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Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

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Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't freely trade your labor. The market is rigged. If you give people rights, capital will emigrate to other countries. Just look at outsourcing. See, it is human nature that is flawed. There are always people on top and people below.

How so?

Those two words don't convey enough clarity. Assuming good faith and that you are refering to "You can't freely trade your labor. The market is rigged."

Immigration is allowed (both legaly and illegaly) because payment for some activities isn't a honest wage for an honest job. Why? Because the game is rigged. *

Not everybody can apply for venture capital investment. Being white helps. Being male helps. Having the correct background helps. Having a good idea helps. Making a good pitch helps a lot. Why? Because the game is rigged.

Those two generalizations should be enough.

*Why do border exists, again? To keep away the slave labor reserve until it is needed. Why can people from any country trade their labor? Because the game is rigged

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How so?

Those two words don't convey enough clarity. Assuming good faith and that you are refering to "You can't freely trade your labor. The market is rigged." Immigration is allowed (both legaly and illegaly) because payment for some activities isn't a honest wage for an honest job. Why? Because the game is rigged. * Not everybody can apply for venture capital investment. Being white helps. Being male helps. Having the cor…

If you think having a good idea and making a good pitch are part of rigging the game, I'm pretty sure you're not making a good faith argument. But you give it away when you say the only reason borders exist is to keep away slave labor. The UK didn't just split from the EU to keep away slave labor, they split because there was massive discontent with what the government should do. How receptive would Afghanistan be to US culture and government? (a rhetorical question because we know the answer is 'not very') Not everyone believes in the same things or wants the same rules, a core tenant of the US's federated system of government.

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those two words don't convey enough clarity. Assuming good faith and that you are refering to "You can't freely trade your labor. The market is rigged." Immigration is allowed (both legaly and illegaly) because payment for some activities isn't a honest wage for an honest job. Why? Because the game is rigged. * Not everybody can apply for venture capital investment. Being white helps. Being male helps. Having the cor…

If you think having a good idea and making a good pitch are part of rigging the game, I'm pretty sure you're not making a good faith argument. But you give it away when you say the only reason borders exist is to keep away slave labor. The UK didn't just split from the EU to keep away slave labor, they split because there was massive discontent with what the government should do. How receptive would Afghanistan be to…

A good idea helps. A good pitch helps more than a good idea.

For me, a fair game is when players win based on abilities and effort. However, the life game depends less on that than, which is not fair; furthermore, there is no rule manual and rules are rewritten while playing.

I am not picking a fight. If you want to say that poor people get what they deserve, this is an ongoing discussion.

More on borders. You can have catholics, jews and muslims inside the US, without then openly murdering each other. I applaud how they get that done in there. Your take on borders is called Xenophobia ("islamites will be terrorists" take), which is human nature, too.

Edit: for fairness' sake. I do have a perimetral wall around my property. I learned through life that most people can't be helped, but I still think you can help some. I draw my line to allow people a chance to prove their worth, which is still difficult as people around and above us can be racist or have their kin preferred.

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of desperation and lack of options, yes. Then they are shown the horrible nature of it and still decide it's the least bad thing for them.

Lol absolutely not. They participate out of free choice. Its a warning that people could choose to participate in a centralized, communist totalitarian system if they are encouraged to do so. It reminds us of the communist revolutions from the early 1900s and a lot of the leftist rhetoric from today.

> Why did Hwang create a horrifyingly brutal contest that holds human life so cheap? “Because the show is motivated by a simple idea,” he says. “We are fighting for our lives in very unequal circumstances.”

Are you making a profound point about capitalism? “It’s not profound! It’s very simple! I do believe that the overall global economic order is unequal and that around 90% of the people believe that it’s unfair. During the pandemic, poorer countries can’t get their people vaccinated. They’re contracting viruses on the streets and even dying. So I did try to convey a message about modern capitalism. As I said, it’s not profound.”[1]

The director begs to differ.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/oct/26/squid-g...

