False narrative links ‚Squid Game‘ to notorious Brothers Home incident

False Narrative Links 'squid Game' To Notorious Brothers Home Incident

A series of images mixing artificially generated images with a historical photo purports to draw a connection between 'Squid Game' and real-life events. Screenshot from Facebook

A sequence of photos mixing artificially generated photos with a historic picture purports to attract a connection between „Squid Sport“ and real-life occasions. Screenshot from Fb

By Jack Greenberg

Social media customers can, and infrequently do, abuse synthetic intelligence (AI) to flood the online with inaccurate, deceptive and typically nefarious falsehoods. This not solely threatens our difficult actuality — the place AI-driven instruments are faking present occasions — but additionally endangers historical past and our collective understanding of it.

When it got here to a false narrative that went viral lately, I used to be reminded of a quote from William Faulkner’s 1950 novel Requiem for a Nun: “The previous is rarely lifeless. It’s not even the previous,” and the way it highlights the urgency of addressing historic distortions.

Three years after taking the world by storm, „Squid Sport“ returned to Netflix for its long-awaited second season on the finish of December. Inside simply days, some TikTokers and accounts on different platforms revived the concept the present relies on a “true story,” particularly that of the Brothers Dwelling (Hyungje Bokjiwon).

A TikTok that has been shared over 17,000 instances and favored greater than 50,000 instances claimed that in 1986, “[a real-life Squid Game] befell in a bunker underground in no man’s land the place folks had been held and needed to full a number of video games to outlive. The hosts with unhuman-like ideas had been by no means discovered.”

Given this clip used a photograph of actual inmates from the Brothers Dwelling, it didn’t take lengthy for different customers to attach the dots to this infamous social welfare establishment in Busan the place quite a few human rights violations had been dedicated. Subsequent postings had been accompanied by grabbed AI-generated photos of a depilated warehouse with pink and inexperienced partitions, harking back to the present’s shiny units.

The AI photos have been recognized because the work of a Turkish artist utilizing the Instagram handle @cityhermitai, who didn’t consent to having his work included within the viral posts.

This isn’t the primary time that the Brothers Dwelling has been incorrectly recognized as an inspiration for the creators of „Squid Sport.“ Rumors of the type had been circulated when the primary season was launched, reaching audiences by way of media articles revealed on Yahoo and in The Australian, Australia’s solely nationally distributed every day.

At first look, one may very well be forgiven for getting into the notion that „Squid Sport“ could also be a reimagination of the Brothers Dwelling. But as you scratch the floor the 2 are revealed to share not more than some thematic similarities, such because the dehumanization of susceptible people and the weaponization of violence.

Brothers Home in Busan, January 1987 / Korea Times file

Brothers Dwelling in Busan, January 1987 / Korea Instances file

„Squid Sport“ director Hwang Dong-hyuk has acknowledged on document that his inspiration for the present got here from his hardships working within the leisure trade, in addition to his reflections concerning the excessive competitors and inequalities fostered by capitalism in modern Korean society. An avid client of Japanese manga and anime, Hwang additionally gave credit score to dystopian titles like „Battle Royale“ and „Liar Sport,“ as Selection reported.

A key distinction between „Squid Sport“ and the Brothers Dwelling pertains to the character of non-public company. Though the choice they make is coloured by their precarious circumstances, the sport’s contestants are nonetheless offered with a selection of whether or not to play. Though none determine to choose out, they’re nonetheless supplied the possibility to. It’s a temporary window when their company is on show, albeit constrained. The organizers behind the sport exploit their desperation for money. They know within the face of debt and different monetary hardships that the prize cash’s attract will overwhelm their free will and situation their selection. The truth that the sum considerably will increase as gamers are eradicated solely additional encourages fierce, ruthless competitors between them.

