It's (somehow) worse than you thought.

[@LackingSaint]

Go to tryfum.com/JACKSAINT and use code JACKSAINT to save an additional 10% off your order today no i dont know why i said shoe tucker. I looked it up and everything and thought i did so well by not saying shao support links: 💰 PATREON @ www.patreon.com/jacksaint 🔴 KZbin @ kzbin.info/door/dQKvqmHKe_8fv4Rwe7ag9Qjoin 👛 TIPS @ ko-fi.com/lackingsaint Second Channel: www.youtube.com/@officalwordfromjack Bluesky 🦋 lackingsaint.bsky.social Instagram 📷 instagram.com/lackingsaint Twitch 🎮 www.twitch.tv/lacksaint Discord 🗣 discord.gg/pf5PXAzv8V TikTok 🎞 www.tiktok.com/@jacksaintreal EDIT: I am definitely taking on board people's concerns about these types of products and am not in any way interested in pressuring anyone into products they may not be comfortable with, but as I shared these concerns here are the third party studies I was linked to regarding this topic. I am really not trying to seem 'fake' about this and learned as much as I could, this is a first time sponsor but I will continue to educate myself on this subject drive.google.com/file/d/1fb3dv3W9yqTy4KwomRZlGuZ4M5uBfpZA/view?usp=drivesdk pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23536963/ www.researchgate.net/publication/342553255_Aromatherapy_and_Quitting_Smoking pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8033760/ www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2221169115001033

[@banquetoftheleviathan1404]

you should do a video on the seemingly ironic yet oddly appropriate teaming up of godzilla and the us military. only absurd via how offensive it should be.

[@MM-ux7kp]

@@banquetoftheleviathan1404 I wish I could use a toothbrush and scrub that Godzilla information out of my brain. Can't believe the fuckers did that. But the US military has a stupidly large budget and they pay their way into these movies to make people think they are "fighting to protect freedom". It's fucking depressing that propaganda works so well, because It's not our fault that we all have dumb ape-brains. Removing propaganda is the only way to subvert it...

[@MM-ux7kp]

This episode? You went hard in the mothafuckin paint

[@Pepyaka448]

Would've saved my lungs but no shipping availiable here sadly, gonna wait for something like that popping up availiable for me, thx for sharing tho!

[@could_possiblybe_thane07echo]

yummy bubblegum "flavoured" air 😎

[@dullsunrise8820]

I like how the people behind the show openly admitted the only thing they truly took away from the og was that you can put people in dangerous situations and gain something from it. Really shows you how well Squid Game’s themes mirror reality.

[@Melissa-tw2gp]

I don’t know why they needed Squid Game to learn that. A lot of sports and reality shows like Fear Factor proved that ages ago. They sound like absolute morons.

[@MarxistMogger]

probably better than the idiots who said the show was actually about communism

[@Feasco]

​@@Melissa-tw2gpyes but then they wouldn't be capitalising on the popularity of a recent hit Netflix the fact that there's public scrutiny over this decision is also something they intended to capitalise on

[@chewie837]

The “games” in Squid Game were intentionally boring children’s games to make the point that the wealthy spectators were there specifically for the death. Making a “real” version of that just leaves you with boring children’s games.

[@boonelockyer630]

For now....

[@TESkyrimizer]

so you are saying we can make the show better by implementing permadeath? 🤔 "squid games: the challenge is the dark souls of reality show competitions!"

[@mikhaelgribkov4117]

It also shows childish mentality of the person behind this challenges who uses them as a way to relive own childhood while being apathetic to suffering created by him.

[@user-yj7cu5sk2w]

@@TESkyrimizeri think they’re actually saying you can make the show better by not making it at all.

[@hittingyouoverthehead]

Yes, the point was to eliminate skill from the contest and that way there is no way to tell who is going to "win" making the bet placing more exciting for the VIPs. And I know this is not the point but this is one of the reasons why I really really hated the twist that the old man was actually the owner of the games. That directly contradicts with the whole point of them even hosting the games in the first place.

[@SIDEKICKDUSTY]

I wonder if the people who decided against tug-of-war because the hole was dangerous know that tug-of-war is a game people play in real life without a hole in the middle

[@SIDEKICKDUSTY]

Haha btw I can't see Beard Guy's "Broward County" chiron without thinking "we're on them Broward County Tic Tacs"

[@peterprime2140]

TBF normal tug-of-war is also dangerous.

[@Hannahgs]

I was thinking that too lol

[@ibbyseed]

Honestly I think they didn’t add it bc that game doesn’t fit the super serious dramatic theme and aesthetic they were going to. idk I would have loved tug of war smh

[@sophiagonzales343]

I assumed they changed it cause they didn’t want all the women to leave in one challenge would’ve been weird optics

[@Wraithfighter]

...it really is impossible to talk about the Squid Game reality show without bringing up the Torment Nexus tweet, because god damn if that tweet isn't the perfect encapsulation of the show's concept...

[@jonathanguzman3044]

What was the torment nexus tweet?

[@cottontaelle]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@jonathanguzman3044it says this: sci-fi author: in my book i invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale tech company: at long last we have created the Torment Nexus classic sci-fi novel Don’t Create The Torment Nexus

[@captainhuman]

@@jonathanguzman3044it’s in the video, at 7:46

[@Midiport]

​@jonathanguzman3044 "Sci-Fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus" -@AlexBlechman on twt

[@saxosipho]

@@jonathanguzman3044 it goes something like this: "Writer: I created the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale. Techbro: We have built a real-life Torment Nexus from hit book, Don't Create The Torment Nexus"

[@Geospasmic]

I don't know how it's "about kid's games" and "capitalism is a small part of it" when the only reason the contestants are there is desperation for money. Nobody is having fun.

[@user-yj7cu5sk2w]

Exactly- EVERYONE in squid game is miserable. The only time anyone is having “fun” is when they’re making emotional connections with people- people that’ll all end up dead anyway. The only guy having a good time is the old man, and who knows why that could be? Lol.

[@digimonlover1632]

I mean, it is. To say otherwise is pretty disingenuous actually.

[@CiCodiCadno]

Yeah, and even if you want to make the argument "they're in it for being on TV, not for money" that's still a capitalism thing. They want to be on TV to build up a social media following... y'know? To get money?

[@nosuchperson5578]

​@@digimonlover1632media literacy and the ability to think weren't part of your gifts from heaven, were they?

[@Jimraynor45]

Didn't the show go out of its way to show the exact reasons why the contestants wanted money? They didn't want money for itself. They had goals such as helping their families or friends. Despite what you may think, earning money doesn't have to be a grueling grind fest. It's a part of life and we have to deal it. That is brought upon us by nature itself, not capitalism.

[@justinnutter9008]

Cannot fathom how many brain worms one must have for someone to think squidgame is pro-capitalism.

[@TurbopropPuppy]

@@Dwarfplayer of course, capitalism is just fully automated greed

[@princejellyfish3945]

@@Dwarfplayerno the text itself is much more explicit than just a vague anti greed message

[@AnEmu404]

Well, the people who agree with the VIP’s and their likes would. Fun little game for them, the police don’t find out, and there’s nothing the vulnerable exploited people can do. They might not think it’s pro-capitalism, but that doesn’t mean they can’t steal its ideas Edit: OH GOD PEOPLE ACTUALLY THINK ITS PRO-CAPITALISM? Fucking hell

[@jonathanbosak8581]

​@@DwarfplayerAnti greed , so Anti capitalism?

