Thread by @bobyandika

I finally got round to watching Parasite. Had some thoughts on the movie's message-- so fair warning, spoiler alert!
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It's quite obvious that it is a critique on the state of our society, under the firm grip of capitalism. Its manifestation is very ugly but subtle.

First off-- how connection is highly valued over merit. In the first few scenes, Ki-woo was referred to take a tutoring job for the rich Park family. Even though Ki-woo faked a uni certificate to indicate his merit, it didn't matter to Mrs. Park. The referral was all she needed.

This demonstrates how deep the current system of nepotism, networking, and patronage works. People can preach about merit, skill, and experience all they want, but those in power would dismiss it when connections come to play. It's a logical fallacy too: appeal to authority.

This point was entrenched further when the Kim family schemed to remove the existing workers the Park family had, and then slowly replacing them with their own family members. How did they get through the door and get the job?

The same trust & referral system that got Ki-woo in.

Secondly-- how capitalism created such a high barrier of entry, causing people to resort into unethical means to survive.

A part of this refers to the fake uni certificate Ki-woo made. These days, that piece of paper seem to define you more, instead of your actual skills.

In some ways, it creates a sense of entitlement. Remember a few months back when an UI grad went viral cos they said they won't accept an entry level job that pays less than 8 million, simply because they believe UI grads deserve more, on the virtue of where they graduated from?

That's why it's so tempting for people to fake their CV and credentials, so they would look more skilled and experienced than they actually are.

And this is not entirely their fault-- many corporations demand workers to be skilled in practically *everything* in order to get in.

The other part to this, which I find rather saddening, is the internal division among low-economic communities, making class solidarity difficult.

The Kim family had to trample over fellow working class people: by slandering them and 'stealing' their job for themselves.

Unfettered capitalism has made poor and middle class folks become angry at each other. They view employment as a scarce resource, so when a fellow working class occupies a job position, they are perceived as taking it away from others.

But no blame on the rich for not expanding?

Finally-- how inequality impacts even the smallest of things differently between classes.

When the storm came, Da-song could camp out in his US-made tent and enjoy a time in nature at his backyard.

Meanwhile, the Kims had their house flooded & lost many of their properties.

The Parks lived in a house with superior sewage system so their home won't be flooded. The Kims, who I presume live in a typical cheap public housing, did not have the same luxury.

And it's just sad, having to call a functioning sewage system a luxury. It's bare minimum, folks.

All in all, I enjoyed the movie and the storytelling. The movie plot was beautifully told in such a way that I cannot believe I was rooting for the Kims who were clearly doing a lot of unethical and potentially illegal stuff.

Conclusion?
Unfettered capitalism, fuck off please.