Written by Daanysh Habiel & Jillian Metta Lau
Imagine a dystopian world where people in debt are made to play a series of games for large sums of money all while their lives depend on it? Although that idea might seem far-fetched and unrealistic, Netflix’s newest & most popular original series, Squid Game, helps us confront the realities of society.
As we delve into the societal issues that Netflix’s Squid Game presents, we soon realise that the themes presented in the show are much more realistic than we think.
The show introduces us to dynamic characters– all with their own special reason for needing the money: an estranged father who only wants to be a role-model for his daughter; a son who would rather die than disappoint his elderly mother; a daughter who just wants to reunite her family and a mistreated immigrant worker who was taken advantage of by his boss in Korea.
They find themselves participating in the Squid Game– a game where its contestants are subjected to play a series of playground games in which the losers are eliminated – and summarily killed. For every person who loses, the more money the winner stands to get.
Let’s take a look at some of life’s lessons, as shown in Squid Games.
(SPOILER ALERT! PROCEED ONLY IF YOU HAVE WATCHED THE SHOW)
LIFE LESSON #1: SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
From episode one, the idea of crippling debt was introduced– all the players were led to the game because they owed copious amounts of money to people.
Squid Game highlights the agony of being in crushing debt. One of the main characters, Seong Gi-Hun, became addicted to gambling after being retrenched from his job at a motor company. A subsequent failed business venture ushered the start of his debt problems. This is commonplace in today’s society– people often land in debt after funding their basic needs like education and housing. It is especially so due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where many people all over the world find it hard to make ends meet.
The show itself is set in South Korea, and highlights the realities of the debt crisis there. According to this 2021 article by The Guardian, the household debt in South Korea is now equal to more than 100% of GDP, the highest in Asia. Not only does debt pile on top of the citizens of South Korea, it is also becoming increasingly difficult to find a job, the unemployment rate having increased to 3.94% in 2020 from 3.78% in 2019, which further stacks the odds against them.
LIFE LESSON #2: FAIRNESS IN DEMOCRACIES
The show also tackles the importance of fairness in a democracy. In the second episode, after the first game, the players were given the option to vote to stay or leave in the game, with the majority voting for the latter. The game masters respected their decisions, and held their end of the bargain.
Thereafter, in episode five, Yoo Sung-Joo, a doctor, conspired with a few of the guards to harvest organs from the losing players in exchange for the information of the next game. After their scheme was revealed to the game’s organisers, they were punished for their nefarious scheme.
When the rest of the players were made aware of it, the game masters announced that “Here (the game) you are all equal, with equal opportunity and no discrimination”. It is clear that no one is more privileged than another in the game, all players were to be given the same chance of survival and that idea being tested clearly sat wrongly with the gamemasters.
Under the game’s totalitarian guise, lies a “pure” democracy built on egalitarian beliefs. Even in this distant, seemingly storybook, anti-utopia, the principle that everybody would be treated fairly and equally is respected.
Unfortunately, this is a drastic contrast to the real world. Today, much can be said about flawed democracies like Brazil, where people speak up against their governments who, unfortunately, do not listen or care. In October 2021, protestors took to the streets to protest for the impeachment of their president, Jair Bolsonaro. Even though his ratings have plummeted to new lows and citizens are actively calling for him to step down, he still sits as the leader of Brazil.
Squid Game emphasizes the significance of fairness in a democracy– fairness that must be upheld by both the citizens and its government.
LIFE LESSON #3: ABUSING FREEDOM OF CHOICE
The third episode of the show features the now internet famous dalgona game. In this game, all players are given the autonomy to choose the shape stamped onto their dalgona. Although players’ decisions were supposed to be made without any outside influences, players Cho Sang Woo, Han Minyeo, Kang Sae-Byeok and Yoo Sung-Joo had instead chosen to play dirty.
In many ways, this episode alludes to how some individuals in the real world abuse their freedom of choice. More specifically, all individuals have the ability to choose their own fates. Under any circumstance, people can choose to make moral or immoral decisions; to be fair or take shortcuts.
