Crash Course: "Squid Game" as a metaphor — for Netflix

And why we're so afraid of Halloween candy [Crash Course] Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0QWaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL1cDc3BjQgphcUOOdmHpRobAUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~). Written by [Brett Bachman](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0QhaHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9CcmV0dEFCYWNobWFuVwNzcGNCCmFxQ452YelGhsBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~). Netflix executives just don't "get" Squid Game It's been an... interesting few weeks for video streaming giant Netflix. First, it heralded the arrival of an incredibly successful South Korean thriller, "Squid Game," which portrays a series of deadly games played by desperate, poor people for the entertainment of a shadowy set of elites. Then, the company's executives went and inadvertently showed why the program's cultural commentary proved to be so timely. Salon's Kylie Cheung and Hanh Nguyen break down the almost-humorous incident, in which the ultra-rich executives at one of the world's largest companies wore the green tracksuits sported by the impoverished contestants in "Squid Game" — missing the point of the show in spectacular fashion. Read more about Netflix's recent controversies here — and [how "Squid Game" unintentionally acts as a metaphor for the company's missteps](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0RlaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjQvbmV0ZmxpeC1kYXZlLWNoYXBwZWxsZS1zcXVpZC1nYW1lLXZpcHMtdHJhY2tzdWl0cy8_dXNlcl9pZD0qfEVNQUlMfCpXA3NwY0IKYXFDjnZh6UaGwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA). (Photo via Noh Juhan/Netflix) Our annual trick-or-treat fear mongering It's almost Halloween again, and you know what that means: time to get scared about the almost entirely nonexistent threat of laced trick-or-treat candy. Our Ashlie Stevens takes a look at the many urban legends that have emerged over the years and the societal anxieties (as well as a few real tragedies) that lie just underneath one of America's favorite moral panics. The takeaway? Halloween anxiety is as old as the holiday itself. [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0SNaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjMvcmF6b3ItYmxhZGVzLWFuZC13ZWVkLWVkaWJsZXMtYmVoaW5kLXRoZS1lbmR1cmluZy1oYWxsb3dlZW4tY2FuZHktcG9pc29uaW5nLXVyYmFuLWxlZ2VuZHMvP3VzZXJfaWQ9KnxFTUFJTHwqVwNzcGNCCmFxQ452YelGhsBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~). - Remember the president before Donald Trump? [History definitely will](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0RsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjQvcmVtZW1iZXItdGhlLWJlZm9yZS1kb25hbGQtdHJ1bXAtaGlzdG9yeS1kZWZpbml0ZWx5LXdpbGwvP3VzZXJfaWQ9KnxFTUFJTHwqVwNzcGNCCmFxQ452YelGhsBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~), Salon history columnist Matt Rozsa writes - Meghan McCain expands [on her family's "blood feud"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0RvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjQvbWVnaGFuLW1jY2Fpbi1leHBhbmRzLW9uLWhlci1mYW1pbHlzLWJsb29kLWZldWQtd2l0aC1kb25hbGQvP3VzZXJfaWQ9KnxFTUFJTHwqVwNzcGNCCmFxQ452YelGhsBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) with Donald Trump - "Insecure" to the end: Issa Rae's groundbreaking comedy [sails into its final season](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0RdaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjQvaW5zZWN1cmUtcmV2aWV3LWhiby1pc3NhLXJhZS1maW5hbC1zZWFzb24vP3VzZXJfaWQ9KnxFTUFJTHwqVwNzcGNCCmFxQ452YelGhsBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) - Joshua Jay [explains how magicians think](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0R1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjQvam9zaHVhLWpheS1leHBsYWluLWhvdy1tYWdpY2lhbnMtdGhpbmstLXdpdGhvdXQtcnVpbmluZy10aGUtbWFnaWMvP3VzZXJfaWQ9KnxFTUFJTHwqVwNzcGNCCmFxQ452YelGhsBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) — without ruining the magic - Fox News host says Jen Psaki ["one of the best press secretaries