Squid Game - a question

I would like the honest opinions of those who have watched Squid Game. Honesty is appreciated; the careful choosing of words to avoid vulgarity, swearing or inappropriate use of language more so. This is potentially controversial so I am asking again, please avoid going on a rant when answering.

I found this article and would like to read what you have to say:

https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/10/27/why-some-korean-women-are-boycotting-squid-game?fbclid=IwAR12ehyIHbak12h9quXMTXGnjTj1L2vxHaX_Unsa7uZcmdvzELM6PICRkaU&sf153537067=1

I didn't see anything in the article about censoring vulgarity? In my opinion, Squid Game is neither extremely feminist nor extremely misogynistic. There were a few points in the article that I disagreed with.

First: "Mi-nyeo’s sexual bartering — and her subsequent quest for revenge after Deok-su’s betrayal — is treated as the central feature of her storyline, even leading to her own death, while largely ignoring her background of being a poor single mother (if Mi-Nyeo’s claim about her yet-to-be-named baby is to be taken as truth and not simply a ploy for sympathy)." I think this fails to acknowledge the fact that after Deok-Su betrayed her and essentially tried to have her killed, Mi-Nyeo took back control, made a conscious choice that sealed both of their fates, and got her revenge. I also think it would've been more cliche / stereotypical / misogynistic to focus on her being a mother, and I don't think the baby claim was real anyway. Her line "I'm very smart, I just never had the chance to study." also highlights one of the key themes of the whole drama.

Second "...when a guard of the game mentions gang-raping the corpse of an eliminated female player — after which point, this horrifying detail is never addressed again." That guard was extrajudicially murdered by a cop seconds after revealing those actions, the narrative portrays the cop as justified in doing so, and the illegal organ harvesting the guard participated in is also never mentioned again. 

The article also criticizes the drama for focusing on the main male character and relegating women to play minor roles to support men's suffering and stories. But Ji-Yeong's character exists to support Sae-Byeok's suffering and story, and we get Sae-Byeok's backstory. Ji-Yeong's sacrifice foreshadows Sang-Woo's sacrifice, so it also wouldn't be accurate to say that only female characters sacrificed themselves. 

Also "Some specific points of concern... include the naked women painted and used as VIP room props..." The inclusion of those women is intended to make the VIPs look ridiculously obscene and over-the-top, and to highlight how they don't view people "below" them in society as human. The players are like racehorses, the painted women are decorative living statues, and the masked male servants are readily available sexual play things. The de-humanization isn't limited to women and is another key theme of the drama.

One valid point the article raises is that there is an "apparent absence of women from positions of power". The VIPs, the Front Man, the mastermind behind the games, and Jun-ho (if you consider his role as holding a position of power) are all men. That said, the drama is the opposite of idealistic. It portrays the worst parts of a hyper-capitalist society. If there aren't a lot of women in positions of power in the real version of that society, it makes sense that a drama criticizing and holding a magnifying glass up to that flawed society wouldn't include roles where women have power. You could draw a similar observation about the positions of the rich, white foreigner VIPs vs. Ali's position as a poor, dark-skinned foreigner. And although they don't hold positions of power, Sae-Byeok and Ali are both given significant screen time, back stories, and moments where they are portrayed as strong or virtuous. I was cheering for both of them more than the main character.

Edit: I should add that I don't take issue with anyone choosing not to watch it. I just didn't find myself having the same issues with the content that were raised in the article.

 newbiefan:

AH, there was no mention of censorship, it was me asking for the replies to my question to be respectful.

That makes sense. Thanks for clarifying.

 newbiefan:

Is my understanding of what you are both saying correct? It is a drama that holds a mirror up to society, it does not glorify anyone's actions?

The concept is somewhat exaggerated (somewhere in between reality and the Hunger Games in the style of Parasite) but the purpose of the drama is to critique a very unequal society.

As to whether there's glorification, I'd say that although there are scenes where upbeat classical music is played over quite brutal and graphic violence, the result isn't glorification of that violence. Plus, ultimately the winner of the games is someone who never succumbs to the temptation to use violence against the other players except in self-defence (although of course he does trick and betray Oh Il-Nam in the marbles game) and the narrative rewards him for it. 

The existence of the games is not glorified, the violence used by the guards to enforce the rules of the games and secretly used for criminal purposes in parallel to the games is certainly not glorified, the violence that many of the players resort to in the games is not glorified, and winning the games is not glorified. The cop I mentioned above occasionally uses violence. The narrative tends to give him a pass for it and probably made a lot of viewers cheer for him, but still wouldn't say the story glorifies that violence. 

 newbiefan:

This is what is happening in our world today?

According to statista, the household debt-to-income ratio among South Korean households was 190.6 % in 2019. Which is insanely high and completely unsustainable. That number means that a lot of people in South Korea are drowning in debt that they will never be able to afford to pay back. 

The main character's back story (participating in a strike at the auto company he worked for) is based on real events that occurred in Korea. The other main character's back stories (e.g., a north korean defector who didn't receive adequate support from public services and who was pulled into criminal activities to get by, an undocumented foreign worker whose boss refused to pay him and who couldn't go to the authorities for help, etc.) are also based in reality. 

 newbiefan:

Thank you AH, I appreciate your reply. Thank you for the time and effort you put into it. Thank you.

You're welcome :)