One of the moral dilemmas in the film Parasites is the relationship between the wealthy Park family and the impoverished Kim family. As the Kims become more and more involved in the Parks’ lives, they begin to manipulate and deceive the Park family in order to maintain their newfound status and financial stability, and even want to replace the Park family. However, as the situation spirals out of control, they are forced to face the consequences of their actions and the harm they cause to others.
Seven moral positions:
1. I would follow my conscience.
Based on John Chaffee’s analysis of moral values, I assume that if the Kim family’s moral upbringing is intelligent, empathic, and fair-minded, then they would probably follow their conscience and confess everything to the Park family, but this would most likely cause them to lose their jobs and face criminal charges. If the Kim family’s moral values are not intelligent, empathic, or fair-minded, then they will not realize that what they are doing is unethical, so they may continue to deceive the Park family.
2. I don’t know what I would do.
The Kim family may not know what to do and struggle with their decision, leading to inaction.
3. I would do whatever would improve my own situation.
In order to improve and get out of their poor situation, it is likely that the Kim family will continue to keep everything they do hidden in order to maintain their current stable job and enjoy the Park family’s luxurious life.
4. I would do what God or the Scriptures say is right.
The movie does not seem to mention that the Kim family believes in God, the Scriptures, or any religious beliefs.
5. I would do whatever made me happy.
For their happiness and their own benefit, the Kim family may decide to keep the secret to remain in their current comfortable lifestyle.
6. I would follow the advice of an authority figure.
If an authority figure gave the Kim family advice to confess what they had done, I think they would probably do so, as they were primarily concerned with their financial well-being.
7. I would do what’s best for everyone.
For the best of everyone, the Kim family may confess the truth to the Park family and tell them their hardships and difficulties may gain the Park family’s understanding. Stopping the damage in time could prevent greater harm in the future.
If I were in the position of the Kim family, I probably wouldn’t have chosen to deceive them at the beginning. Because according to the movie, the Kim family made a lot of lies to deceive the Park family and did a lot of unethical things (such as creating fake degrees and deliberately causing allergies to the Park family’s original domestic worker, etc.) to get their current jobs and stable income. It takes millions of lies to cover up one lie, and sooner or later, the lies and the truth will be disclosed. If I had a choice to make in a situation where I have already been deceived, I would probably confess the truth to the Park family, and as I said before it is in the best interest of everyone to stop the damage in time.
My moral compass follows the principle of doing what is best for everyone. Even if the decision may mean sacrificing personal benefits or facing adverse consequences. However, I acknowledge that moral decision-making can be complex, and in certain situations, it may be difficult to determine what is best for everyone. Therefore, it is essential to continuously reflect on my moral values and principles to make informed decisions.
One thought on “Xinlin Luo Conversation 8”
It’s interesting to see that you also discussed “Parasite” and how your analysis differs from mine, but we had mostly similar morals. While your approach was to examine the story as a whole, my analysis focused on a single decision that ultimately led to the chaos that unfolded in the film more specifically mine was about Kim family vs moon-gwang and her husband, while your against the house owners. It’s interesting to see how different perspectives can lead to similar morals.