ever"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0RyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjQvZm94LWhvc3Qtc2F5cy1qZW4tcHNha2ktb25lLW9mLXRoZS1iZXN0LXByZXNzLXNlY3JldGFyaWVzLWV2ZXIvP3VzZXJfaWQ9KnxFTUFJTHwqVwNzcGNCCmFxQ452YelGhsBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) - Even with the blinds shut, sex in the city is always on display. Writer Abbigail Rosewood [reflects on her move upstate](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0Q8aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjMvaW4tdHJlZXMvP3VzZXJfaWQ9KnxFTUFJTHwqVwNzcGNCCmFxQ452YelGhsBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~), as well as the privacy and silence it brought - Biden gets some encouragement — [and a shoulder rub](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0STaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjQvYmlkZW4tZ2V0cy1zb21lLWVuY291cmFnZW1lbnQtLWFuZC1hLXNob3VsZGVyLXJ1Yi0tZnJvbS1oaXMtMjAxMy1zZWxmLWluLXNubHMtY29sZC1vcGVuX3BhcnRuZXIvP3VzZXJfaWQ9KnxFTUFJTHwqVwNzcGNCCmFxQ452YelGhsBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) — from his 2013 self in SNL's cold open - The psychology of gore: Why do we like [graphic blood and guts](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0SFaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjQvdGhlLXBzeWNob2xvZ3ktb2YtZ29yZS13aHktZG8td2UtbGlrZS1ncmFwaGljLWJsb29kLWFuZC1ndXRzLWluLW91ci1lbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50Lz91c2VyX2lkPSp8RU1BSUx8KlcDc3BjQgphcUOOdmHpRobAUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) in our entertainment? - How higher education [can win the war](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0R4aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjQvaG93LWhpZ2hlci1lZHVjYXRpb24tY2FuLXdpbi10aGUtYWdhaW5zdC1uZW9saWJlcmFsaXNtLWFuZC1zdXByZW1hY3kvP3VzZXJfaWQ9KnxFTUFJTHwqVwNzcGNCCmFxQ452YelGhsBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) against neoliberalism and white supremacy - Facebook allegedly [made special rules](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0SbaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjQvZmFjZWJvb2stYWxsZWdlZGx5LW1hZGUtc3BlY2lhbC1ydWxlcy1mb3ItYnJlaXRiYXJ0LXRvLWF2b2lkLXN0YXJ0aW5nLWEtZmlnaHQtd2l0aC1zdGV2ZS1iYW5ub25fcGFydG5lci8_dXNlcl9pZD0qfEVNQUlMfCpXA3NwY0IKYXFDjnZh6UaGwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) for Breitbart: "You want to start a fight with Steve Bannon?" Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0RVaHR0cHM6Ly9zYWxvbi51czgubGlzdC1tYW5hZ2UuY29tL3N1YnNjcmliZT91PTcxY2IzZThhNmU5NjM5YzgxMDIzY2Q0MjcmaWQ9NWRlZGEyYWFhN1cDc3BjQgphcUOOdmHpRobAUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) to receive Crash Course. How Succession weaponizes womanhood HBO's smash hit "Succession" is back, and the battle for control of the show's fictionalized, News Corp-esque media empire is just beginning. One character's storyline in particular [caught the eye of my colleague](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0RNaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjQvc3VjY2Vzc2lvbi1zaGl2LWhiby13b21hbi8_dXNlcl9pZD0qfEVNQUlMfCpXA3NwY0IKYXFDjnZh6UaGwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA)Kylie Cheung: Shiv Roy, the daughter of patriarch Logan Roy and seemingly the only woman with a shot at wearing the crown. As viewers are beginning to realize, there are no good guys — or girls — here, and that anything that can be used as a cudgel in the quest for power will be, including gender. "Shiv has a deep understanding of how to weaponize and maximize what she gets out of her gender because of her experiences acquiring power in the corporate world," Cheung writes. "As a Roy, she's used to commodifying and leveraging any and all personal relationships or facets of her identity for profit and advancement, no matter the cost to anyone else." "On a human level, and certainly a feminist one, we can't help but be disappointed by Shiv, because she's clearly smart enough and possibly decent enough to be a better person than she chooses to be. She began "Succession" working for a fictional, Bernie Sanders-esque U.S. Senator, after all. But instead, she chooses her family every time, unflinching in the face of what Waystar and Shiv herself have done to other women with less power in the process." (Photo via