7/24/2023 0 Comments Planet money monopoly history![]() Because absent a narrative able to explain and direct how people respond to the many grave crises we face, Democrats condemn themselves to playing supporting characters in other people’s dramas. And in these very dangerous times, that’s a big problem. The Biden White House especially has introduced smart answers to the challenges of the day, from the seizing up of supply chains to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And I’m not talking only about all the admirable ideas that glitter in the wreckage of the first reconciliation bill. Today’s Democrats have many policies that would make people better off. An especially well-fashioned story can create an entirely new sense of community and possibility. But in hard times, they need to craft narratives to explain why the pot is empty, to restore hope for better days, and to enlist people in a march toward reform. In stable times, politicians can spend their hours detailing how they plan to put a fatter chicken in every pot. They like to play music and occasionally DJ under the moniker DJ Swimteam.Storytelling is the essence of politics. Kaplan-Levenson is also the founder and host of the live storytelling series, Bring Your Own. They served as a host and producer of Last Call, a multiracial collective of queer artists and archivists, and freelanced as a storytelling and podcast consultant, workshop instructor, and facilitator of student-produced audio projects. Kaplan-Levenson has contributed to NPR, This American Life, Marketplace, Latino USA, Oxford American (print), Here and Now, The World, 70 Million, and Nancy, among other national outlets. Before podcasting, they were a founding reporter for WWNO's Coastal Desk, and covered land loss, fisheries, water management, and all things Louisiana coast. Before joining the Throughline team, they were the host and producer of WWNO's award-winning history podcast TriPod: New Orleans at 300, as well as WWNO/WRKF's award-winning political podcast Sticky Wicket. ![]() Laine Kaplan-Levenson is a producer and reporter for NPR's Throughline podcast. Her version of the game became popular among left-wing America, being played by progressives at universities, social reformers, and even Upton Sinclair himself. She was in a world where robber barons had come to dominate every sector of the economy, from oil to railroads, and their wealth depended on the ownership of land. She created the Landlord's Game as a way to teach people about the nature of monopolies and land ownership, and to show the fundamental inequalities of both. At that time, fewer than one percent of patents in the United States were granted to women, so this was a pretty big deal. The game was originally known as The Landlord's Game, and was patented by a woman named Lizzie Magie in 1904. ![]() But what really happened is a lot more complicated, and a lot less rosy. In 1934, he came up with Monopoly, sold it to Parker Brothers, and became a millionaire. "We have to look at board games as cultural artifacts, the same way we look at songs, books, movies–they represent the time periods that they're in" -Mary Pilonįor a long time, the supposed origin story appeared right at the top of the game's rulebook and went something like this: A man named Charles Darrow was down on his luck, unemployed amid the Great Depression and looking for something to pass the time. Depending on how you look at it, she says, "Monopoly is the American dream in a board game – or a nightmare." Its history challenges us to consider the aspirations, desires, and myths we, as a country, continue to hold onto. And sure, maybe it is just a board game, a way to pass the time, but writer Mary Pilon, the author of The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game, says Monopoly is much more than that. In fact, sales actually went up during the pandemic – an unlikely time for a game that champions wealth and landlords to thrive. Monopoly has been one of the best-selling board games in the United States for nearly a century now. Listen to Throughline on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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