A real life example: Elizabeth Holmes– In the early 2010s, she rose to fortune when she tricked people into believing that she had made a breakthrough in medical technology. Before the jig was up, she had managed to scam investors an estimated $9 billion. When the truth was later uncovered, it was discovered that the technology had never actually existed.
To this day, she is still fighting for her innocence– just having fought another trial where she was charged with 11 counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Squid Game highlights the fact that, because of this freedom of choice, there are always going to people who abuse this freedom.
LIFE LESSON #4: GENDER INEQUALITY ISSUES
The fourth episode features another common game known amongst everyone, tug-of-war. In this game, the players were required to form teams of 10 people before the start of the game. Players who could not form a team by the end of the time limit were eliminated. As such, players were scrambling to find a team. However, Yoo Sung-Joo, the abovementioned doctor, was told beforehand what the game was about. This allowed him to form a team of 10 men who were strong, which put them at an advantage.
This episode shines a light on gender inequality issues that society faces which can be seen when the men saw the women as ‘weak’, and chose to not have them on their team. Cho Sang-Woo also said, “We already have an elderly man and a woman, we need to find more men”. This insinuates that women are not as strong as men. While physically it can be true, when analysed further, this scene explores the gender inequality issues that society faces.
Research from Our World in Data shows one significant real life example of this – the gender pay gap between men and women. In most countries, there is a substantial gender pay gap. In the context of South Korea, 33.59% of women earn less than men. While Squid Game might have portrayed this issue in the context of physical strength, the underlying issue of gender inequality is still present and it is clear that this is in fact an issue that can be found in every aspect of our daily lives.
LIFE LESSON #5: KINDNESS CAN BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED
The sixth episode took an unexpected turn when remaining players were required to form pairs for the next game. The catch of this game was that the pairs were pitted to play against one another. Unbeknownst to them, they chose the people whom they trusted the most with the expectation of working together, not against each other.
In this episode, Cho Sang-Woo and Ali, the foreigner who came to South Korea to earn a living, paired up with one another. Throughout the entirety of the series, Ali was portrayed as a kind-hearted and selfless man, while Cho Sang-Woo was portrayed as someone who was smart and could be depended on. When the pair found out that they had to play against each other, they were conflicted as they knew that only one of them could survive. Ali held onto hope and believed that both of them could survive at the end of the game. Unfortunately, that was not the case and Ali was betrayed in the end.
Squid Game highlights the cruel nature of the world. It shows that no matter how much trust you have towards someone, at the end of the day, you only have yourself. Ali was kind-hearted while Sang-Woo had the “him or me” mindset. Squid Game magnifies this by making it a life or death situation. The betrayal of Ali brought an uproar from the fans and this reaction by the audience shows that people do value kind-heartedness and goodness.
LIFE LESSON #6: THE RICH EXPLOITING THE POOR
The seventh episode of the show introduces a huge twist; the VIPs. At this point of the show, we are introduced to the fact that the Squid Game is a form of entertainment for the rich. In this episode, the players were required to walk across a bridge made out of glass. There were two different paths. Each path was made out of either tempered glass, which could hold up to two people, or regular glass, which could not hold a person. One wrong step, and the players would plummet to their demise.
This episode highlights the issue of exploitation. The VIPs, who represent the rich, were watching the players fall to their deaths while betting on who would survive. Though it may seem extreme, this alludes to issues such as labour exploitation at work. According to Firstpost, in the context of South Korea, Asian migrant workers earn the minimum legal wage (US$ 1300-1600 per month) while working 10 to 15 hours a day. In China, migrant workers earn similarly low wages, with statistics showing that the average migrant worker earned around 4072 yuan (roughly US$637 USD) per month. Squid Game underscores the exploitation of the poor, by the rich, to greater effect – the VIPs are not just profiting off the labour of the poor, but also their deaths.
CONCLUSION
Throughout the game, the audience are kept at the edge of their seats watching the characters decide what paths they wish to go down or what strategies they choose to use to win the game. Although subtle, Squid Game highlights many recurring issues that not only South Korea faces, but the whole world. Amid the shocking violent aesthetic that the show portrays, issues such as exploitation, abuse of freedom of choice, gender inequality, and crippling debt were all subtly talked about and they are very realistic issues that many people throughout the world face.
