The Hunger Games: A Warning of Days to Come?

In the Hunger Games, there is an almost dictatorial society where all of the Districts are forced to work, almost as slaves to the Capital. They get little in return, and even worse, every year, they must sacrifice two children to the Hunger Games, a fight to the death. It is then televised in a gaudy, tawdry festival, with the inhabitants of the capital treating it like a reality show, rooting for their favorite contestants, belittling the lives of 24 children with their own lives, family and friends.
It reminds me of the modern reality television show.   Reality T.V. has gotten cruel and abusive. Shows can psychologically abuse and physically abuse the contestants, much like in the Hunger Games, where they use psychological tricks and physical traps to kill off the contestants. Already T.V. shows go pretty far, but what if they took it one step farther? What if they took several steps, to bump up ratings, to stay interesting. With human rights being debated constantly, people have trouble figuring out where to draw the line. Often, science fiction novels are simply taking things a huge step in the direction the author believes that the world is already taking. Unless something is done, things may well go in that direction.