Posted by Tina
The lessons of history, sometimes difficult to pass along to our progeny, can still be learned playing a board game…or so it is hoped:
“‘Communist Monopoly’ Teaches Downside of Socialist Life,” By Jill Petzinger – Spiegel Online
A Polish research institute has developed a board game to teach young people about life under Communism. In the game, which is inspired by Monopoly, players must wait in endless lines at stores for scarce goods. For added realism, they have to put up with people cutting in line and products running out — unless they have a “colleague in the government” card.
There are no glamorous avenues for sale, nor can players erect hotels, charge rent or make pots of money. In fact, a new Polish board game inspired by the classic Monopoly is all about communism rather than capitalism.
The goal of the game, which will officially be launched on Feb. 5, is to show how hard and frustrating it was for an average person to simply do their shopping under the Communist regime in Poland. The game has been developed by the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), a Warsaw-based research institute that commemorates the suffering of the Polish people during the Nazi and Communist eras.
Just like in the original Monopoly, acquisition is the name of the game. In this case, however, that means struggling to get basic necessities such as food, clothing and furniture. “In the game, you send your family out to get items on a shopping list and they find that the five shops are sold out or that there hasn’t been a delivery that day,” the IPN’s Karol Madaj told SPIEGEL ONLINE Thursday, explaining that the game “highlights the tough realities of life under Communism.”
Any chance we can get this game into our schools?
I would hope not.
The basic premise of this game is to promote capitalism (an economic system) instead of communism (a political system). Our kids are stupid enough without futher confusing them!
Sure Q, it’s much worse to live in a free country and endure capitalism than to live in a communist country and survive the dicatatorially oppressive socialist state.
But never mind…what systems would you propose, economically and politically? I ask only because you are obviously the expert everyone should consult when seeking alternatives…and yet you are so traditionally reluctant to advise.
Will you dare to take the challenge now?
I propose FAIR systems.
Capitalism is an excellent system. We might try it.
A representative republic is a good system.
Alas, both of these systems require an educated populace to function properly and as they were designed. Unfortunately, there are too many people whose sole function is to miseducate others. They will spread nonsense such as, “Ronald Reagan was a conservative,” that has been proven to be false again and again, yet the lie is repeated to this very second.
These bad actors would have people believe that corporatism (fascism) is capitalism. They would have people I am a leftist. They would have people believe communism is an economic system while socialism is a political system. They are not the slightest bit interested in the truth. They only wish to score points. Points that have no value, yet are dangerous to America.
Even when someone manages to educate others the “miseducators” move in and change the subject, or evade the issues, or just about whatever it takes to keep people stupid.
With these bad actors around, America is doomed to fail.
Quentin, thank you very much! I encourage you to participate more often in this manner because, as I suspected, you have a lot to contribute.
I too believe that what is required in order to restore capitalism and a representative republic to America is education. I think blogs are a valuable medium in this respect, or can be when people participate with genuine desire to learn and reach clarity. I have never personally claimed to be an expert on any subject or to have the truth at my personal disposal, just the opposite. I have encouraged sharing by as many people as possible in the spirit of discovery. Although we may not always get things right here on PS, I think most of us are seekers of the truth and have as a purpose top become better educated. If we are fortunate, our discussions will encourage further reading and our disagreements will bring that greater clarity. I was very encouraged, for instance, when you brought the word corporatism into our conversation. It is a word that many of us had never heard before and it brought to life the real differences between those corporations, and there are many, that are just working and doing business each day and those who make deals with government, thus poisoning the system. You and I may disagree about the cause of these arrangements (manipulations) but we do agree about the damage to our republic that is caused by such arrangements. My own defense of corporations is in fact an appeal for those who simply want to have the freedom to do business. When the public is made to think corporations are inherently evil they will support legislation that harms all corporations instead of getting to the heart of the problem, IMHO, which is government intruding too extensively into the system. When government inserts itself in business with overregulation, or agenda driven regulation, it invites corporate deal making. Simple, effective regulations and low tax rates (or no corp. tax since it is the consumer who actually pays) will send corporations back into the business of doing business.
This games purpose isnt to promote capitalism or corporatism. It is to counter fascism and Marxism, both of which create conditions like the players will experience when playing the game. If you read the article you find that the goal is to simply acquire the basic necessities of life: bread, toilet paper, etc. As players move around the board their efforts are blunted by directives from the central planners and circumstances commonly found in socialist systems: long lines, shortages, people cutting In line, neighbors that have a friend in high places, etc.
They will spread nonsense such as, “Ronald Reagan was a conservative,” that has been proven to be false again and again, yet the lie is repeated to this very second.
Ronald Reagan, like most of us, started out as a young compassionate progressive, joined the Democrat Party and over time, experienced the folly of the partys big government policies. He became more conservative as he aged. What a man believes will work, and what he can actually accomplish within this system of checks and balances, are two very different things. Your expectations of perfection, and perhaps your cynicism, cloud your vision and cripple your own abilities to educate. Lighten up a bit, Q, you will be much more effective.
Ronald Reagan is loved for two reasons. One, he was a magnificent speaker and articulated a vision of America that we share as citizens and two, he did what he could to move the system back toward freedom and capitalism and to educate people away from big government ideas of involvement and intrusion. We understand how the system works; Reagan was not part of the system.
The word “fair” is loaded with baggage. It brings up images of smaeness and carefully managed handouts. I doubt this is what you had in mind but in the spirit of education, I’d appreciate clarification.
Reagan was a puppet that was being told what to say. The wealthy elite held him in strings and ordered him around.
Hello you are mistaken but I’m not surprised. The media loved to portray Ronald Reagan as an amiable dunce. Unfortunately his early writings, in his own hand, make fools of the media…they were only schilling for the Democratsin power, none of whom could hold a candle to the man. We celebrate his 100 birthday in three days…long live the sensibilities of this great man who love America…freedom… and the entrepreneurial spirit that built this great nation of ours.
Tina
this one is my last one from my collection.