor had sent them what they had needed, they would have survived and maybe even won the games. Sponsors are attracted by a tribute's chance at winning the game, whether through physical skill, cunning, or beauty (Finnick from district 4 was so attractive gifts rained down on him in the arena, including the trident he used to win the game) so if they have bad stylists, bad mentors, bad training scores, etc… it is extremely unlikely for them to get sponsors.
All of this is to say that it is completely understandable why District 12 had so few victors. They never stood a chance. Lucy Gray was such a hit with the crowd, wore that gorgeous dress, and sang so well. Haymitch had that rogueish personality that made him a hit with the crowd. Katniss had amazing skill with a bow, as well as survival skills. Peeta was physically strong and had strong natural charisma. All 4 victors were anomalies for District 12 in one way or another, and that was why they won. Because they refused to fit into the box Snow tried so hard to shove them into.
What do you guys think? Do you think there are any other districts that deal with these kinds of disadvantages? Is there anything I didn't include that is necessary to the point? Let me know!