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“Why start-up was an utter disappointment towards the end”
4. QUESTIONABLE LIFE LESSONS GLEANED FROM THIS DRAMA
4. QUESTIONABLE LIFE LESSONS GLEANED FROM THIS DRAMA
Up to this point I focused on the literary merits (or lack thereof) of SU. But here I’m digressing a bit as I will have to talk about what’s left to us viewers after the drama ended: its core message(s) and life lessons.
Core message A:
You don’t have to have your own dreams—the best aspiration in life is the love and acceptance of one person.
You don’t have to have your own dreams—the best aspiration in life is the love and acceptance of one person.
Now why is this problematic? Sounds like a solid plan for the youth, right?
NOT.
This is such a dangerous premise because it means your inherent worth can only be validated by somebody else. Your talent, dreams, self-worth—all are secondary to you being liked by your crush.
NOT.
This is such a dangerous premise because it means your inherent worth can only be validated by somebody else. Your talent, dreams, self-worth—all are secondary to you being liked by your crush.
Now this is not to invalidate love & the wonderful things it brings: inspiration, trust, steadfastness. It is good! But in SU, we see the male lead not further his potential (D0san in SF, Silicon Valley fer chrissakes, wondering why he was there) because he was pining for a girl.
He had a relatively successful career but what I wanted to see was D0san finally becoming passionate about his work, not wondering what DM was doing in SK. For the longest time he wanted to please his parents, but now he switched gears & seeking validation from DM instead.
You can have dreams & follow your passion, it all doesn’t have to hinge on one person’s acceptance. If D0san came back from SV confident in himself, brimming w/ ideas about tech, then wooing DM as himself, I would’ve been happy for them to end up together.
Instead, he came back broody, still no dreams & passion of his own, still insecure, & still wanting DM’s validation. Only when she said “I like you for you” did he finally perk up & got his act going, BUT this only proves D0san is nothing w/out Dalmi. And it’s so sad because—
with his genius he could have been so much more: use his SV connections to find his passion project, heck give Ted talks about his AI or coach fumbling noob developers. Instead, he was forever hovering beside Dollme— f* your own dreams because all you need is love eh?
Core message B:
In business, all you need to succeed is a plucky attitude—go big or go home right? Who knows, you might get lucky.
In business, all you need to succeed is a plucky attitude—go big or go home right? Who knows, you might get lucky.
There’s a reason so many people working in start-ups, IT, corporate etc. reacted so negatively SU’s message of sailing w/o a map—this just doesn’t happen irl. Obviously Dollmie & co did plan—but they wrapped up the drama by having this middling company of 6 outbid everyone else.
And no, not even Dosan’s SV experience is enough to win a bid of such scale—he’s a FRIGGIN DEVELOPER, not god.
By ending the drama that way, this show indirectly spits on the years of experience, hard work, & expertise of people who are actually working in this industry. “Hey,-
By ending the drama that way, this show indirectly spits on the years of experience, hard work, & expertise of people who are actually working in this industry. “Hey,-
luck, good looks, & some bit of fiddling with the computer are all you need to succeed in business.” Yeah right. More than half of SU actually fail, even w/ a ‘genius’ team.
SU actually started out quite accurately in depicting the field, but the ending was absolutely Disney.
SU actually started out quite accurately in depicting the field, but the ending was absolutely Disney.
And Core message C:
When you’re young and talented, you don’t need the input of your more experienced seniors. You can succeed without their help, thank you very much.
When you’re young and talented, you don’t need the input of your more experienced seniors. You can succeed without their help, thank you very much.
‘Nuff said.
Tbf Yongsan did show some growth (the most out of the original SST) by coming to JP in the end & acknowledging his expertise and in a roundabout way, his help to them previously. Sadly, the other two never did. Their too cool for that
Tbf Yongsan did show some growth (the most out of the original SST) by coming to JP in the end & acknowledging his expertise and in a roundabout way, his help to them previously. Sadly, the other two never did. Their too cool for that
Ultimately, these messages ruined watching the last few eps of SU for me. It’s actually alarming to me how many younger viewers glorify these messages. In reality, relationships where both persons are confident in themselves are the best kind. Your partner will quickly tire of-
you asking them why you like them for the umpteenth time, you need concrete business plans & not just your plucky attitude to move your business forward, & you would certainly need the help of people who have more experience than you at every point. There’s a reason CONSULTANTS-
charge exorbitant fees. You’re paying them for their expert advice and knowledge. The Sandbox mentors were there for a reason.
