19 Comments
User's avatar
MacFinnian Aisling Fíodóir's avatar

Fun Fact: did you know the phase ‘pull yourself up by your boot straps’ was originally associated with doing an impossible task.

There’s no possible way for one to pull themselves up by their boot straps so it’s interesting that this would be how they represented the middle class. 🧐

Expand full comment
Irv Oslin's avatar

No, I did not! After all those times I tried and fell on my face, you’d think I might have figured that out. But now that I know, it’s even more applicable.

Expand full comment
MacFinnian Aisling Fíodóir's avatar

Right?!? I was floored when I found this out.

Expand full comment
Roger Karkoff's avatar

By the way, I was meeting my brother in Medina at eight. I'm not much of an early riser anymore, I'm still trying to get back to it, but eight is my usual waking time for now.

Expand full comment
Roger Karkoff's avatar

Again.

Expand full comment
Irv Oslin's avatar

Sounds reasonable. Then comes the time change. Again.

Expand full comment
Roger Karkoff's avatar

Very interesting, It usually surprises me how the early board games came about. T Rex, really?

Expand full comment
Irv Oslin's avatar

Voted on by Monopoly fans.

Expand full comment
Roger Karkoff's avatar

They didn’t ask me.

Expand full comment
Irv Oslin's avatar

Funny how we never hear about these polls and surveys till after the fact.

Expand full comment
Michael James Golch's avatar

A T-rex really Parker brothers? aint nothing sacred.

Expand full comment
Roger Karkoff's avatar

I agree, that's straight crap.

Expand full comment
Jan Roberts's avatar

Very interesting, Irv!

Expand full comment
Irv Oslin's avatar

Thank you. The research, though limited, was fascinating. There’s a guy who has written three books about Monopoly. I’m jealous; I used to think that I was the most easily amused person on the planet.

Expand full comment
Jan Roberts's avatar

:-)

Expand full comment
Melaine Mahaffey's avatar

Good one, Irv.

Expand full comment
Irv Oslin's avatar

Thank you.

Expand full comment
William Baumgartner's avatar

It's weird how a game originally designed to warn of the dangers of capitalism evolved into a celebration of capitalism, predatory vulture capitalism at that. Actually, maybe it's not so weird. Predictable, really.

Expand full comment
Irv Oslin's avatar

According to my research (shallow as it was) Lizzy’s Landlord Game DID preach against the evils of unbridled capitalism whereas Monopoly, a direct ripoff, leaned toward a more charitable (for want of a better word) view. The message there was, if you can’t beat them, join them. Or die trying. Lizzy was a Quaker and “woke.” Which means she didn’t lie there and take it like a woman.

Expand full comment