How Squid Game exposes the backwardness of capitalism
Within our society it seems as if we always talk about the successful and the wealthy people in capitalism. Far and few they actually come; what about everyone else? Why do we find it okay to talk about those who become rich in capitalism but never want or find it necessary to mention the vast majority who are not so lucky? The new Korean TV series, Squid Game, highlights those who suffer the most in our overtly wretched society.
Most of the time when working class people run out of money, they are forced to take out loans or skip payments in order to survive. Whether it be for medical expenses, rent, or even having the nerve to go and seek a higher education. It is not a secret that many of those in the working class have to go into debt if they want to make it through life or try and better their circumstances. In the show, Squid Game, the rich prey on those who are most in debt and persuade them to sacrifice their lives by playing various games in order to wipe their debt and escape misery. Most of the players participating are working class individuals who have families and real struggles in their everyday lives.
One player, Ali, is an immigrant to South Korea from Pakistan. He brought his wife and kid to the capitalist nation seeking a better opportunity at having a decent life. Capitalism is ever-expanding and uses at-will-employment as one of its key mechanisms of employing workers. Immigrants are critical aspects of capitalism since companies can fire employees whenever they want and always need new workers to replace old ones. In essence, workers are dispensable cogs in a machine. Not to mention, another fundamental characteristic of capitalism is the exploitation of workers’ value of their labor. Thus, many in the working class will go to any extreme so they can better their situation since they are never able to actually “reap what they sow.” In the case of immigrants, people are willing to take a substantial risk and leave their homeland for better opportunities. In the show, Ali works at a Korean factory where his boss withholds payments to him, thus driving him to partake in the Squid Game. This highlights how immigrants’ labor is used against them for only capitalists’ gain.
Capitalism drains the life out of people due to the demand for infinite growth. In a system where greed for money and capital is the main motivating factor, it is no coincidence that the worst is brought out of people. Capitalism is a backwards system that can best be described by the phrase “dog eat dog”. In the system of capitalism, inequality is necessary for it to be successful. Therefore, if you are lucky enough to have money and resources you will succeed; if not, you will inevitably suffer. Human beings are driven to vulnerable and powerless positions such as homelessness or starvation because of lack of resources. When people are put in these conditions, they are forced to ignore their moral compass and will do anything to take back their resources or power.
In Squid Game, one character in particular that shows off the dark side of humanity under capitalism is Jang Deok-Su. Introduced as a gangster in gambling debt to other gangsters, he is the contestant that will fabricate and kill his way to victory. While most everyone else is okay with just playing the games to figure out who wins. No matter how someone dies, whether it be in an actual game or while they are sleeping, their death adds to the total amount of prize money. When this was discovered by the contestants, Jang led a night-time riot, to murder as many people as possible. The portrayal of his character in the show can be a direct analogy of real-life struggles under capitalism. It should be common knowledge that the number-one cause of crime is poverty. When people have nothing and can’t get anything without violence that is exactly what they will resort to.
As capitalism emerged out of feudalism it brought the patriarchal nuclear family along with it. The type of family we see today grew out of the invention of private property and private wealth. As Friedrich Engels put it in Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, “The first class opposition that appears in history coincides with the development of the antagonism between man and woman in monogamous marriage, and the first class oppression coincides with that of the female sex by the male”. As men were able to subjugate women, they married to pass on their private property and wealth to their sons. Thus, the nuclear family materialized. This family type we can observe is one where there is no extended family just parents and children. The nuclear family under capitalism is one of the basic units of society that helps to uphold the system. Capitalism has turned family life into one of consumption where money can easily make or break a family.
In Squid Game, this family dynamic is demonstrated a couple of times. The main character, Seong Gi-Hun, has multiple family issues when it comes to money. His mother is a type 2 diabetic who struggles to pay her medical bills and Seong has no way to support her financially. At one point she desperately needs medical attention but decides not to get any as her only choices were either paying medical bills or paying rent. Seong also has a gambling problem and has blown a lot of money away. He also accrued multiple loans that he simply will never be able to pay back. The issue of debt weighs heavily on him and his family. It was the main driver behind his divorce. Not to mention the fact he cannot even afford a birthday present for his daughter. Unfortunately, under capitalism everything is relegated to a money-relation, even the family.
One of the most startling comparisons that can be made from Squid Game is how similar it resembles the military. Especially in the United States, the military is used to target poor and BIPOC students. Our military recruits 24/7 in high schools, on college campuses, and especially through television and internet advertising. When they do this, they offer incentives like free college, sign-on bonuses, or room and board. Ultimately, they offer a way out for many struggling kids. Their targets are not the rich kids who have their life set; their targets those who have it the worst. It is literally a system of blood for money. We have our young kill and loot in other nations for the rich’s benefit and the poor’s demise. In Squid Game it is no different, they recruit the poor and desperate to play a bloody game for the rich’s entertainment at the poor’s expense (except for one extraordinarily lucky winner).
The biggest show of the year has reminded the world of the evil system we live under. While it is bloody and hard to watch at times, it is an accurate critique of capitalism and its consequences. Whether it be relegating the family to mere money and property relations, forcing people to immigrate hoping to live a better life, bringing the worst out in human beings, or forcing us to become hired assassins, our system is wretched and must be overthrown and replaced with something focused on the needs of us all.
References:
Hwang, Dong-Hyuk. (2021). Squid Game. Season One. Television Series.
Engels, Friedrich. (1884). The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State.