[@joshwertz7167]

There's alot of worm riddled brains out there. Shit some people believe there are only 2 genders.

[@RealLukeWilson]

Seeing how often the contestants just crumple into sobbing when they lose is so fucked up. Like, the producers aren’t even trying to hide how perverse their show is. And I have to assume that none of the people who had to be rushed to the hospital got their medical expenses covered, meaning they ended up in even more desperate financial straits than they started. I can’t even think about it without feeling sick.

[@ScottieMadeThis]

I am sincerely hoping that because this was shot in the UK, they were allowed to claim their 15 days of free medical treatment (and if they’re UK citizens it will be free anyway) or they were given medical insurance before the show

[@Kevmane_the_bird]

​​@@ScottieMadeThis sadly enough, I wouldn't be surprised if that was a factor in why it was done in the UK in the first place. So that -when- if something went wrong, they wouldn't be on the hook for medical treatment... it was definitely at least written on a pitch document pros and cons list at some point...

[@whoa8363]

A former contestant even said publicly that they didn’t get paid for their time, only the winner got paid and she is still waiting for her payout.

[@theangharad]

@@Kevmane_the_bird this was where my mind immediately went as soon as I heard the combo of "filmed in uk" "loads of hospitalisations" "yeah we play-tested it". if they're not even gonna pay for contestants time why else would they pay to fly them that far?

[@kit6024]

RE: the show taking place in the UK, let's not get it twisted: healthcare is free in the UK, but the NHS is in such dire straits that it's not such a simple handwave. You can very well end up on a completely unfeasible waitlist, especially if you're not from the UK as noted, and/or it could well be determined that you don't meet the threshold for the care you need. The NHS is incredible and I'm so glad we have it, don't get me wrong, but I don't think people outside the UK realise that healthcare can and will still finanically fuck you as you're caught between going private and sitting through implausible wait times... if you're lucky enough to have the option of going private at all.

[@t_ylr]

I don't wanna be overly dramatic but keeping ppl in below freezing weather for hours without warm clothes feel like torture...

[@estrellaanne1589]

No, no you’re not being dramatic. That’s perfectly reasonable.

[@sporeham1674]

You're not being dramatic at all It literally IS a form of torture that has been used, so

[@skippykay599]

This isn’t even taking into account how certain demographics and populations are even more susceptible to the cold. Older contestants and any anemic contestants for starters

[@bluester7177]

​@@skippykay599Also, people from other countries, the lowest temperature I ever been in my life has been 10 C, I dont know how I would survive 4 to 9 hours of - 5 C, I probably wouldn't.

[@Gatekid3]

i dont think it's dramatic but i wonder about the semantics.you can argue it's still a choice, but like the video brings up it's a choice that is made harder by wiggling life changing money. to choose not to put up with that is saying, "changing my/my families life isn't worth standing out here a little longer." sunken cost fallacy kicks in, now you if you quit you stood for 4 hours for nothing. I feel like the torture is the game itself. setting up over 400 people to have hope but ultimate to fail do to accidents, luck, lack of ability, or favoritism. Now *I* sound overly dramatic

[@Mellowbaton]

I love that whenever a death game related piece of media gets popular our response is "how cool we should do this IRL" instead of "we should stop rich assholes"

[@red_skies80]

Especially when the rich assholes are the ones who bring it to life

[@YEY0806]

"He will give the people death and they will love him for it"

[@AlInGaP_Diode]

tbf it's not 'our' response, it's the rich assholes'

[@aionicthunder]

Fifty-three. iykyk

[@okmewhen]

The producers saying all the contestants had "big dreams" of things like paying off cancer debt, retiring or be able to complete a college degree are beyond reproach. Those are not by any standard, let alone a western standard "big dreams", even if they are increasingly unattainable.

[@GerBessa]

Seems like the creators of the game didn't understand the message of the show, yet perfectly implemented it.

[@MrGreg242]

I mean yah.. I honestly believe when you become so rich and disconnected from the realities of society. You loose the ability to see meaning in art and the messages an artist is trying to convey. It's loss comes from the atrophy of their empathy and overall emotional intelligence, sort of like "you don't use it you loose it".

[@GlitzPixie]

I think at least some of them demonstrably do and just don't give a shit, which is sad

[@sadfaffsafd6153]

i think the more insidious part is that that they probably *did* understand the show, i mean squid game isnt exactly subtle about its critiques of capitalism. these producers just dont care bc they know they can make a fckton of money off the property

[@BK-ku1zt]

I’d say it’s more like they understand it, but don’t agree with it, or maybe just don’t care. The people coming up with show ideas for Netflix probably don’t have much integrity but that doesn’t mean they don’t understand they have no integrity.

[@stardusst]

they know, they just don't care. these people have no type of appreciation for shows like this past entertainment and monetary gain.

[@isakrynell8771]

I don’t understand how it is possible to miss the point of something so fundamentally as squid game the game show. It is truly remarkable.

[@NamhadiNdemufayo]

It's possible because money.

[@isakrynell8771]

@@NamhadiNdemufayo Yeah that’s part of it. But I also think that the people in charge of these media companies are so removed from the everyday life of ordinary people that they simply don’t understand. They only saw the entertainment in squid game and not the humanity. They are the men in the golden masks.

[@brandonsaffell4100]

They don't care about the point of the original. They care that there's an opportunity for money. Worrying about the meaning of media and things like ethics get in the way of that sigma grindset.

[@Vesperad0]

Either poor media literacy, or the circumstances of growing up in a world where most governments are capitalist regardless of what they claim to be. When I was younger I genuinely thought the phrase "money is the root of all evil" to be dramatic and misleading, blaming the money and not the people with the money. Not to mention people unfortunately need money to survive. I may not be wise with age, but now I see it's more true than my younger self could've ever known-and what gets me even more is the fact that whoever coined that phrase is likely not anti-capitalist.

[@isakrynell8771]

@@brandonsaffell4100 True

[@revenge3265]

I'm so happy to see that the critique about the games "not being fair" is being talked about. Like YES, that's the point. The RICH old man has an unfair advantage and rigs the system in his favor. The games aren't fair and is just a display of privileged people reveling in the despair of the "lesser" just because they can, BECUASE THATS THE POINT PEOPLE! Also, the old man joining in for the challenges for some fun while being little danger reminds me of when rich people try to say they're "just like us" or in a more literal way, when rich people do "working class/poor cosplay" for a little fun... It's crazy how people miss OBVIOUS messages.

[@xdlr22]

YES YES YES! This ^ 1000% especially the poor cosplay thing. The dude obviously want to feel some type of way and good about himself without actually facing what he’s doing to people and even reveling in the horror they experience

[@FumbleSquid]

This. Also I think it's worth pointing out with the old man: he likely was ok with just dying to prove some point or flimsy moral justification. Obviously he will rig the system, but he does want some danger so he can prove to himself "he went through what they went through," "they are all equals because I made it this far as an old man" and of course, "if they help me, then this proves me right that my methods show how important humanity is". A lot of rich people genuinely believe (some of) the weak moralizing they spout even when they aren't following it consistently. He very clearly was in genuine danger, especially outside the games themselves. It's like big game hunters. It's not just for display, but to reassure themselves of their prowess (or in his case his ideology).

