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These Are the 4 Things It Takes to Win in ‘Squid Game’
Netflix’s latest hit reveals the keys to escaping the lowest layer of capitalist hell.
Netflix’s latest bloody Korean drama has taken over the internet in recent weeks to quickly become one its most successful shows to date. Gory and gratuitous, the show — in the words of Vox writer Aja Romano — “use[es] its themes and characters to navigate the impact of capitalism on modern society.”
This roughly translates to hours of watching destitute individuals young and old play children’s games to the death in an effort to claw their way out of an array of shitty, capitalism-induced circumstances — all for the entertainment of wealthy elites.
Here’s what Squid Game has to teach us about “winning” our way out of capitalist hell.
Spoilers ahead.
1. Poverty-fueled desperation.
It goes without saying that poverty is a prerequisite for all those unfortunate enough to be involved in the game. All the players are in socioeconomic circumstances that are defined by their desperation to make money.
Our protagonist Gi-Hun is drowning in debt from failed business endeavors and on the brink of facing dismemberment by loan sharks. Migrant worker…