The inmates detained on the Brothers Dwelling by no means had a selection to start with. The Brothers Dwelling was successfully a focus camp the place an estimated 40,000 folks had been imprisoned beneath anti-vagrancy ordinances. They weren’t afforded a trial or any due course of. Cops colluded with the ability’s personal employees to spherical up youngsters and adults alike. Some weren’t even ‘vagrants,’ however simply occurred to be within the incorrect place on the incorrect time.

This befell in a context the place the state had outsourced the „care“ of susceptible teams, together with orphans and other people with psychological well being situations to „social welfare companies.“ The state was additionally eager to purify society and get rid of the polluting presence of those „undesirables.“ A part of the rationale was to indicate the world-at-large how South Korea had reworked into a contemporary, developed state and deserved to host world-class sporting occasions just like the 1986 Asian Video games and 1988 Summer time Olympics.

Survivor Han Jong-sun explains the violent situation of the Brothers Home at a press conference for the publication of his book at the National Assembly, Nov. 27, 2012. Korea Times file

Survivor Han Jong-sun explains the violent scenario of the Brothers Dwelling at a press convention for the publication of his guide on the Nationwide Meeting, Nov. 27, 2012. Korea Instances file

One might argue there are particular parallels to be present in how „Squid Sport“ and the Brothers Dwelling are each programs that supply little true freedom and the place group dynamics are manipulated. Survival in both means respecting energy constructions and obeying inflexible guidelines. All through the sequence, contestants are put into conditions the place at one occasion they need to forge alliances to advance whereas later their survival hinges on the betrayal of a one-time companion. This succeeds in creating dramatic impact, elevating questions of non-public ethics and constructing psychological rigidity. Likewise, „Squid Sport“ emphasizes graphic depictions of violence. The violence is a spectacle that advances the plot and engages the viewers.

Park In-geun, the evil operator of the Brothers Dwelling, embezzled state subsidies and coerced the inmates’ bodily labor to complement himself. He additionally was accused of getting meted out vicious beatings and murdering inmates. The Brothers Dwelling was unquestionably a human rights lifeless zone the place human trafficking, compelled drug therapy, compelled labor, assault and loss of life occurred. Moreover enduring sexual and bodily violence from the employees, inmates risked the identical from their „platoon“ leaders — inmates who for no matter cause had earned authority over others. On one hand, survival might rely on respecting the pecking order. On the opposite, it might require doing no matter it took to place oneself first. Inmates reported that malnutrition was rampant, and it was troublesome to eat correctly since meals was served to hundreds on a primary come, first served foundation.

In 2022, 35 years after the prosecution’s first investigation, the Fact and Reconciliation Fee of Korea confirmed a complete of 657 deaths on the Brothers Dwelling between 1975 and 1986 and acknowledged the state’s legal responsibility for compensation to the victims. The state, nonetheless, has nonetheless didn’t make a proper apology and continues to enchantment the courts’ compensation ruling. This has exacerbated the trauma of victims who’re concurrently striving to get better their lives and show their experiences.

Survivors of the Brothers Home shave their heads in front of the National Assembly, April 28, 2015, to call for the passage of the Brothers Home Special Act. Korea Times file

Survivors of the Brothers Dwelling shave their heads in entrance of the Nationwide Meeting, April 28, 2015, to name for the passage of the Brothers Dwelling Particular Act. Korea Instances file

„Squid Sport“ displays among the horrors that transpired within the Brothers Dwelling, however the significance of not drawing too nice of a comparability between them can’t be overstated. Focusing an excessive amount of on the shared themes can foster an oversimplified narrative of the Brothers Dwelling’s darkish historical past. As well as, it dangers obscuring what the inmates suffered and trivializing the survivors’ ongoing battle for justice.

Jack Greenberg works as a advisor, researcher and freelance author. His present focus is on heritage and conservation points, historic reminiscence debates, truth-seeking and reconciliation and civilian massacres of the 1950-53 Korean Battle. He was the recipient of the International Korea Scholarship, and earned an MA in worldwide research at Korea College. He’s additionally an alumnus of McGill College.

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