The symbolism of the Monopoly gameboard is truly ironic. Not only given the mortgage-owner players of the current depression but in light of the alleged Quaker origins of the board game, which I had long considered an urban myth, though Wiki affirms that: Monopoly is a redesign of an earlier game "The Landlord's Game", first published by the Quaker and political activist Elizabeth Magie. The purpose of that game was to teach people how monopolies end up bankrupting the many and giving extraordinary wealth to one or few individuals. Remarkable how her idea of an interactive teaching tool like a board game to give learners/players an experiential appreciation of a somewhat non-intuitive economic concept somehow evolved into the modern boardgame celebrating unbridled selfish greed. Funny too, considering most can anecdotally identify with that profiteering single mindedness that grips you, all consideration for others cast aside and then the frayed tempers and temporarily broken friendships in the aftermath. It always end in tears. Or was that just me?
While on the subject of monopolies, yet another article about the 'too big to fail' global banking entities. And a link to a shocking article on the phenomenon of the super-rich, The Rise of the New Elite.
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