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squid game is an purposeful critique on the consequences of capitalism and explores the desperate measures those living under it will take. to say that it was simply "their choice" to return is... deliberately missing the point :/

IN THIS ESSAY I WILL—

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People who ‘love nature’ but violently hate their native coyotes, spiders, snakes, and scavengers are fake.

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> I love you… > Once I can smile again from the bottom of my heart, I’ll come visit…

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A lot of “you’s” and a lot of “he’s” in here. A lot of shifting the blame onto his child with the language he uses, both in the most recent flashbacks and in previous ones.

Obviously, there’s a reason Endeavor does this, whether consciously or not – he’s distancing the blame from himself by placing that burden on Touya. 

If only Touya didn’t have a defective quirk, Touya could’ve “smashed the ugliness in [his] heart” and made his father’s dream come true. If only Touya wasn’t born with his mother’s constitution, Endeavor wouldn’t have had to create more kids to find a new successor. If only Touya understood that he had to stop using his quirk, even though he was created solely to become a hero, but since that can’t happen now he has to look elsewhere for meaning in his existence?

As reprehensible as it is, it makes sense that Endeavor does this to justify his own actions. My main issue is that with the framing and prioritizing of his viewpoint, it runs the risk of readers inferring that Touya is to blame.

To be fair, everything in the chapter aside from Endeavor’s words show that he’s wrong and at fault, so it only takes a minimum level of critical thinking skills to see this. A doctors advises him to stop recklessly engineering his children, since it’s taboo and potentially dangerous to the child, but he has Natsuo and Shouto in spite of this. Rei expresses her reservations, since Touya has already caught on to what he’s doing and it doesn’t seem like she’s enthused to have more children, either. He disregards her concern and pressures her into it, anyway.

And it doesn’t matter what he said to Touya or how caring it sounded when all of his actions directly contradict this. If he cared for Touya, why not spend his free time with him, even if they can’t train anymore? Because he spent time with Touya not to bond with him as a son, but to train him as his legacy. If he was concerned for Touya’s safety, why did he have 2 more children, knowing they could be born with the same detrimental quirks? Because it was never to protect Touya, it was to replace the child who was supposed to be his successor.

Everything Endeavor did as a father taught Touya that he was not good enough and thus he was not worthy of his father’s attention. His language places the burden of that on his son and that’s how he internalized it a as a child. Telling Touya to stop without providing the unconditional love he’s vying for is useless and shows a blatant lack of awareness for his child’s needs. Endeavor created an environment where he pays attention to his kids based on their ability to be a hero that could surpass All Might – no amount of talk was going to convince Touya to cease his self-harming behavior unless Endeavor changed his behavior as a parent first.

Now compare the more recent flashbacks to the last one listed above, which is from Shouto’s perspective. There’s no denying the way Endeavor treats his children as objects for his own gain is wrong when he makes this remark about Touya while he’s literally beating down his five-year-old. And he does this for the same reason he abandoned his firstborn. The point of this scene is to show that Endeavor holds his ambition above all else — even his family.

And there’s no issue per se with giving nuance to his character. He should have regrets and he should be remorseful for what he’s done, but that doesn’t automatically mean he’s deserving of forgiveness or sympathy. 

The problem is when this “nuance” is prioritized above the not-so-subtle and far more important suffering that his victims endured, and are still enduring, particularly in the case of Dabi. And it shouldn’t be obscuring the unequivocal truth here, which is this: Touya’s self-harming tendencies and inability to regulate his emotions as a child doesn’t negate the fact that he was neglected to the point of self-harm and his father is as culpable in that as he would be if he had burned his son with his own flames. 

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Look Becky literally is a human dictionary, you cannot convince me that she dosen´t know some vulgarities. 

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The Ricks of s3e6

I took Rick notes. Morty notes can be found here.

Toxic Rick 

1st thing after gaining consciousness, he cries out for Morty and hurries to his rescue

Assumes the worst of the spa hand, blaming him for retaliation

Sense of ownership over Morty

Nothing is worth his time due to his overwhelming genius

He really does seem overwhelmed by it.. Imprisoned by it?

Rages as he does science, intense and urgent need for immediate and absolute control

Morty is weak and so inferior that he is undeserving of attachment

Equates genius to godhood, genius is everything

Immortality and God-complex, “If God exists, it’s fucking ME!” Might actually be undercut by a cry for help—this is his fate.

Conflicted by his godhood, and the pointlessness of it—he has nothing to prove to anyone, everyone is beneath him.

And that seems to trigger his realization of his Toxicity..

Seeks validation from Morty regardless, “Think anyone but me could do that?!”

Vengeful

Believes he’s the part of “Pussy Rick” that “keeps it real”—Real being pessimism, cruelty, suffering

Constantly indignant.

Calls Healthy Morty a “sociopath”, implying Rick is aware of Morty’s darker potential.. And maybe wishes he weren’t, since it’s with Toxic.

“Remember us?!” Us. Not “me”.

Denial of reliance on Morty, a reliance which sounds almost like a (psychotic?) dependency.

Affirms to Healthy Rick he must assume dominance over Healthy Morty. He sounded especially earnest, and anything but dismissive over its importance.

“Don’t negotiate”, anger and indignance but subtext might be worry and necessity for the ‘proper’ dynamic

Eyes adjusting, or so caught up in rage he misses what’s obviously going to be in front of him?

Demands Morty’s excitement, and includes him, “We did it”

“Fuck you Summer!”

Described by Healthy Rick as “literally unable to see the bigger picture”, implying he is myopic and self-obsessed

Incapable of humor. Too much suffering and self-obsession.

