Not always progress

[owlmoose]

Monopoly to go cashless. The classic "Monopoly money" will be replaced by a (Visa-branded, naturally) debit card and a calculator.

This is disturbing on so many levels. Half the fun of Monopoly was piling up the brightly colored bills. Does this mean that no one gets to be the banker? What will we call money of dubious value now? "Monopoly credit"?

Which leads me to the cynical part. Is this really about updating the game to modern times, or is this teaching kids to be good little credit spenders? Does the game allow you to go into debt now? So much for using Monopoly to teach financial responsibility. Or math skills.

Of course, this may just be me overreacting to another lost piece of childhood. Sigh.

Comments

I

[kunstarniki.livejournal.com]

What a truly silly idea. Wonder how much Visa paid them to do this? I cannot imagine seeing numbers on a screen will give the same satisfaction as waving a fan of money in one's opponent's face. I feel sure this is another neo-con plot. (Am I sounding paranoid?)

Re: I

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

Maybe so, but given the robber barons who control the credit card industry... ;)

I cannot imagine seeing numbers on a screen will give the same satisfaction as waving a fan of money in one's opponent's face.

That's exactly it. There was something really tactile about piling up the bills, and the physical act of having to actually hand over the cash. This new version seems oddly bloodless.

[i-iambe.livejournal.com]

This is a horrible idea! I'm with you on the collecting colored paper part of it. I used to trade in my cash if I had too much of one denomination and not enough of another because I liked to see all of the different colors in front of me. Plus, cash made it more real.

I guess credit card debt makes it more real now. How sad.

[angeltaisha.livejournal.com]

That just stinks. You know, I had a dream the other night that I was playing Monopoly with some co-workers, and in my dream I was "playing wrong" because there were new changes in it I didn't know of. I remember waking up feeling pissed that they altered it. Now this!! WTF?!?!

I would like to get an cash version before they disappear for good.

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I guess kids today don't think about money being a physical thing. That's a little scary, actually...

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking about doing that too.

So weird that you just dreamed about changes to Monopoly!

[oswulf.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't put it past the cc companies to be hatching a grand plot, but I find it more likely--and am frankly a little more disturbed--by the idea that they aren't.

Tangent: people talk about progressive taxation as a "redistribution of wealth". But the truly terrifying fact is the degree to which subtle and/or natural forces redistribute wealth on their own. Poorer communities get worse roads, consequently more tire damage, have to spend money to replace tires more. More holisticly, poorer communities will have less-supported schools, lettering on buildings will tend to be more worn--more likely to have letters missing etc, from poorer libraries to less bookstores to contents of gas stations; opportunites for young children to learn to read are effected significantly by wealth.

So anyway, my point is that what really concerns me about this are the subtle things that you don't notice at a glance.

If that makes any sense.

[generalist.livejournal.com]

Hi!

I am left speechless. This is rare, to say the least.

Thanks for the link, I hope you are doing well.

Cheers! generalist