Squid Game: What the Philippines Reveals About It

I jumped late into the Squid Game bandwagon because I do not want to fill my mind with more negativity by watching a dystopian TV show. I finally gave in a few days ago. Curiosity got the best of me because the series is such a worldwide hit that it has been green-lighted for Season 2.

As an occupational therapist (OT), I DO NOT recommend Squid Game to people with neurologic and cardiovascular diseases because it’s absolutely TERRIFYING. No one should risk getting a heart attack or a seizure by watching it, especially if it might turn out to be anti-capitalist propaganda.

Nevertheless, Squid Game’s 1st season is brilliant! More importantly, it has valid criticisms about capitalism while being on-point in its exposition about the horrors of collectivist ideologies.

The “Squid Game” of Overseas Filipino Workers

Many commentators say that the competition in Squid Game is a metaphor for the cutthroat competition in capitalist societies. Some aspects of it certainly have similarities with what people in liberal democracies experience, like here in the Philippines. Many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), my parents included, have risked their lives to work abroad just to provide for their families. Many of them are treated like slaves, even if they hold white collar jobs such as being teachers in prosperous countries that Filipinos romanticize.

It’s far worse for OFWs living under authoritarian rule. Some Filipinos had their passports taken away from them so they couldn’t return to the Philippines. Many were subjected to domestic violence. Some were raped. And some were executed. All because they wanted to feed their families.

Being a Capitalist

So I understand why a lot of people consider the competition in the Squid Game world to be a metaphor for capitalist countries. Still, I don’t agree that the game should be used to portray capitalism per se. Capitalism is simply the voluntary creation and exchange of goods and services. It does not primarily aim to make people equal.

In fact, inequalities are inevitable under capitalism because some people will get more incentives if more patrons are willing to pay for what they offer. Besides, some will start off with certain advantages such as having superior innate abilities or being born into wealthy families. People with better work ethic, lots of connections, as well as the ability to discern their clients’ latent desires will most likely advance more than the others.

There are consequently many games that you can play under capitalism. There are also different kinds of prizes. Moreover, you choose the games you play, how you play them, and when to exit from them based on your individual traits without counting on the majority vote. You can be a vlogger, an actor, an engineer, a waiter, a janitor, a scientist, an entrepreneur — and you can switch careers too. You can even have more than one job! You have to bear the consequences of your choices though.

On the other hand, the Front Man pointed out more than once that the death competition in Squid Game aims to make people equal. It does so by stripping people of their individuality as symbolized by the guards’ masks and the contestants’ uniforms. Moreover, everyone is identified using the shapes or numbers assigned to them instead of their real names. They even have to eat the same rationed food as well as sleep in the same quarters.

Most importantly, they all have to play the same games that the VIPs want them to play. The guards will kill them if they refuse. The only way that an individual can exit the games is if the collective wants to end the competition. The death game in Squid Game should therefore be a metaphor for communism in North Korea and in Maoist China.

A South Korean Communist?

On the other hand, South Korea in Squid Game represents capitalism. South Korean capitalist society, just like other liberal democracies, is deeply flawed as portrayed in the series and in real life. The rising household debt is driving people to despair, to the point that many will take drastic measures to survive. Loyalty to one’s company isn’t always rewarded. Moreover, even Koreans say that many foreigners still experience discrimination in their country.

That’s because no economic system can solve all of our problems. Still, it doesn’t mean that South Korea is terrible like North Korea! I’m sure Squid Game creator’s Hwang Dong-hyuk knows that, being a graduate of Seoul National University. I’m inclined to think that he’s at least smart enough to not generalize all capitalists and Trump supporters to be heartless morons, even if he did bash Donald Trump.

I support government officials when they advocate for pro-market policies. It doesn’t mean that I blindly follow them. It is valid to vote for politicians if their platforms will make the world more conducive for entrepreneurship despite their messy personal lives. Doing so doesn’t make me stupid. I’ll stop supporting them anyway if a better candidate comes along. I will elaborate more on my reasons in Part 2 of this series.

Besides, Squid Game’s critique of capitalism is not necessarily a promotion of communism. I don’t think the series will go that route — and my hunch has something to do with Player 101’s trip to the Philippines.

(Photo by Vadim Bogulov)