America has a long history of the oppression of black people and people have found another way to mock us even more. They created games they thought were funny back then and now we have a chance to find out about them. What is really disgusting for me is that one of these awful games was created in 2003. It’s not 100 years, not even 50 or 30 years, it’s 13 years ago. 13! Such a shame.
‘Blacks & Whites’ (1970)
The whites, who comprised the majority of players, started with $1 million and can buy property anywhere on the board. Their Black counterparts are the minority, start the game with only $10,000 and can’t buy many properties.
The property clusters had outrageous names such as “inner ghetto” and “outer ghetto” to “lower integrated” and “upper integrated,” and “newer estates” and “older estates.”
The “Blacks” and “Whites” each draw from their own set of “opportunity cards.” A typical Black card: “Government begins urban-renewal project. You lose both Harlem and Watts. Collect full price less 10% from Treasury.”
‘Darkies in the Melon Patch’ (?)
The objective of the game was to escape a patch of melons. Angry farmers and bearded grandmothers act as threats. The path also offers some tempting distractions, such as melon races and seed-spitting contests.
‘Five Little Nigger Boys’ (1950)
This 1950 release from Britain is a target shooting game. Players are equipped with a rubber-band gun to shoot down five black-painted figurines, some eating watermelon.
The first player to shoot down a predetermined amount of pieces wins the game.
‘Public Assistance: Why Bother Working For a Living?’ (1980)
The game, “Public Assistance“, released by Hammerhead Enterprises in 1980, was allegedly intended as satire of the welfare system.
Players move around the board in two different tracks: ‘working person’s rut’ and ‘able-bodied welfare recipient’s promenade.’ The goal of the game is to have the most money after a pre-determined number of circuits around the board have been achieved. Players also collect ‘welfare benefit’ and ‘working person’s burden’ cards as they progress around the board.”
While the company used figures that were racially ambiguous to represent folks stealing from stores, shooting dice, and working in prostitution, the description on the cards were telling.
In several instances the word “ethnic” is applied to describe a lawyer, politician, landlord and a congressman.
‘Ghettopoly’ 2003
“Ghettopoly” is the most recent board game on this list and another failed attempt at parody. Some of the elements of the game includes buying stolen properties, building a crack house and projects, paying protection fees, and getting carjacked.
Players can also receive points for selling “a couple chunks of soap to a stupid high school student thinking it’s crack,” according to the description. One game card reads, “You got yo whole neighborhood addicted to crack. Collect $50.”
