The original post: /r/television by /u/Paul_Semicolon1 on 2024-12-26 07:05:00.

If you are a fan of Squid Games too (like me), you would know why it resonated with so many people.

The age-old concept of what greed does to human beings, the thrill of watching people play games and seeing reflections of some of us on screen as they go through their miserable lives in the hope of a miracle; made the show special.

Squid Games critiqued South Korea’s immense debt problem. It resonated with students in the US who are slumbered by their education loans. People in Canada with consumer loans crossing $2 trillion got a reality check watching the first season.

The season asked a straightforward question:

Can you stay working long enough to pay off the debts you need to take on to stay in work in the first place?

Credit promises us future freedom — with credit, one can buy anything, whatever we might lack, and by making that purchase we buy a better kind of life.

  • You buy your house, car and iPhone on EMIs

  • Avail personal loans whenever you deem fit/feel the need

  • Use apps that provide easy loans only to charge you an interest bomb later

  • You opt for an MBA that costs Rs. 50 lakh, only to earn even higher salaries

The aspirations are built on the back of debt and EMIs; the true heroes of a capitalistic society.

The first season dropped quietly on Netflix and became a sensation without putting billions of dollars into promotion and marketing.

The new season has turned the show successfully into a capitalistic product for consumption, the very idea that the series critiqued in the first season with its incessant corporatization.