Today is the 77th anniversary of the one of the most cynical game introduction of all time: the unveiling of the 'game' into the teeth of the Great Depression. They alleged at the time it was an "instructional" tool by which people could learn to understand 'capitalism.' Telling, ainit, the TITLE they chose? Since--in the 'final analysis,' as ol' Karl usta say, the ultimate, end-state of Capitalism is always exactly that: monopoly.
As my pal, Stephen Banks (aka, "Dirk Gently"), acutely observed:
"Life IS like a game of Monopoly.I mean, it's just a game. It wouldn't do to make it TOO life-like, would it?
"But not a game that starts at the beginning, where everyone starts with the same bankroll and the whole world is an open board, waiting for the cleverest and luckiest to make his fortune.
No, life starts in the last 20 minutes if the game, where one guy owns everything, and he lets all the losers slide in the rent a little or makes deals that slowly bleed them just to keep them in the game a little longer; after all, he will inevitably win, and he's the only one still having fun.
Imagine if every time you played, everyone started out with the same properties they had at the end of the last game - and if someone left, his kid took his place. After a while, you might not not want to play any more."
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