Kingmaker: Executing Ruthlessly in the Shadows

Watched this Korean movie about politics during the 1960-1970s, where this brilliant man partners with an opposition politician to rise to the top against an entrenched dominant political party (actually based on the real life story of Kim Dae Jung and his political strategist Uhm Chang-rok). He is ruthless, amoral, orthogonal thinker and does whatever it takes to win. He does it because he believes in his friend who truly wants to make Korea a true democracy. Everyone calls him the Shadow. 

To illustrate his tactics: he has his people pretend to be opposition party members and goes around insulting local people to turn them against his opponents. Because his party has no money, they also go back and collect the bribes and gifts given by the dominant party which enrages the people. They rewrap the gifts and then give them out again. He is so cynical and proposes ideas that are so vile and beyond the fold of decency. His tactics are cruel and brutal.  But they work. He is a master at reading a situation and understanding the psychology of the people. He says: “A raging bull only sees a waving red flag” as he shapes the people’s perceptions. 

I find it interesting that this is more than relevant in our technology, internet and media driven world. We lurch from crisis to crisis, while most of the people are distracted by the “new current thing” whatever it is. Our brains are overwhelmed by the noise and also by dopamine hits. 

It’s so hard to think deeply about anything these days. And the powers that be, whether politicians, bureaucrats, media & corporate leaders, banksters, The World Economic Forum; this is exactly where they want the populace to be. Reacting, running to and fro, barely surviving and barely looking past the next weeks or months. 

There is a way out for all of us: Do a digital detox, spend time in nature, reading real paper books that meet the “Lindy Effect” of being around for a long time. Learning to think critically and for ourselves. 

And frankly speaking, chasing our own goals and ambitions with the ruthlessness that the Shadow engaged in to get his candidate to the top. I realized I lost political games in the past because I had limits while my opponents had none. They beat me because they were more ruthless and amoral. Also probably because they wanted to win more.

There is a great but painful lesson here and it’s wrapped up well by a quote from the movie: 

“Doesn’t the word justice belong to the victor. So a successful coup is called a revolution. Our side won so we have justice.”