Squid Game character 001, 일남, is a name based on one of the director’s friends. It could have many interpretations. The character “일” could mean Sun, Day, or even One. And “남” can mean both Man, Boy, and also Other. So there’s a ton of reads there and more.
Throughout the competitions, the boss himself cannot even win by the rules of his own games. He has to cheat. The games are rigged so that 001 gets through whether or not he actually wins by the parameters of the game. This is how oppression works.
Capitalism is a rigged system. Oppression is a rigged system. It does not play by any rules that can be deemed fair, by definition, because it is a system that was created to benefit the oppressor. When a system is already built to benefit a specific group, it makes cheaters of everyone. Capitalism makes cheaters of everyone who participates, and that is all of us, whether we like it or not.
Capitalism shows you nothing is ever enough. You are not enough, your work is not enough, wealth is not enough. You will never reach an end with capitalism.
In Korea, we use the word VVIP often, to refer to the VIPs of even the VIPs, because there is always someone more important than you. Nothing will ever be enough for capitalism because it holds insatiable expectations, there is no goal.
Even the world’s wealthiest are trapped in an endless pit because capitalism does not care who wins, it only cares that people are competing, and keeping, the system alive.
There is are no winners in capitalism, except for capitalism itself.
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