[@logansmith2703]

​@@FumbleSquidyeah it's entirely possible he woulda just died if he got on a bad tug of war team.

[@CreakingShelves]

And maybe I'm forgetting, but wasn't it the old man's advice at the start of the tug of war that basically won them the game? Lean back horizontally and just hold until they are almost exhausted then pull as one? Something like that. So he knew he had an edge with the tug of war whatever team he ended up on.

[@renatal.129]

​@@CreakingShelves sometimes i think maybe his advice was a way to disguise some type of rigging by the masterminds, like a way to lift up the competitors to amuse the watchers because who doesn't love an underdog?

[@KalCounty]

The fact that people think it's a plot hole that the rich people in charge were cheating the whole time just absolutely does my head in. These people have their head permanently in the sand. Also, I was disappointed that at the end Gi-hun didn't run out and help the guy on the street instead of just waiting for someone else to do it. Il-nam's point was that humanity was morally bankrupt and no one really cared about each other, and he used the idea to justify his monstrous behaviour. This could've been undercut by Gi-hun going out to help and proving that if you have more resources than those in need, YOU should be the one to help instead of condemning the entire underclass for not helping each other. This could've doubled as a good conclusion to Gi-hun's arc and a way for him to deal with the trauma of surviving the games. Using his winnings to help others so they don't have to go through the same nightmare he did. Also also, motherfuck Tim Pool all the way to hell.

[@frankydostal4758]

Gi-hun was bound not to do that by the bet that made the whole interaction significant if I remember correctly

[@pepsimilkhotel]

​@@frankydostal4758 he still lost the bet because the old guy died before telling him the truth or whatever they agreed on

[@4our31]

​@@pepsimilkhotel That's the point winning the bet is not important winning an argument is not important helping someone who is suffering and gonna die is important

[@pepsimilkhotel]

@@4our31 well, certainly not for gi-hun

[@frankydostal4758]

@@4our31that's not the point of the show like at all lmao if it was then it would be about a great guy who when presented with challange of squid game just refused it because games "don't matter as much human life". Games do matter

[@BrandonPilcher]

I suppose it was inevitable given the show's popularity, but people trying to capitalize on Squid Game will never be not ironic.

[@amandatovo4131]

It's kind of like Watchmen action figures. You either have to ignore the point or miss it spectacularly

[@masters3104]

​@@amandatovo4131Or you like action figures?

[@Terestrasz]

Kinda like Mr. Beast, eh? "Heeeeey, this show criticises the premise of people doing silly things for money. ....LET'S DO IT OURSELVES!"

[@Freeman10001]

@@masters3104 So ignore the point

[@BougGroug]

I hope James Somerton just becomes the plot twist of every video essay on KZbin from now on

[@fauxrowsdower7610]

at this rate I’ll be giving my vows at my wedding, kiss my spouse and then pivot towards the crowd and say “this wedding is about JAMES SOMERTON” bc he plagiarized our love or some shit

[@Gameinger16]

@@fauxrowsdower7610 Quality comment tbh, please do it

[@Torgan454]

@@fauxrowsdower7610 and then someone would make a 2 hour horror essay about your wedding

[@theMyRadiowasTaken]

​@@Torgan454(1 hour in they reveal its actually about james somerton)

[@agmass]

Im watching this right after hbomber's new video and im not very far in yet but now i'm just waiting for it

[@Pablo360able]

I still can't get over the fact that there are people who think anti-imperialism is just a small part of Star Wars.

[@Pablo360able]

@@Eet_Mia I mean, I'm not saying anyone is denying that anti-imperialism is there. They just seem to think it's there for flavor.

[@Feasco]

wait till they find out what Lucas said about the Vietnam war and Return of the Jedi

[@camipco]

I would argue it's a smaller part of star wars than anti-capitalism is of squid game.

[@Pablo360able]

@@camipco I disagree; I think it's *all* of Star Wars. I just think anti-imperialism isn't as controversial as anti-capitalism so some people don't perceive it as political.

[@yurisei6732]

It is a small part of star wars, because star wars never actually spends any time showing why imperialism specifically is bad and needs to be overthrown. Star Wars is just anti-baddies.

[@theshire9173]

This is why Great British Bake Off is the best reality show. There is no prize money, so everyone is super nice to each other. And when someone gets injured or feels unwell, it’s perfectly fine for them to take an episode off or leave. We need more nice reality shows like GBBO

[@xdlr22]

I’m surprised more people aren’t mentioning it. The contestants are also super nice to one another and help each other. I remember there was an episode where a guy got super frustrated and threw away his cake and everyone was trying to help him :( Also the junior bake off the junior contestants are so sweet to each other too.

[@theshire9173]

@@xdlr22 Yes. I remember one episode where they had to make structures and one kid brought a freezing spray that really helped with keeping his structure up and he lent it to everyone. The teamwork is adorable

[@red_skies80]

I love this show. I see why some canadian producers couldn’t help but “borrow” their idea

[@obscure.reference]

that lego building gameshow is a little similar to this but obviously something built on ‘brand’ like lego carries a different feeling than something that’s just about baking.

[@thebookwormhotel5336]

im so shocked they werent paid for their time, they had to miss out on work for days on end the reason mr beast pays even if they dont win is because of that fact netflix was purely monstrous for not giving them a single cent, not even hourly pay for how long they've stayed in the challenge ???

[@RP-uu7oq]

It should be illegal.

[@sharrpshooter1]

@@RP-uu7oqIt actually is illegal in the US, or at least it is for TV shows, and I think after the current strike is now for streaming, I am genuinely amazed this isnt illegal in the UK, maybe why they filmed there.

[@RP-uu7oq]

@@sharrpshooter1 Damn. That is surprising. They should pull an EU and make it illegal to show in the US if the actors weren't paid, and should make it mandatory for US citizens to be paid regardless of where it was filmed.

[@Terestrasz]

It ain't just Mr. Beast. EVERYONE receives some kind of stipend for appearing on the reality show.

[@wheeler68]

The Netflix show Hyperdrive didn't even pay the winner

[@Ronin11111111]

I'm honestly amazed how perfectly they replicated the Torment Nexus. Life truly imitates art in the worst ways possible.

[@MasoTrumoi]

The only people so out of touch that they would willingly tie themselves to a real dystopian game show based on a fictional dystopian murder game show are the kind of people who wouldn't pay the contestants and sociopathically praise and laugh at their financial issues.

[@stevenclubb7718]

The Mr. Beast supermarket contest was child's play compared to what happened to Nasubi on a Japanese game show. He spent over a year naked in a room, and even after winning the contest was prolonged twice because it was so popular.

[@Alireza-bz1ch]

it's crazy to me how everyone can tell how messed up the Nasubi situation was and yet praises Mr. Beast constantly for helping the poor in exchange for a wee bit of psychological torture

[@stevenclubb7718]

@Alireza-bz1ch they are both massively screwed up and can't imagine anyone watching either in real time not being horrified.

