Reflections on Monopoly
Finally, post a short reflection of your experience playing the game to the discussion board. Even in the rigged game, everyone was playing by the same rules in the last rounds; did they seem fair? See the supplemental readings that follow for more on this topic.
Monopoly is certainly a game which can be rigged just as the social situation is rigged to favour the rich at every stage of society. Downtrodden communities such as Native Americans and African Americans have been reduced to pariahs in their own country. Although the former have won some rights back especially since the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act, the situation is still dire in several Southern states where racism rules the roost and whites are consistently on top.
The Monopoly game was a simple exercise demonstrating how rigged the system of racial wealth is. The Hats were consistently given an advantage and thus won the game hands down when compared to the cars who had restrictions at every corner and obviously could not keep up with the former.
This situation reminded me of housing restrictions for blacks who were always restricted to the nastiest parts of any city and were not in any way allowed to mxi with whites. And although the rules may seem to be fair initially since housing is accorded on an equal basis, everyone knows that the facilities provided are not equal. The ‘separate but equal’ maxim is clearly abusive as it is inherently flawed and biased. This could also be seen in the Monopoly game where even though every piece was playing by the same rules, the game was rigged from the start.
Although we have come forward in leaps and bounds regarding racial equality the divide of wealth by race is still a considerable problem in the United States.
