Ideological Problem 2: Animals are still Seen as Commodities to be Exchanged For
- Mar 26, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 7, 2021
Another problematic ideology that the film promotes is that animals are seen as living beings inferior to us humans. Many believe that animals are commodities that can be exchanged for supplies or other products.
How is this seen in the movie?
After the Mirando Corporation’s abusive way of operation was revealed to the public, no one outside the ALF attempted to help Okja escape which indirectly tells how they really view animals. People’s non-verbal cues of doing nothing when hundreds of animals are at the risk of being abused says a lot on how they regard animals.
This problematic ideology was even more highlighted when Mija agreed to buy Okja from the CEO Nancy Mirando using her golden pig. Nancy also explicitly stated that Okja is her ‘property’ and she only allowed Okja to be freed from her custody after she got the gold from Mija. This scene is problematic because despite the two characters’ opposing perspectives (animals as pets or food), they still treated Okja as a commodity that can be bought and sold.
What does it mean and why is this problematic?
The act of buying Okja’s life can be problematic as it can give the viewers the impression that animals are dispensable and can be treated as objects that are easily traded. An important point of discussion that can arise from this is whether animals are our pets or food.
This problematic ideology in the film marginalizes animals as they are being viewed as commodities that are for human consumption. Okja shows how animals are sentient beings and yet, there are still characters who chose to treat them as inanimate objects. In an attempt to centralize us, humans, we intentionally marginalized the animals.
Thus, it can be concluded that the majority of the characters in the film downgrade the lives of the animals and perceive their lives as expendable compared to humans. This is seen in their abstinence from taking any action about the animal maltreatment issue despite their knowledge on the atrocities of the Mirando Corporation.
We really see animals differently. An example of this are dogs and pigs. In most cultures, dogs are seen as pets and companions but in some, they are considered as food. The same could be said about pigs as they are seen more as food although some also keep them as pets.