[@Alireza-bz1ch]

@@stevenclubb7718 right I didn't mean to imply you think it's ok. Sorry

[@stevenclubb7718]

@@Alireza-bz1ch I knew you didn't, but sometimes it's best to clarify before other people connect dots that aren't there.

[@tarotsushima3332]

​​@@Alireza-bz1chYeah, like I keep on saying Mr Beast is an influencer, not a philanthropist. It's not charity telling people who need the money to dance for the camera before handing it to them when you could have just given it to them straight. It's entertainment but dumbasses are treating him like the second coming of Christ. And in relation to Nasubi, the fact that was the first thing I thought of hearing that challenge makes me wonder if he learnt about it as well and thought 'Yeah that would make a great video'. Probably not but still depressing to think about.

[@christianvillanueva1133]

Jesus Jack I'm sorry about what's going on in your life. I love your videos and I hope things get better.

[@estrellaanne1589]

Yup, I had no idea that was happening and I really wish I could help some way.

[@Chameleonred5]

Does he have a donation page somewhere? If not, can we set one up?

[@ytlokop]

​@@Chameleonred5 he has a patreon in his description

[@kinolibby6580]

Being British and knowing about our immigration system, I have been feeling concerned for Jack and Brit ever since they moved. I really hope things work out for them.

[@jordyn1710]

he also has a kofi if you can only afford a one time dontation!

[@ConerdFrederickson]

Your end point about game shows/reality TV in general and how the money inevitably makes it not a game relates to one of the most consistent pieces of praise that I see about the GBBO as an American. Most of my friends and I like the Great British Bake Off because of its very “wholesome” and chill vibe. That over every season I've seen there has never seemed to be a contestant who “isn't there to make friends” and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that the prize at the end is a cake stand and not some giant pile of money. The lack of life changing stakes removes or alters a significant amount of the "drama" of the show in a way that makes my friends and I more interested in the show. People still try to win and are upset when they lose, but seemingly at least, because they want to prove themselves and enjoy being on the show. No one ends up crying because a soggy bottom means they can't afford their dad's chemo.

[@CaiominTwin]

i do generally agree with the sense of stakes with GBBO. but many winners have parlayed their success into financial gains, whether its book deals, shows, baking for the queen etc. so its still there while not having a cash prize per se

[@ConerdFrederickson]

@@CaiominTwin Yeah, as its popularity has risen the options for financial gain from the show have definitely expanded. I mean I have Giuseppe's cook book and only got it cause i loved him on the show. So far it doesn't seem to have drastically changed the shows atmosphere but we will have to wait and see how things continue develop.

[@sofiipote7]

yes, but you don't really need to win to do that. I watched a few seasons, and a lot of the contestants who didn't win could build a business / career out of just being in the show and doing fairly well, while others just continued with their normal lives. It wasn't really a matter of being the winner or not, but more about who wanted to cook as a career and who did it as a hobby.@@CaiominTwin

[@sharrpshooter1]

I can mostly agree with that, except an exception to all of that would be James Acaster when he was on there. Like hearing him talk about his experience on it does make a feel a bit uncomfortable, like them using his obviously sleep deprived deteriorating mental status for a cheap laugh feels a bit off. Like I never noticed it at first, but if you ever look up the interview where he really in depth talks about his time on it, he sounds like he is downplaying it but it does sound a bit manipulative

[@ConerdFrederickson]

@@sharrpshooter1 I hadn't heard about that I'll have to look that interview up.

[@mx.mel0dy]

I cant imagine crafting a show with a message like that only to have to sell it to get it out there, get no money for it and then have the new owners fuck up and trample over the message that was made

[@abx_yenway]

This is why I like Nailed It. It's got a (relatively) low $10,000 prize. It's low-ish stakes. Nobody is selected for their baking excellence, and everyone knows that, so nobody goes in expecting to win. Everyone hopes to win, but I think they all know it's practically a die roll. It's probably a lot less physically/psychologically grueling too, as long as they've got a healthy attitude about feedback.

[@quinnfarris]

I love that show! it seems like the main criteria for casting is 'plays well with others'

[@incorporealrn]

And the one season with higher stakes, they bring in bakers to help the contestants improve their skills and those who get eliminated get to pick stuff from the set, it's probably the one reality/gameshow that never makes me feel icky

[@gl0wzt1ck5]

yesss I love nailed it! another thing I really like is a lot of the critiques are super genuine and they actually try and help their bakers succeed and grow, and frequently praise all the contestants for doing so well with such harsh limits

[@cidevant002]

The one thing about Nailed It is that it's designed for failure. Even expert bakers who knew what they were doing were going to have problems on that format. But I do like that at least nobody expect masterpieces so even if you failed worst than anyone else, hey, at least you all had a good time.

[@sporeham1674]

Nailed it is genuinely so light hearted, and I adore it. It never makes me feel bad for anyone. There's no room for me to feel superior either, since I'd mess up just as much as they do

[@Joshisgood2]

I hate to be the one to tell you guys this, but just because it sounds healthy and the manufacturer tells you guys it is, doesn't necessarily mean it isn't dangerous to inhale "flavored air" into your lungs. Be careful with this stuff

[@peterprime2140]

I mean, the fact that they're pretending a device that works by inhaling flavoured vapour is distinctly different from vapes is pretty telling of how shit it is.

[@Alex_Barbosa]

100%

[@L0rdOfThePies]

Ive been seeing alot of sponsors for it and i feel pretty sceptical about the whole thing, we dont have any long term research on this kind of stuff yet, might be good for someone whos trying to quit vapes but its not only being advertised that way

[@hexlart8481]

I feel like we as a species should have learned our lesson about inhaling chemicals by now.

[@Shyguy5104]

Yes I agree inhalers are bad! wait...

[@pancakeman22987]

"Capital has the ability to subsume all critiques into itself. Even those who *critique* capital end up *reinforcing* it instead."

[@dracocrusher]

Tim Pool: "They made a show about Communism based around monopolies." Also Tim Pool: "I don't know if it's political, the creator might have been too dumb to understand it." This is such an average Tim Pool take that it's not even funny.

[@MasoTrumoi]

Dim Tool does as Dim Tool does. I had to fast-forward his part I cannot listen to that idiot.

[@Kalitayy]

Tim Pool is the least dumb conservative

[@MorlockTrxsh]

@@Kalitayy plus he got that dope baldwave song about him, Partying with Tim Pool by len0killer.

[@TheJacklikesvideos]

@@Kalitayy Tim Pool isn't even remotely conservative

[@blinkx1070]

@@TheJacklikesvideos Tim Pool doesn't have enough conviction to have a coherent ideology so I guess you're right.

[@lucere3674]

The fact that some people with money seen the squid game and decided to do a real life version of it makes me realize that somewhere theres 100% a group of rich people with a real death game going on. Probably the same people involved with the skin trade. Just less of a chance of people slated for death to excape and let their stories known.

[@TheSpeep]

Wasnt there that Russian guy who tried to recreate PUBG when that was all the rage some years back? I barely remember anything about the details, but I think that might fit the bill.

[@Romanticoutlaw]

I've been saying this for years

[@basedeltazero714]

@@TheSpeep That's just a normal airsoft game.