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speaking only for myself... It's not that I'm wilfully blind to the flaws of the system I live in. It's that the overwhelming majority of people who offer critique offer absolutely nothing in the way of workable solutions. If the public intellectuals who came up with the doughnut economy, teal society, or the Rojavan system were having a talk in my town, I'd be very interested in going. But note that these people act…

I'd love to see more focus on solutions, but there are _huge_ numbers of people who don't (or won't) even recognize that there are problems; and that recognition is step one. The public intellectuals and concepts you mention may be known in your bubble, but they are not popular or talked about. It's insane that with all of our gains in productivity the last hundred years Americans are working two or three jobs just t…

Sadly, I don't think there is a solution to be had (otherwise politics wouldn't a thing). Nature is just simply brutal. I think Hobbe's arguments presented in his "Leviathan" perhaps makes it most apparent, and with a little thought experiment, you can easily see how impossible a meritocracy is, as it totally relies on a unified will for it to work.

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#106
post #68
post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Basically it is a re-branded, re-heated and re-packaged entertainment version of today's rat race. Unfortunately, lots of people are just easily impressed by what influencers are watching or what is 'trending' these days. So they follow the hype squad around; like sheep. It is great for Netflix's business since they have a successful hit, but count me out of the hype squad; since I simply cut through the hype.

No, it is not. It is objectively good. Tons of people have tried to make films like that and have failed. It's not a matter of rehashing the same old ideas and hopefully the writer hits the lottery and can enjoy never ending days on the beach.

> No, it is not. It is objectively good.

What is so objective about an opinion?

> Tons of people have tried to make films like that and have failed.

So Black Mirror has 'failed' successfully. /s

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#107
post #17

I enjoyed squid game, but it bugs me that everyone says it's a critique of capitalism. They're literally participating in a centrally planned system.

Just read the interview with the author: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/oct/26/squid-g...

It is 100% a critique on capitalism and he states it clearly.

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lol absolutely not. They participate out of free choice. Its a warning that people could choose to participate in a centralized, communist totalitarian system if they are encouraged to do so. It reminds us of the communist revolutions from the early 1900s and a lot of the leftist rhetoric from today.

> Why did Hwang create a horrifyingly brutal contest that holds human life so cheap? “Because the show is motivated by a simple idea,” he says. “We are fighting for our lives in very unequal circumstances.” Are you making a profound point about capitalism? “It’s not profound! It’s very simple! I do believe that the overall global economic order is unequal and that around 90% of the people believe that it’s unfair. Du…

It's unfortunate that these sort of meditations on "capitalism" are without any sort of recognition of interest rate intervention policy. It's the very mechanic by which the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#109
post #97
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Many people suggest the merit is all that's needed, and that's not true, you need both. Honest insightful and successful people recognise how important opportunity was in their success, and when the world is viewed with this perspective you realise meritocracy is not enough The whole point of meritocracy is to give opportunity to those with talent. If you think that is what we need to do, then you are pro meritocra…

The whole point of meritocracy is to give opportunity to those with talent. If you think that is what we need to do, then you are pro meritocracy, that is its main strength. The opposite of meritocracy is nepotism where opportunity goes to the friends and family of those in power. If you have two world class mathematicians as parents with connections to a network of the world greatest mathematicians, then chance are…

Even accepting that there's no moral difference between those scenarios of "parents mattering" (which I do not, but that is a separate argument), in one system someone becoming say a doctor depends more on their parents giving them an "IQ gene", instilling good work habits, and giving them access to good medical education. In the other, non-meritocratic system, it depends more on parents having power and connections. One of these still produces outcomes that are way better.

Re: Sorry, but you're already living in the “Squid Game”

#110
post #99
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also not afraid to have protagonists of questionable character. Northern Asian media at least understands that people aren't perfect and crafts excellent stories of growth at the hands of a self-inflicted struggle. Western media is full of level-headed, mild-mannered, sharp, witty, moral paragons of protagonists with motives that are practically announced from loudspeakers.

Northern Asian media OT, but I have never heard of South Korea described as "North Asia". Is that a common thing? Just looking at a map it is clearly way to the south.

South Korea is always considered as part of "northeast asia" region along with Japan, China, HK/Macau and Taiwan. If you work in MNC with presence in that region, NEasia is common designation in their sales meeting.
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