Money Lessons to Takeaway from Squid Game
I’m a lady who doesn’t play with her money. That being said, I couldn’t let Squid Game come and go and not let you all in on the underlying money lessons and theories this new Netflix gem had me thinking about.
Caution: There are Major Spoilers in this blog post.
If you’ve been too busy being a star and living under a rock, the characters in Squid Game are destitute for money and need to fight to the death in order to receive it... Literally. There are 456 players who are all in severe financial despair and in dire need for money. They end up playing a series of deadly children’s games in order to win a total of 45.6 billion Won = 38 million U.S. dollars. $38,000,000! Can you imagine winning all that money and transforming your life into whatever you desire it to be plus more… if you survive the system.
Let’s begin, shall we
Money comes with a cost. Money can cost you your family and sense of well being. It’s life changing and for that reason, people need to establish what money is actually worth and what they’re willing to give up for it. Because yeah, it’s all fun and games, but it’s all fun and games until someone gets shot. Now you’re stuck in a predicament, bewildered and wondering if this was worth it.
As fast as money comes, it goes. Seong Gi-Hun, the protagonist, is an excessive gambler. He gets money and then poof, in an instant all his money is gone. He could have saved it and used it as a way to get custody of his daughter or could have used it for something good like helping out his mother with whom he lives with. Instead, as soon as Gi-Hun wins some money, it’s gone to the hands of his debtors.
Reflective of life and society. In Squid Game, the people of higher power wore red and the contestants wore green. The rich wore masks and saw the desperate contestants as their form of entertainment. Some people don’t realize that we’re all a part of a game. Well, a system. It’s important to be aware of where you are in life and to not be manipulated by the system. You have to be on your toes and finances need to be in tact. This world comes with The Have’s and the Have Nots. Haves play big because they can afford to do so.
It’s a bit yucky to say and think about, but having money in today’s world, can impact how you perceive yourself as well as how other’s perceive you. Gi-Hun is down on his luck with money and the respect people once had for him has diminished. He is now divorced, living in his mama’s home, and gambling in the streets. His ex-wife is over it. His mama is saddened by his behaviors, but wants the best for him. His daughter loves him dearly but she knows her father is in some type of mess. How he got there, we don’t know. Often people hit an all time low and find it difficult to pull themselves out of that rut, resulting in a lower self esteem. It’s important to be able to reevaluate your goals, and figure out how to pull yourself together.
Have a game plan. While playing tug of war, Gi-Hun’s team consisted of ten people. There were 6 men, an elderly man, and 3 women. The opposing team had 10 men. The odds are looking bleak for Gi-Hun. After receiving wise advice from the elderly man on how to win this game, Gi-Hun’s team succeeded. They were not the strongest, but they had a strategy.
When it comes to our finances, we need to have a strategy. I know many people who are looked at as the family go-to person for money. They have siblings relying on them, home payments, and student tuition. These people have a financial strategy, and they make it work. I know others that have wealth bestowed onto them. They can get by a bit easier, but they aren’t financially independent. Having a smart financial strategy will benefit you in the long run.
Just because someone doesn’t have much money, doesn’t mean they aren’t capable and smart. Player 212, Han Mi-Nyeo, is a true gangster. Before one of the challenges, Nyeo attempts to convince other player’s to accept her as a teammate. They judge her and think she’s quite annoying. She mentions how she’s very smart, but didn’t get a chance to study. In life, there are poor people who are wise, talented, and very clever.
The issue lies in that they aren’t wealthy and therefore not well educated. Some people can afford to pay student tuitions and go to top tier schools. Other’s don’t get that chance to obtain that type of education to further develop their lives, make it in society, and beat the system.
Don’t get fooled by how people present their lives on social media! Gi-hun ends up in a savage brawl against his childhood friend, Cho Sang-Woo. Woo is known around the neighborhood as a high achiever. He went to a good school abroad, and gets to travel. He’s very important around town and his mother speaks oh so highly of him. Yet, here he is, in the middle of no where, playing some games, and fighting for his life to win some cash. So keep in mind that everything may look good on the gram, but you don’t know how that person is truly living financially and if they’re doing okay.
Tomorrow is not promised. Gi-Hun enters the game and has to leave his loved ones behind for a while. They don’t know where he has disappeared too. He went to play the game in order to win money to help his mom with her sickness and win custody of his daughter. When he finally wins and returns home, his mom is dead and his daughter has moved out of the country with her mother and new step father. How heart breaking is that?! It’s easy to get caught up in hustling for the money and seeing our bank accounts slowly grow. I know this because I’m like this. It’s the hustler mentality within. It’s important to be careful because sometimes the things you want are gone by the time the money gets to you and now you’re facing other situations in return. It’s important to also enjoy now while you have it because tomorrow isn’t promised.
I could go on about Squid Game for a while. It was a lovely series filled with great life and money lessons, but also amazing characters, relationships, and acting (a post for another time!). I believe this show really resonates with us, because we feel this way in our daily lives. There’s a weird thought that people can easily make good money decisions in any predicament they’re in. People are seen as logical and rational, but that isn’t the case. The study of behavioral economics backs this notion up. We’re survivors. We might be domesticated, but we’re animals and wild at heart. When you put a human-being in a desperate situation, you never know what the outcome will be.
Barrier breaking, mind provoking, entertaining, and perfect: Hwang Dong-hyuk really did that!
Xoxo,
Shanae.
