Byproducts

McDonald’s golden arches and French fries have been taunting me since my arrival in London. In a weak moment, I relented. I ordered my delicious fries, paid 30 p for a single ketchup packet, and discovered that it is Monopoly season – sweet!  Looking over the board, it was even better than I expected – London Monopoly – and I now had the perfect playing piece for my London scrapbook. Obviously, my stooping to McDonalds was a great life choice.

Further inspection revealed that London Monopoly was not as great as I first imagined. Modeled after London neighborhoods, the property showcased on the board were London boroughs. From least expensive and desirable to most expensive and exclusive, London was ranked. White Chapel, a Muslim borough of London, was identified as purple (America’s Baltic Avenue) and Mayfair as navy (America’s Boardwalk).  I discovered that my home-base (Pentonville Rd/Euston Rd) was identified as light-blue superior only to White Chapel and Old Kent Road – who knew! (Note – White Chapel is one of my favorite areas of London. It is a Muslim borough, with a wonderful community park and a three-story community center and library. While admittedly, it is not the wealthiest part of London, the sense of community in this area is much stronger than in other parts of London and they sell the best scarves).

There is something about Monopoly that now makes me uncomfortable. Yes, I know that different areas of city will naturally have more resources, but I do not like the idea of ranking them on a board and calling it a game. I have to wonder how this game board changes one’s perceptions of an area.

“Oh, White Chapel, that is a really sketchy area.”

“Have you ever been there?”

“Oh, no. I have just heard that it is not an area I would travel.”

I wonder how many of these conversations and stereotypes have become unintentional byproducts of a carton of fries and packet of ketchup.