[@Vesperad0]

​@@basedeltazero714not when a rich bozo is behind it. Or a conglomerate. Or the governments around the world, apparently by their incompetence to actual progress. Any of those three could easily take something mundane and mostly harmless into a death game; I think that's why squid game revolved around children's games. It was never about the game itself, but what could be made from warping it.

[@bluester7177]

You don't need a death game, there are rich people profiting and exploiting poor ones everywhere, there was Jeffrey Epstein and all the horrible things he done and all the network of rich influential people he was involved with, it's wasn't an uniqur case, rich people have less empathy and too much power, you can't be super rich and a good person, so yeah, there is probably a bunch of rich people out there doing heinous torturous things with or without the actual death.

[@unrighteous8745]

Thank you... I've always thought game shows were very cruel towards their contestants; sometimes physically, but always psychologically. I was starting to think I was the crazy one.

[@GlitzPixie]

I mean the majority of them take advantage of the working class's desperation and dangle economic security over their heads even in benign environments like Wheel of Fortune. The whole point of these shows are the stakes, no one would care to watch contrived, boring games if the contestants weren't giving it their all each episode

[@theotherther1]

It's not just Korea, Japan in particular is notorious for cruel game shows. The story of the man nicknamed "Nasubi" is honestly something the Squid Game creators would want to do in-universe. The US has some especially tacky shows as well, such as Toddlers in Tiaras and the '70s schlock hit Gong Show.

[@gamagoori]

yeah i cant watch survivor, seeing people starve like that is just cruel

[@bluester7177]

​​@@GlitzPixieI would watch, I hate the stakes, I hate drama, I'm the person who watches slice of life anime, exactly because bad things don't happen and it's very low stakes, so there are some people who would watch that, at least, would probably not be successful though.

[@Firegen1]

I truly believe nothing would be lost if we didn't have them anymore. I realise my own bias is speaking as I find the plastic-ness of many gameshows intolerable. Recently the BBC has been wasting more and more money on oversized fairground games to keep audiences. I feel awful for saying this but what possible appeal could that have?

[@zoeb3573]

This game has no real meaning if people don't die, and of course they can't kill them off in real life, at least not on television. They missed the point of everything the original show was stating. Imagine if after Hunger Games was adapted into a movie series, they aired a family friendly no killing Hunger Games reality show.

[@Gamingpandacat]

don't give them ideas, it will happen if the hunger games makes another dumptruck of cash or 10

[@everfluctuating]

hunger games but its OHKO paintball

[@TylerWardhaha]

Professional wrestling 😂

[@slipperynickels]

the bit peckish games

[@lunagale1573]

Minecraft hunger games has more stakes U.U

[@_cloudface_]

Kinda interesting Jack never mentioned the winner Mai Whelan still hasn't been paid her winnings as of the time of this video being published. Winning a life-changing amount of money and then not recieving it for (apparently) 11 months must be one of the strangest experiences possible.

[@JammyJam5588]

No wonder those fuckers are being sued.

[@TheSpeep]

23:40 I havent seen either show, but 299's situation could have been such an incredibly poignant bit of story in the context of the original show, where contestants' lives are actually directly on the line. Here's a guy who, because his life was saved, is stuck in such a horrendous position that his best option is to risk throwing it away anyway if he ever wants to actually be able to live any of it. That is so unimaginably fucked, its such an obvious example of how broken the system the original show criticized is. Except because all he risked was serious bodily harm rather than death, I guess thats fine then?

[@xdlr22]

They should’ve just helped him out. All of them deserve some level of pay tbh. But I guess it’s once again on us poors to do a go fund me and help each other instead of the people taking advantage of this man just not being huge assholes.

[@bladdyboi2962]

The threat of death doesnt have a replacement in terms of stake. It's crazy that they thought that was not an important detail

[@bluester7177]

It really depends on how you see it, to me it isn't necessarily a stake, I'll choose death any time over some of the things these people are going through, it only works because most of the time the people watching have pretry nice confortable lives they don't want to lose.

[@TheOnlyCelciAndDontYouForgetIt]

​@bluester7177 The entire point of Squid Game is that people in horrible situations join the show because despite the risk of death, it is the only reasonable chance they have of getting out of their situation Death being the stake is incredibly important, people's only chance of living a decent life being accompanied with a practical guarantee of dying is meant to criticize the system that made the Squid Game the only chance people have to begin with

[@Tine_of_Nice_Dreams]

I appreciate your mom because I get so wrapped up in online discourse that I can forget the people just going along with everything are not malicious or one-dimensional dupes. They're people like my parents who are just doing their best, enjoying their lives, but disconnected from the whirlwind of information I'm always having to navigate online.

[@Yd6Cr]

I can't be with my wife for the same reason. An arbitrary line that says I need to make a certain amount of money for her to move here. Needless to say a lot of what you said resonated with me because of that. I hope it works out for you and your partner.

[@GreedyRadish]

I feel like in a world where media companies *aren’t* run by insane people the reality show would’ve had a twist ending where everyone that competed gets some prize money. If you’re going to go out of your way to find people who are genuinely struggling financially and then turn their suffering into entertainment, surely they have earned a reward?

[@joshuaanderson1712]

'They signed the contract I gave them, it's really out of my hands to give them money from the labor they gave me.'

[@srtatropicalia]

People saying that squidgame doesn't portray captalism is truly a horrifying thing that makes me worried about most people's media literacy and knowledge. Sometimes I fear that the anti-communist propaganda has really fried everyone's critical thinking skills when analyzing the society they live in. Most people just seem to make the interpretation communism = bad, not knowing what it is.

[@sampagano205]

I don't think anyone actually believes those arguments. Even when people say they do. It's pretty clear to me that that belief is a willful choice in the same way that religious faith is and the only real reason they say it is as a provocation directed at people who have actually had the anti capitalist message resonate with them. Asserting proud stupidity functions as a mockery of hope for a better future through the victory of class consciousness. The conservatives are loudly asserting that they, the people, are cattle unworthy of anything better. It also functions as a reaffirmation of commitment to capitalism by constantly reassuring each other that they've killed the part of themselves that could envision a better world.

[@-tera-3345]

"Communism (or Socialism, as these people always use them interchangeably) means everyone gets the exact same thing no matter how much they work" is such a weird and yet freakishly common belief. No, it's not about dividing all the money in the entire country and distributing an exactly equal amount to every single citizen. It's about making sure people get paid an amount appropriate to how much value they actually generate. And making sure even those on the bottom are able to meet some baseline level of living.

[@enriqueperezarce5485]

@@-tera-3345Problem is in execution it never works cause the state has everything to go authoritarian, which almost all communist countries do

[@adamprice3466]

To me its a story about what people are willing to do to get what they want. This could be cash, sex, shiny objects, whatever captures the desire of a person. Commies are just going to have to deal with the fact that if you genocide people for a century and purposefully try to eliminate their customs and beliefs you're going to get a bit of negative propaganda.

[@aldiascholarofthefirstsin1051]

I don't like capitalism but I also have a firm grasp of history and fucking logic, so communism is also bad for me, we should really create a new system.

[@samb3209]

Thank you so much for making this video. It really hit me emotionally as a disabled person struggling to work but who doesn’t have a choice if I want money to have housing or food

[@kriskenard]

Jack, your mother is a joy. Thank you for introducing her to your audience

[@helgecko]

“You’ve been once again asked to apologise..” really got me.

