A Friendly Game of Monopoly

This evening at our monthly all-church game night, I played a game of Monopoly with three teens and an adult from the neighborhood. I stuck out like a sore thumb. Unlike my competition, I was able to do basic math in my head and, when it came to wheeling and dealing, my fellow players often lacked some common sense. For example, they were always more interested in CASH. Cold, hard cash here and now -- something to buy a cheeseburger with. It didn't occur to some of them that property ultimately held more value than cash because it could generate more wealth in the long run. I watched with amusement as one of the teens yelled "Aww, snap!" in jubilation as he sold a set of three properties valued around $600 for about $650. As you might guess, I gradually began to accumulate masses of wealth and one by one eliminated my competition.

It started as just a game of Monopoly with some of my poor, uneducated friends from a few blocks down. It ended with me in deep thought about systemic economic injustice.

I was born in Lexington, KY to two parents with college degrees, one of whom was working on a Masters. They read to me at night, fed me three square meals a day, put me to bed at a decent hour, and took me to the doctor when I got sick. My father loved my mother and treated her with dignity. I enjoyed green grass and found ample room to run and play in the great outdoors. Furthermore, my parents instilled in me a system of values about hard work, responsibility, and discipline all undergirded by a robust ethical system from the Judeo-Christian heritage. I did not choose this life; it chose me. I could just as well have been a Buddhist in Guangzhou, a nomad in Somalia, or a gypsy.

As I looked around the table, I thought about the lives of my "competition." The other white player at the table was the son of an alcoholic. His mother left him when he was a few years old and he's only seen her once ever since -- she apparently married some rich guy, but never sends a check or birthday card. I've been to his house; the holes in the walls are clearly the results of punches thrown by an angry man. And the stench of the living room is what you might expect to find in the home of an unemployed, overweight, wifeless alcoholic who watches 16 hours of TV each day and lives off of his kid's SSI. The other three of my competitors were part of the same family: a young mother perhaps a year older than myself who has a 14 year old son and 12 year old daughter. This household is once again led by a single parent. The 14 year old son is clearly mentally retarded and the girl is incredibly intelligent, but embarrassed to show it in front of her peers for fear of being excluded from their community. Whereas I was tucked in at night and kissed on the forehead, it is not uncommon for my 14 year old friend to tell me that he once again had to sleep on the porch even though it was raining and in the upper 30s. He had pissed of his mom again.

The game of monopoly wasn't really much of a challenge. Sure, we all started from "Go" with $1500 cash, but it was over before it began. They watched in amazement as I built up my empire to squash them and shouted, "Daaaang... you smart!"

You see, some people in this world seem to think that every human being starts at "Go" with $1500 in their pocket. The rest is up to hard work and intelligence. The rich will get rich because they deserve it... they worked hard and made the sacrifices. The poor likewise deserve their fate since they are lazy and make stupid choices. But more than ever I am convinced that this is The Great American Lie.

Some people are born into this world like myself -- with Park Place and Boardwalk already in their stash. They got it from their parents who got it from their parents who exploited the "niggers" to climb to the top of the heap. I entered the game with hotels on all the dark blue and dark green rectangles; they entered it owing me money.

I know some people find the idea of redistribution of wealth to be morally repugnant. Personally, I'm not too bothered by it. I see it as one way that we can right the wrongs of our past, even the playing field, and make sure the game isn't fixed before it even gets started.