[The Second Take] The Shadow of Democracy Revealed by 'Squid Game'

Structural Violence and Oppression Prevail Under "Democratic Procedures"
The Marginalized Are So Alienated They Become Entertainment
Deliberative Democracy Based on Information and Discussion Is Needed

Netflix's 'Squid Game' Seasons 2 and 3 are not just simple survival dramas. They are sharp allegories about procedural democracy. Scenes where participants decide matters of life and death by voting closely resemble the reality we experience.

Netflix 'Squid Game' Still Cut

Even now, throughout Korean society, structural violence and oppression occur under the name of 'democratic procedures.' Although the process appears democratic on the surface, in reality, there is no real choice. This is similar to 'Squid Game,' where participants vote on whether to join the game or whom to eliminate. It cannot be said that genuine free will is being exercised. It is merely a forced choice for survival.

The more democratic the procedures and methods appear, the more internal violence is justified. The justification of the 'will of the majority' intensifies attacks on minorities. As philosopher John Stuart Mill said, majority rule cannot be the standard of morality. This is especially true when decisions disregard the right to life, dignity, or rights.

However, in Korean society, the marginalized are so alienated that they are consumed as entertainment. People facing economic hardship are featured in reality programs, and their suffering is used as material for donation campaigns and similar content. Personal failures or setbacks are often used as the backdrop for success stories. The commodification of human beings, which should only occur at the extreme of capitalism, is rampant.

Netflix 'Squid Game' Still Cut

In 'Squid Game,' those who watch this spectacle are the VIPs. While participants perceive each other as enemies and become absorbed in a zero-sum game, the VIPs, masked and hidden, safely enjoy the game from behind the scenes.

The reality is no different. The young and the middle-aged, regular and non-regular workers, people in the Seoul metropolitan area and those in the provinces, are in constant conflict. Meanwhile, those in power who set the stage turn a blind eye, as if watching a fire across the river. When criticism arises, they replace ethical reflection with institutional procedures. Public officials invoke the law, corporations cite market logic, and the media rely on public opinion to justify injustice. All become mere components of the system and abandon moral judgment.

In a society where unethical rationalization has taken root, its members find it difficult to feel moral responsibility. The formation of a collectivist culture paralyzes individual judgment. Only empty rhetoric remains: the logic that 'everyone does it,' the justification of serving the organization, and the persuasion that one must see the bigger picture.

Netflix 'Squid Game' still cut

To escape this trap, above all, substantial participation that goes beyond formal procedures must be guaranteed. Deliberative democracy, based on sufficient information and discussion rather than simple voting, is necessary. Mechanisms to protect the rights of minorities should be strengthened to prevent the tyranny of the majority, and systems should be established to systematically teach the difference between rights and public opinion, the limits of majority rule, and the internalization of ethics.

Individual effort is also important. Each person should reflect on whether they have ever avoided moral judgment by hiding behind procedures or attacked minorities by being swept up in majority rule. Democracy is an attitude before it is an institution, and ethics before it is a matter of numbers. That is why it is important to remember: the enemy of democracy is not the dictator, but indifference; and the enemy of freedom is not the oppressor, but resignation.