[@marrog]

Hey Jack, recently started working through your videos; nice work. My American wife moved to live with me in Scotland in 2008. Back then, the simplest (though not the cheapest) way was through a postgraduate degree > post-study visa > unmarried partners/spousal visa > ILR. It was difficult, expensive, and stressful (and at the time of course she literally COULDN'T have taken me to live with her in the States, because we're both women). It nearly broke us, and we've both been left with lowkey trauma from it. But compared to the situation now we had it easy. We wouldn't have made the £18.6k threshold never mind the new one, because I was on a zero hour contract back then. As for £38.6k, I don't even make that now, 15 years on, even though I consider my salary pretty comfortable! What was then a single 2 year probation is now TWO 2.5 year probations, two separate visas with separate fees. And every. single. fee. is far higher than it was then, sometimes several times over. I don't think people realise how deep the impact of this legislation will be, how deeply inhumane it is even before these latest changes. And what a horrendous blow for you having had this hit you literally RIGHT after moving back to the UK. I'm broke for the rest of this month, but I'm gonna try to remember to pop over to your patreon or kofi in the new year and see what I can do. In the meantime, if you see this, I'm thinking of you both and wishing you luck, as I do everybody in this rotten situation. Anybody else who sees this: PLEASE read around this issue. The proposed changes to the immigration system are both a grotesque violation of basic human dignity, and a massive act of self harm economically. Spread the word.

[@zoeb3573]

"this video is about James Somerton" and here comes Jack Saint with the steel chair!! stop, stop, he's already dead!!

[@skkms910]

Loose morals as an advantage is lowkey a bar. I think about that idea pretty often; they seem to do well for themselves, life-wise.

[@Vesperad0]

You're being too kind. If they saw squid game and thought to make it into a game show, then I can assure you there are no morals involved. Apparently morals are debatable now, and not a concept that values life and freedom.

[@jambott5520]

Capitalism is a system that cares primarily about profits, and to that end pits the working class against each other by giving success to a few who are morally bankrupt and willing to step on the toes of those around them. And for those who are successful, in order to remain sane they often have to bury their morality under cognitive dissonance, as otherwise you would have to confront the exploitation you engage in.

[@Inoka01]

Sociopathy is unironically strongly associated with business success.

[@KD-ou2np]

Most people with loose morals end up in jail or other bad situations. Alone and disliked by many, and generally unhappy. Because having loose morals doesn't automatically mean you are charming or intelligent. It just means you don't have much empathy.

[@argusha91]

thank you so much for talking about the visa change. me and my partner have been crying about it for the past month as no one spoke up about it or seemed to care. i share your grief and struggle. this small part of the video was like a breath of fresh air. best of luck to you, keep up the good work

[@felixzyrna1407]

Something that you didnt bring up that I think should be discussed is that this isnt the first bit of media in my lifetime that "accidentally" recreates the darker themes of the source material. The Hunger Games--the book series by Suzanne Collins--is a critique *of spectacle* and in the originally trilogy there really isnt a "good side" to this. Katniss, a teenage girl who goes through so much trauma that she is left with severe ptsd--is used both as a marketing symbol by the capitol and by district 13. Its really a tug of war between bad guy Snow, and the leader of the resistance of who wants to use her more. Her autonomy and personhood are ignored by each. In the movies we have a complete different relation to the hunger games tributes that we are literally enjoying a spectacle of child murder (to the point where I remember there was cheering in the theater when the last kids died in the first movie) and the movies go into overdrive to make katniss a girlboss white feminism symbol in her participation in the resistance. I think it would be interesting to see your take on the movies/books along those themes because I swear most people miss it. As an additional bonus, in the books, katniss is a non-white character. And i feel like that change in adaptation isnt talked about enough in terms of how it changes the dynamics of these themes to a degree. A young, nonwhite girl is tortured into killing other children and people and her choices are stripped from her to paint her as a symbol of revolution rather than a victim of a brutal system.

[@xdlr22]

Idk why I had ZERO idea that Katniss is not white. :0 I even read the books. I’m not white myself but I’m just used to dystopian novels featuring white girls.

[@Harleymotor]

It appalls me that the creator of Squid Game did make anything off it, yet this is what was made in direct contrast of his themes by the corp that got all the benefits of his work. Give this man his money, my gosh.

[@WolperTimes]

This reminds me of how Elon Musk said Parasite was his favorite movie of 2019

[@peterprime2140]

He probably just read the title and thought they made a movie about him.

[@xdlr22]

Parasite is a fucking amazing movie tbf. But Elon musk saying it is… 😒

[@zenosAnalytic]

I really love the inclusion of "contracts" in this show because it helps to show just how BS capitalist "contracts" are. Not only are the contestants pressured by the stresses of capitalist society to sign, but they have absolutely no power to protect themselves from abuse, or the cheating of other players(it's not like the ppl who lost because of the cheater are magically brought back from the dead), or to enforce stipulations upon the game's producers, whereas the producers and staff can violate THEIR obligations at anytime; in fact are EMPOWERED to decide when those contracts have been violated. The "contracts" in squid game are a parody of the utterly meaningless "contracts" we're all forced to endlessly sign in real life; unfair, biased, entirely onesided, and thus not really contracts at all. They are contracts which make a farce of the entire legal theory of "contracts".

[@maldaror7097]

Netflix will just release a documentary about how bad this was, then make a SAW challenge game.

[@afterdinnercreations936]

Art that constantly points out its own meaninglessness or art that portends to have meaning, but has nothing underneath. I kinda love that saying. I think of the opposite. "Art that portends to be meaningless but has meaning" like Everything Everywhere All At Once.

[@GlitzPixie]

I honestly don't get the appeal, it feels kind of hollow. Isn't the starting point of art assigning meaning to something? What do you like about it?

[@Vesperad0]

​@@GlitzPixiemaybe it's assigning meaning to nothingness? Or making the concept of nothing meaningful? I dunno, sounds like some sort of dadaism/nihilistic thing

[@tbotalpha8133]

@@GlitzPixie Art doesn't have any rules.

[@GlitzPixie]

@@tbotalpha8133 okay

[@afterdinnercreations936]

@@tbotalpha8133 Agreed, but why? Why would you make meaningless art?

[@michaeldunkerton3805]

I think some of the comments along the lines of, "I can't believe they created the Torment Nexus, what's next, Hunger Games?" are slightly missing the point. Hunger Games rings a bit hollow to me because it's basically, "what if things were like this?". Where something like Squid Games is more "Things are like this." This Netflix show shouldn't surprise us or make us wonder how they went this far, because we already live in the world of Squid Games.

[@shaunmccomish8572]

Thinking about the part in The Running Man where the presenter picks out an audience member to pick Stalkers and then receive prizes. One of the prizes being a Running Man Family boardgame. It's a small detail but I always appreciated the absurdity, rivalled only by the Nukem boardgame ad scene from Robocop.

[@TihetrisWeathersby]

What's funny was the show was a critique of these things and they decided to make a real show about it completely missing the point

[@gogongagis3395]

Yes, that’s the video.

[@anzumazaki7798]

netflix executives literally playing the VIP's making money off of making games watching normie people compete

[@quinnfarris]

Just like the hunger games movies

[@SPeterJamesN]

More people should point this out so Jack can make a film about it.