“Bottled up inside a sentimental jackass” Rick hates his own sentimentality to no one’s surprise

Coo’s to grow a monster into a loyal fighting dog with gibberish love, both manipulative, controlling, and possibly earnest

Straight into a violent brawl, immediately fighting dirty. No honor!

“I lie about everything!”

Fear of confinement, of being stifled or silenced. He values his freedom and autonomy above anything, and no one else’s.

Simply vacates once Beth shows up, not a word to her or about her

Can’t achieve vengeance, so he damns the world to his own hell

“You’re not impressing anyone!” Because impressing people is what HE wants to do, and he IS impressed by Healthy Rick’s callous cruelty

Requires constant validation, despite that impossibility when all of existence is beneath him

Rage as a plaintive call into the Absurd

“Grandpa’s here.”

Summary: Despite everything, he is paradoxically insecure and suffering his intense narcissism. He is wracked with oppressive psychological pain and tortures himself with his loneliness. Godhood is inescapable, a burden he cannot make peace with. He never seems pleased by his power, only harnessing it because there is no other way of being. His fate is eternal isolation, no matter how much he screams or how hard he thrashes.. or how much his familial bonds matter to him.

“Healthy” Rick

1st thing he does is apologize to the spa hand, insisting on his wrongdoing even as the apology is accepted. It isn’t just politeness, he seems to feel real guilt.

Smiles at the infinite possibilities of the universe, and relinquishes his sense of control or understanding of it (Relinquishing self to Camus’ Absurd?)

His genius naturally wants to expand on Morty’s “interesting” music idea, before realizing he’d gotten caught up in trying to calculate happiness. Some things are out of his reach and not his place, and that’s okay.

Pride in Morty, and his familial connection to him

Blows off his genius and potential in favor of simplicity

Respectful of others’ autonomy and needs, “A moment of your time?”

Apologizes several times throughout

Personal responsibility

Feels concern, and openly comes to Healthy Morty about it

Shares the entirety of the problem, as well as his feelings on it

Nervous, uncertain when Morty blows off the phone call, and hesitates before continuing

Wants to work with Morty at an even level, seeing him as an equal?

Wouldn’t have detoxed, but knows he still would have if he had known pre-detox. Familiar with himself and his demons.

Not seeing the disturbing voicemails as the problem to stop, but rather the pain of the Toxics.

“We yanked them from their home.”

Trusting to a fault, even trusting his own inner demons not to lie

Seems okay with the concepts of finality and things being finite

Seems to smile as he works, implying a sense of ownership over his capability

Even smiles at his toxins. Does this Rick actually love himself? Empathy for others’ suffering? Seems pleased with himself for finding and facilitating an amicable solution.

Indecisive, insecure with his own judgement without Morty’s assurance. At first. Sense of adult responsibility bringing him to make the choice anyway?

Can’t disregard the “will to live” in the Toxics. Respect for and values life in all expressions

Has his sense of humor, though it is still capable of being destructive

“I’m accountable to my own toxins, right?” Strong sense of responsibility for his whole self and his behavior. Uncertainty, and a desire for moral integrity. Seeking validation and reassurance, expressing weakness in the form of uncertainty and insecurity.

Also responsible for their resolution, their happiness, homing them. Owning them as part of himself.

Startled by Morty’s outburst of breaking the phone– by the suddenness, finality, and violence of it.

Realizes Healthy Morty won’t be of help, confused and disappointed by it. Something else he failed to expect.

Doesn’t anticipate the actions or motivations of others, making only the best assumptions. Belief in inherent good?

Ready to fight only after being struck, and even then, he takes slow initiative

“We can resolve our issues without resorting to—“ This Rick believes in resolution and recovery! Maybe therapy too..

Tolerant to the point of absolute pacifism, even in the face of a world-scale threat that he should still be responsible for.

Honorable in his treatment of others, even attempting to fight his Toxic as a last resort and in a fair boxing fashion

Didn’t seem to predict that the Toxic would fight dirty, even as its obvious. Does his intelligence take such a backseat to his honor?

Capable and fully willing to self-sacrifice for what’s right(re-toxifying)

“Sorry Summer!” “Summer get out of here!”

“Leave her out of this!” Protecting Beth from his own personal struggle, and the danger it wroughts

“I’m so sorry, girls.” Accepts and embraces his role as caring patriarch

Appreciative of Healthy Morty’s drive to stop the Toxics, but explains in a fatherly way that it “isn’t their place” and the Toxics have “a right to their worldview”

States that Toxic Rick’s motivations “are a mystery”. Might be a vague answer to avoid explaining more than he sees is necessary. If so, doesn’t want his Toxic to trouble his family.

Describes Toxic Rick as his “entitlement, narcissism, crippling loneliness” and his “irrational attachments”

Too healthy to lie, and too uncaring to have a personal stake in Toxic Morty

Possesses Rick’s capacity for ruthlessness

“You’ve never done anything but complain about me being in charge” Healthy Rick holds dominance in Rick’s psyche

Sees merging with the Toxics as healthy. Becoming a complete and healthy person requires embracing one’s demons

Empathy for others, including himself

Forces his Toxic’s surrender by exploiting his love for his grandson. Ouch.

Summary: Doesn’t let his own shortcomings be a problem for himself or anyone else, apologizing when they do. He is never controlled by fear, unlike the Toxic, and finds peace in being passive when it comes to the grandiosity of the universe. Feels openly, unguarded. Believes in personal growth, being honorable, and talking things out. A strong sense of personal responsibility, especially in regards to his place as patriarch of the family. Either possesses a sense of empathy for the plights of others (and himself), or feels such responsibility that he will do what is “right” regardless.. and by any means necessary, as long as it doesn’t conflict with his own ethics. At times, he is contradictory, perhaps telling of his indifference.