Instigator / Con
10
1587
rating
182
debates
55.77%
won
Topic
#4690

THBT: On balance, the competitions in Squid Game (2021) are not an accurate representation of capitalism in South Korea

Status
Finished

The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.

Winner & statistics
Better arguments
6
0
Better sources
2
4
Better legibility
2
2
Better conduct
0
2

After 2 votes and with 2 points ahead, the winner is...

Sir.Lancelot
Parameters
Publication date
Last updated date
Type
Standard
Number of rounds
4
Time for argument
Two days
Max argument characters
6,000
Voting period
Two weeks
Point system
Multiple criterions
Voting system
Open
Contender / Pro
8
1498
rating
4
debates
37.5%
won
Description

BoP is shared. PRO argues that SG is not an accurate representation of capitalism in SK. CON argues that it is.

Definitions to be used in this debate:

Squid Game - A South Korean survival drama television series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix.

Accurate - 1. Free from error, conforming exactly to truth.

Capitalism - A system in which the voluntary exchange of goods and services is legal.

South Korea - An East Asian nation on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula.

Rules:

1. Pro is allowed to use ChatGPT and cannot be penalized by voters for doing so. (Pro doesn't have to use ChatGPT, but they may not be punished for having it write their arguments, should they choose to do so.)
Con may not use ChatGPT for any purpose.

This is a Practice Debate for my eventual rematch with Savant, so the setup is deliberately made to give me a harder position to argue and defend.

2. Con must waive Round 1.

Criterion
Con
Tie
Pro
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:

Con Kritiks their own definition, which I have a hard time weighing since it doesn't get challenged by Pro. That said, I'm not sure how much it matters if Con is arguing that SG is a metaphor. The resolution does say "accurate representation," and while I argued against this exact point in another debate, Con's argument that the metaphor works for capitalism goes unchallenged for the most part. Con argues that some similarities make the metaphor accurate, while hyperbolic humor is a common part of TV that does not affect accuracy. With neither of these being challenged by Pro, most of the differences they bring up between the show and capitalism do not show it to be inaccurate under the framework that Con established. With Con framing the debate significantly in his favor, Pro had to either challenge this framework or talk more about the symbolism in the show. In the absence of that, arguments to Con.

Con gives a source to support their definitional Kritik, but Pro gives a lot more in terms of evidence. So sources to Pro.

Criterion
Con
Tie
Pro
Points
Better arguments
3 point(s)
Better sources
2 point(s)
Better legibility
1 point(s)
Better conduct
1 point(s)
Reason:

Not too much to say here. I buy Con's definition of "accurate," though it's odd that the definition Con is arguing against is the very one he put into the description as the instigator. Once that's established, there's not a lot else to talk about here. Con establishes that his comparison allowed to deviate in some ways from the existing system in South Korea, and he demonstrates through his argument that there are multiple accurate applications of existing issues under the capitalist system in South Korea showcased in the show Squid Game. They may not be perfect or, as Pro argues multiple times, accurate representations of what the majority of people experience in South Korea under their existing economic system, but that doesn't mean that these aren't accurate depictions of what anyone experiences.

Telling me that this would be more accurate for China doesn't tell me that it's inaccurate for South Korea. Telling me that capitalism has positive attributes or that capitalism may not be the direct cause of all these problems isn't enough, either. It's too broad, and doesn't get at the specific cases Con brings up in his argument. I need direct responses to the comparisons that Con is making in order to show that he is making inaccurate comparisons. At most, what I see from Pro is that he's demonstrating that Squid Game paints with a broad brush, but not that it's inaccurate in representing how at least a sizeable minority experience the economic system that exists/has existed in South Korea recently, and since neither side is particularly willing to explain what goes beyond a "slight" or "acceptable limit" for deviation "from a standard," it's unclear that Pro has met any threshold for demonstrating inaccuracy, which is his burden in the debate. Therefore, Arguments to Con.

Pro gets conduct because of the forfeit.