[@SchizoSchematic]

They pulled a Hunger Games, didn't they?

[@legendarybort01]

I can forgive you for reminding me of the FMA dad, but I can't forgive you for making me listen to Tim Pool.

[@Alan_The_Jaguar]

"Capital has the ability to subsume all critiques into itself. Even those who would "critique" capital end up "reinforcing" it instead... " - Joyce Messier, Disco Elysium (2019)

[@prinz4279]

Reminds me of that 15 Million Merits episode from Black Mirror. Any critique against it would just be used as another product to sustain it.

[@BarkleyBCooltimes]

I like it when the show called "Don't Make the Terror Show" is about how terrible the "Terror Show" is, then gets made for real. Dog bless clapitalism

[@tysonasaurus6392]

The James Sommerton jumpscare had me rolling

[@nbDeal985]

I remember seeing some gameshow at work years ago that ended in a prisoner's dilemma contest over the pot of money. One of the finalists was a young gay black dude, and he had a really emotive and sincere plea, asking to split the money instead of all-or-nothinging it. His life hadn't been great, and taking what would have iirc been half the pot home would have been lifechanging. The other contestant was some woman, can't remember anything about her. So decision time comes and she... chose to keep it all. Dude's completely devastated of course, who wouldn't be, and the woman's ecstatic, and all I could think about was how horrifying that this was supposed to be an enjoyable spectacle for the viewer. How disgusting and ghoulish it was, her celebration and the show's upbeat conclusion contrasted with the heartbreak of the other finalist. Just leaving me with the cold horror of watching what was, at best, this woman's equally deserving triumph artificially being made at the expense of someone's genuine need and desperation and at worst a celebration of hollow greed and deception. I also don't like game shows.

[@125loopy]

I'm so sorry to hear about your spousal visa situation with your partner! My person wasn't born in my country either. It's a miracle we found each other. Making that process harder is pure evil.

[@abbey5899]

As another person currently on a spousal visa with all the uncertainty and stress it can bring, this really gave voice to the sheer pressure of invisible stressors so many different people in so many diverse situations are going through. Spousal visas are relatively rare if you look at the sheer statistics, and a lot of people never even think about their existence outside of, ironically - reality TV. There are so very many different types of personal circumstance out there that bring extra anxiety and pressure to different people, that just get brushed under the rug for being ‘outlier’ situations, or ignored because we have ‘equal opportunity’ to try to resolve them through capitalism. (My work visa was not approved for a year, because of ‘backlog’ in our country.) In so many of these different situations, if society chose to just change the rules, these stressors could vanish.

[@sajking7269]

Great analysis, and I am so glad you included the part about HBomberguy's plagiarism video. I feel exactly the same as you and when I first saw the video, I felt that the conclusion about the causes of plagiarism and the implied "right" reasons to make a video, seemed like it was missing something, but I couldn't really articulate what. I think you described it perfectly, it can be so easy to fall into idealistic thinking with artistic jobs (like video essayist), but at the end of the day it's still a job, which means that creators will rarely have the luxury of creating solely for the joy of it. Obviously that doesn't make it okay to steal from fellow creators, but I think that financial insecurity seems like a larger contributing factor in the decision to steal than an identity crisis alone (even if that also contributes for some people).

[@SpoopySquid]

Squid Game Reality Show 🤝 Disco Elysium 2 Missing the point of the original and accidentally proving its message

[@kozhedub]

"the problem with the original squid game is the evil rich people watching for entertainment, if we just broadcast it to millions instead of a shadowy group it's different!"

[@camerabox1]

God it’s like the squid games are inherently unfair and the rich don’t actually give a shit about “fair” odds

[@henatatorplays]

I like how succintly you gave a rebuttal to that Schafrillas video because when I watched it I felt like I was going insane explaining to myself the reasons why it didn't make sense lmao

[@honestlythough7250]

It kinda extra pisses that they didn’t even bother to come up with different games unless they had to. And the games they did come up with are terrible. Not an ounce of creativity seems to have gone into making this. Also, its actually worse than most other game shows bc most other game shows are fun bc theyre mental challenges the audience can play along with or they’re absurd and elaborate physical challenges. I remember thinking “this would make a horrible actual show” when first watching squid game bc… its neither of those things. Its a bunch of ppl sitting in a room chiseling shapes out of melted sugar. Its playing marbles. Its watching ppl step on a sheet of glass and fall. “The Floor is Lava” was able to take a children’s game and make it into something interesting to watch and they did great. THEY COULD’VE DONE COOL SHIT BUT OPTED FOR “HEY LOOK ITS THE THING YOU LIKE” its so soulless its infuriating

[@CiCodiCadno]

Say what you will about Squid Game The Challenge, but by far the thing that ticked me off the most is when the beginning described it as having "players from all around the world!!" When what they actually meant was "We loaded up on Americans and added some Brits and one single Australian guy for flavour. You're welcome!!"

[@spyrofan9681]

Thanks for referencing the TORMENT NEXUS, from classic Sci Fi novel Don't Create the TORMENT NEXUS. I have been trying to remember the name of the TORMENT NEXUS for the past week and my brain kept calling it "The Nightmare Machine."

[@emilio9821]

I’m tired of this system.

[@MosesSuppose]

Counterpoint: The Challenge should have gone further and actually had the contestants put their lives on the line. That’s what they did on Squid Game and I thought that was a pretty cool show

[@josh___something]

I don't think advocating for the actual harm or death was the point of "Don't create the Torment Nexus", but who am I to judge the corporation

[@bursztyn848]

the point of the show was to satirize people like you who would watch actual humans put their life on line for money, just so they could get entertained. like the video said, an actual show like squid game shouldnt exist irl. how do you even have 133 likes? i hope you are being ironic 😭

[@fuumiku]

@@bursztyn848they obviously are lol

[@Oldass_Deadass_dumbass_channel]

​@@fuumikuyou can't really say it's obvious, as people say shit just like this completely unironically all the time.

[@nightgarla]

@@bursztyn848 theyre obviously not being serious

[@sairassiili]

Being aware of the existence of Squid Game The Challenge gives me profound existential sadness.

[@digimonlover1632]

It gives me profound existential happiness!

[@Hakasedess]

Yet ANOTHER video essay has hit James Somerton

[@deckie_]

20:50 is hilarious perfectly describes capitalism and then goes ''that is not capitalism!''

[@uncanny_mac4660]

I forget who said this, but as someone once said. "Even if you win a rat race, you're still a rat."

[@GirtheAlienGoldfish]

Cancer treatments in the US are cripplingly expensive. I'm a leukemia survivor myself, and my hospital stay alone cost half a million dollars. If I didn't have insurance, I'd still be in horrific medical debt. 299 taking his loss really hard makes absolute sense because he's probably still dealing with debt from cancer treatments, and will probably do so until the day he dies. It's sick that we live in a world where you have to choose between dying of a horrible disease and crippling debt for the rest of your life. I hope 299 has a GoFundMe or something. I wouldn't mind donating to it.

[@StephenLeGresley]

Netflix looked at a show where poor people are tortured for money and thought "wow, that could be fun." JFC is it any wonder the world is falling apart. What's next Netflix? Real Life Hunger Games? Why don't you hit the youth market and come out with Battle Royale: The Gameshow?

