Many elementary schools in New York have banned Squid Game costumes for Halloween after observing kids replicating some of the show’s violent scenes.
The decision was taken by the Fayetteville-Manlius School District, which includes the elementary schools of Enders Road, Mott Road, and Fayetteville. A school in Ireland and Spain are reported to have similar bans as well.
Fayetteville-Manlius’s superintendent explained that the costume would be inappropriate as it could be potentially harmful and misleading to the students.
Other bans include carrying any objects that could be interpreted as weapons or costumes that were gory/scary.
One of the main reasons that the schools locked down on Squid Game was because kids were found playing the show’s games and physically hurting each other as punishment for losing.
Parents were informed about all these guidelines via email. However, certain parents responded that the ban was overbearing. They felt that parents/schools should focus more on curbing the students’ violent actions and making them understand the situation, instead of outrightly banning something.
Plus, it has been pointed out that parents should simply monitor their kids’ screen-time in order to avoid the same. Netflix has already issued a statement reminding parents that the streamer has multiple parental controls available for Squid Game and other TV-MA shows.
As of yet, Fayetteville-Manlius is New York’s only school district to ban the outfits. The superintendent in White Plains, on the other hand, calls such decisions a “slippery slope.” There are plenty of other costumes which can equally incite potential violence or harmful messages. Banning one costume would call for banning more.
Indeed, banning the costumes may ultimately not solve any violent mimicry happening in the school playground.
Squid Game isn’t the first, nor will it be the last mature media to cause worry about how it would affect younger audiences. But it has been observed that kids can respond positively and rectify their actions when a taboo topic is explained to them.
Perhaps this would be a better alternative to Squid Game’s costume ban.
About Squid Game
Squid Game is a South Korean survival show written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The nine-episode series released on Netflix on September 17, 2021 and has become an internet sensation.
It features an ensemble of Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, O Yeong-su, Wi Ha-joon, Ho Seong-tae, Kim Joo-ryung, Jung Ho-yeon and Anupam Tripathi. It became the first Korean show to reach No. 1 in the U.S.
The plot revolves around 456 people deep-in-depth, playing multiple dangerous games based on children’s games in a bid to win 45.6 billion KRW. The employees wear a mask with a triangle, square and a circle, signifying the hierarchy and an ode to the ‘Squid Game’ Koreans play.
It’s acclaimed for its dark satire, violence and the class and wealth inequality showcased flawlessly.
Source: CBS Newyork
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