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The real villains of Squid Game are the ones who created the games, the ones who forced desperate people into a brutal competition for the amusement of the rich.
The players were victims.
But the people in charge of the games don't see the players as victims. They don't even see them as people. To them, the players were proof that when pushed to the edge, people will turn on each other. And too often, the VIPs seem to be proven right.
That belief is often compared to crab mentality, the idea that when crabs are trapped in a bucket, they pull each other down as they try to escape, ensuring that none make it out. And often, people use this as proof that humans are naturally selfish.
But, thing is, racbs aren't supposed to be in buckets. When crabs are in a place that is safe for them, they can co-exist. The only reason they claw at each other is because they are trapped and they're desperate to get out. And the reason why they're trapped is because someone put them there in the first place.
And the same is true for people who are trapped in a system designed to keep them down.
The real problem is the system built by those in power, the ones that force the powerless to fight for survival while the rich sit back and watch.
When resources are scarce, when opportunities are limited, and when survival feels like a competition, people will do what it takes to be able to get by.
But that isn't proof of selfishness or betrayal.
It is proof of desperation.
It's proof of a world where those at the top create conditions that make people believe they have no choice but to fight one another.
Instead of blaming those trying to fight this, the blame should be placed on those who create and uphold a system where survival feels like a zero sum game, where only a few are allowed to win while everyone else is left to struggle.