[@KennyFrierson]

At least Will It Cake doesn't starve people and freeze limps off. This is so bad I'm defending cake show.

[@Feasco]

what if the limbs are cake

[@Crypt-Kitty]

When I saw this was a real show, I was immediately reminded of the Chrissy Teigen tweet about how good Parasite was.

[@gabbylipherps7454]

The ending of squid game wasn't about sentimentality or believing in people. He had every ability to go down stairs and help that freezing person, but instead he chose to gamble on their life, looking down on them and viewing their life as nothing more then an object in a game. He did exactly what the people gambling on the squid games were doing. The entire point was that anyone can easily become heartless, even if they don't realize it, and even if they've gone through troubles themselves. When standing a top the tower looking down on those suffering, any one is capable of exploiting that suffering for their personal gain, anyone can fail to help others even when they have every ability to, distracted by their personal games. The whole show is a story about human nature, and I think the ending is a great example of it. On one hand humans can be kind (like the car that stops), can be ignorant and selfish (like the protagonist), or cruel and cold(like the old man). It's not simply a warm and happy ending, it's a more nuanced take that human nature is complicated.

[@MsTwissy]

My sisters cancer treatment was over 200,000 dollars and she didn’t even live. So that’s me paying that much for 2 months of cancer treatment that didn’t even work.

[@Tea_enthusiast]

I'm sorry to hear that, best wishes for you :(

[@courtneys.7113]

this video was a real breath of fresh air. i’ve been a viewer of your channel for a long time now and i’ve always found something interesting to glean from each video. this one in particular spoke to something i couldn’t quite place. It was a small segment but your take on hbomberguy’s video resonated for me. at a certain level, i agree with him that plagiarism is very disrespectful and harmful to people but the motivations for aren’t just malicious. yes, there are people who are jealous and spiteful, but there are also people who are desperate and willing to do whatever it takes to keep their follow of income because the alternative is a very real suffering. i feel like people who moralize about these things so strongly forget that people that desperate are literally willing to do anything. it reminds me of when people complain about a rude interaction they had with a homeless person. like who cares if they were rude, they’re literally homeless. i appreciate your ability to stay grounded though of course you’re not some mega rich youtuber

[@DTFauxClassic]

I definitely feel you on how hard it can be to enjoy game shows when you know contestants are banking so much on them. I think it's kinda why trivia shows like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune feel a bit easier to roll with compared to the more gimmicky, physically/psychologically breaking games. People are still there in hopes of winning prizes, but they're games that everyone can play along with. There's no real heroes or villains to root for/against, and very little attempt to vapidly tug on the heartstrings. Heck, even Ninja Warrior (for as Hollywood as its become) is relatively honest in its premise and execution, being mostly about raw physical ability. Whereas, say, Wipeout is more about putting people of questionable fitness through absurd obstacles to maximize pratfalls and slapstick.

[@fusionspace175]

"All the world's a game show, All the men and women merely contestants, And one man, in his time, plays many rounds." "As You Like It", William Shakespeare

[@Hey-Its-Dingo]

It pisses me off to no end that the winner of Squid Game the Challenge was never even given the money she rightfully won.

[@themadmystic1688]

I think that James Somerton twist gave me a heart attack, holy shit.

[@xxplumplumxx]

i can already tell that the defense line in the suit is going to be: "We made a reality show about squid game, did these contestants expect NOT to get mistreated?" Reminds me of that time when models got sexually harassed on set of Robin Thicke's music video about sexual harassment

[@CounterfittXIII]

The second half of every youtube video is about James Somerton now.

[@scb37889]

I'm less than 5 minutes in and I want to cry at the situation you and your partner are in. I'm so sorry, that is absolutely devastating, and that's putting it lightly.

[@MashaRistova]

“Mr Beast’s squid game doesn’t seem so bad” hmm yeah I don’t know about that

[@flyingratdog]

I had completely forgotten that Mr. Beast's new Torment Nexus show was not the first time a company decided to bring the Squid game Torment Nexus to real life.

[@foxfox1422]

I'm going to be honest, I liked Is It Cake. Seeing the weird things made out of cake was fun.

[@caileyrookids]

And everyone there just has the absolute best vibes. It was 100% lighthearted fun that took every opportunity to laugh at itself with delightful cringy puns.

[@FeeshUnofficial]

It's nothing content for sure but it's innocent, so I kinda agree with you. It doesn't really have any statements to tell but you know, there's probably no physical mistreatment where hundreds of people are forced to stand still for 20 to 40 minutes at a time in the freezing cold, and they're probably not held on set for weeks at a time with no pay and prison-like conditions

[@sofiipote7]

agreed. I've seen so much is it cake slander on youtube, and each time I'm secretly thinking "well, I for one enjoyed it"

[@caileyrookids]

@@FeeshUnofficial Yeah. It's just lighthearted fun. Not _everything_ needs a 'message,' it's a cooking competition show, the message is 'watch the people laugh and try to make cool cakes.' Humans can't be intellectual 24/7, we need brain breaks to just consume something that makes us smile without too much thinking, and it was really refreshing to, for once, see a cooking show where it was constant jokes and supporting your competitors.

[@xdlr22]

@@caileyrookidsgreat British baking show is so good too. It’s really them pushing themselves to be the best bakers they can be and helping each other.

[@Gamerdudegames]

The existence of this game show fills me with a horrible existential dread. That something as obvious with it's messaging as Squid Game can be misunderstood so dramatically, that someone decided it would be a good idea to create the Torment Nexus, this show drains me of any sense of hope I might have had for a better world. Someone watched Squid Game and their takeaway was "let's do that but for real!"

[@kseniav586]

Jack, I'm so glad you're back on youtube. I know it's been a while, but I still get that happy feeling every time you upload. Very sorry about your visa situation and I hope you find a way through that. My friend is married to a British citizen and they spent an ungodly amount of money and went into debt trying to keep her in the country. Nobody should be going through that... Thanks for another thoughtful video.

[@aetriandimitri190]

The appeal of squidgames games was the horror of cute nostalgic childhood games being turned into death games, without the death, its just watching adults play kid games and crying because their lives are sht and they needed money, but the show treats this as something to make light of

[@Gamingpandacat]

good show, can't wait for the giant space blood vortex from the popular book: oh no we created the giant space blood vortex and it killed everyone

[@grimtygranule5125]

All of these people 100% got scammed into being unpaid actors. And that's pretty illegal.

[@bucketboy4937]

Lol just watch Roland and Hallies podcast. 2 contestants who wasted 12 days of their lives in psychological pressure and made the top 10 just to get eliminated. They said they wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world and loved that they were given the opportunity to come on the show.

[@lenapawlek7295]

This is really what happens when a capitalist company makes money on an anti-capitalist show - they are like hey capitalism is good actually, ignore that message that made this popular

[@PixyEm]

Sequels and throwing away all the nuance that made the original popular name a more iconic duo

[@lakegroce685]

I’d love to hear how capitalism actually helps prevent monopolies. Definitely not the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say.

[@yungyahweh]

I just sent this to my gf who watched the show and wants to play in it now. Thanks for everything bud