zarkanianMay 10, 2024

Monopoly

https://sh.itjust.works/post/19077986

Monopoly - sh.itjust.works

Show threadrunswithjediMay 10, 2024

Monopoly is literally capitalist propaganda. Parker Brothers basically stole the game from its creator and then offered $500 for the rights. They modified the game to be more focused on owning everything.

Cautionary Tales has a great episode about Lizzie J. Magie and how she originally created the Landlord’s Game.

timharford.com/…/cautionary-tales-do-not-pass-go/

Cautionary Tales – Do NOT pass GO!

(Self promotion: the paperback of How To Make the World Add Up is now out worldwide (except North America). Please consider an early order, which is disproportionately helpful in winning …

Tim Harford
Show threadninpninMay 10, 2024
How is it capitalist propagarda exactly? Parker Brothers might have screwed her over, but it’s impossible to come out of a game of monopoly feeling more symphatetic towards landlords than when you started.
Show threadrunswithjediMay 10, 2024

This is propaganda

  • It feels great to own everything
  • This is what winning IRL looks like
  • A single person can and should own everything and it’s too bad if you don’t
  • Owning property is a zero sum game
  • Only one person can win when it comes to property ownership
  • Owning property is the only way to power

It’s propaganda because the system doesn’t have to work like this. We’re just told that we have to deal with it, but there’s plenty of resources to go around for everyone to live a comfortable life. Life doesn’t have to be a zero sum game.

Show threadninpninMay 10, 2024
I.e., perfect satire of the current system?
Show threadrunswithjedi
It’s more ironic than satire. Parker Brothers has absolutely used their power as a large game publisher to squeeze out smaller competitors.
May 10, 2024 at 7:41pmWeb
Show threadninpninMay 10, 2024
The game is (still) a satirical version of the real housing market, and anybody with half a brain gets the impression of unfairness after a game of monopoly. This is unrelated to the fact that parker brothers is making a lot of money with the game
Show threadgrueMay 11, 2024

anybody with half a brain gets the impression of unfairness after a game of monopoly.

The trouble is, their incorrect takeaway is that Monopoly is a bad game, instead of the correct takeaway that Monopoly is an excellent demonstration of a bad system. Parker Brothers’ removal of the “prosperity” ruleset ruined any educational value it had.