HBO) - "The reclusive dictator behind a climate catastrophe," [Bloomberg](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0RSaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmxvb21iZXJnLmNvbS9mZWF0dXJlcy90b3AtbWV0aGFuZS1nYXMtbGVhay1wcm9ibGVtLTIwMjEvP3NybmQ9cHJlbWl1bVcDc3BjQgphcUOOdmHpRobAUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) - "Financiers find their safe space," [The Financial Times](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0RRaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnQuY29tL2NvbnRlbnQvNWQ4NDBhNWMtZmEwYy00ZDA4LTk1NzQtNTlmMGQzZThjNzAzP3NoYXJlVHlwZT1ub25naWZ0VwNzcGNCCmFxQ452YelGhsBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) - "Facebook’s Internal Chat Boards Show Politics Often at Center of Decision Making," [The Wall Street Journal](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0RUaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud3NqLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlcy9mYWNlYm9vay1wb2xpdGljcy1kZWNpc2lvbi1tYWtpbmctZG9jdW1lbnRzLTExNjM1MTAwMTk1VwNzcGNCCmFxQ452YelGhsBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) - "How Nicholas Braun — Cousin Greg on ‘Succession’— became NYC’s hottest bachelor," [The New York Post](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0RaaHR0cHM6Ly9ueXBvc3QuY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjMvaG93LW5pY2hvbGFzLWJyYXVuLWNvdXNpbi1ncmVnLWJlY2FtZS1ueWNzLWhvdHRlc3QtYmFjaGVsb3IvVwNzcGNCCmFxQ452YelGhsBSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) - "How a Small Blog Became a Thorn in the Side of Corporate Climate Denial," [VICE News](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0RuaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudmljZS5jb20vZW4vYXJ0aWNsZS95M2R5eXgvaG93LWEtc21hbGwtYmxvZy1iZWNhbWUtYS10aG9ybi1pbi10aGUtc2lkZS1vZi1jb3Jwb3JhdGUtY2xpbWF0ZS1kZW5pYWxXA3NwY0IKYXFDjnZh6UaGwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) Florida's anti-mask surgeon general Florida state Sen. Tina Polsky, a Democrat, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. As a result of the condition, her immune system doesn't work as well as if she were completely healthy. So this week when she met with Florida's new surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, she politely asked him to wear a mask as a precaution — there is still a deadly respiratory virus going around, after all. This should have been easy enough for the state's highest-ranking medical official, who has surely worked in both research and clinical settings that require masks. [But instead he refused](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0SbaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTAvMjQvZmxvcmlkYS1zdXJnZW9uLWdlbmVyYWwtYm9vdGVkLWZyb20tYXQtcmlzay1zdGF0ZS1zZW5hdG9ycy1vZmZpY2UtYWZ0ZXItcmVmdXNpbmctdG8td2Vhci1hLW1hc2tfcGFydG5lci8_dXNlcl9pZD0qfEVNQUlMfCpXA3NwY0IKYXFDjnZh6UaGwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA), downplaying her concerns. After a minute or two, she booted him from her office. He even got one last shot at her on his way out the door: "Sometimes I try to reason with unreasonable people for fun," he said. Flashback: Ladapo [has ties to a fringe medical group](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0SOaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMDkvMjIvZmxvcmlkYXMtbmV3LXN1cmdlb24tZ2VuZXJhbC1kci1qb3NlcGgtbGFkYXBvLWhhcy10aWVzLXRvLWZyaW5nZS1ncm91cC1wdXNoaW5nLWJvZ3VzLWN1cmVzLz91c2VyX2lkPSp8RU1BSUx8KlcDc3BjQgphcUOOdmHpRobAUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~), America's Frontline Doctors, who have spent the last year-and-a-half spreading misinformation and profiteering on bogus COVID-19 cures. (Photo via Getty Images) Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). Copyright © 2021 Crash Course, All rights reserved. Our mailing address: 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, DE 19801 [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0RBaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPTM1NDM5NTJXA3NwY0IKYXFDjnZh6UaGwFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjWRNBP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgphcUOOdmHpRobAUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~)