Cautionary Tales is a podcast developed and hosted by British economist Tim Harford. The podcast spins tales of people who have made "bad choices" either through "stupidity (the podcast's words) or poor judgement. This current season began in February earlier this year.
So far, this season has introduced us to the hijackers so clueless that they refused to allow the pilot to land the plane they hijacked to refuel, therefore crashing the plane. Or the confusing orders in battle that were responsible for the disastrous Charge Of The Light Brigade in 1854.
In this week's episode called, " DO NOT Pass Go!" Harford transports listeners back to the creation of the popular board game Monopoly. In the episode, Harford explains how inventor Lizzie J. Magee (played by actor Helena Bonham Carter in the episode) created "The Landlords Game" to expose the cruelties and inequities endemic to capitalism. Magee even applied for -- and received -- a patent.
Since fairness and fate are not always companions, Magee discovered that a man named Charles Darrow had made some changes to her game design, renamed it Monopoly, and then sold it to Parker Brothers. The trail of misfortune that followed Magee after that enables Harford to evaluate continuing disparities in the patenting of new inventions.
In addition to the content of the episode, you'll enjoy Harford's narrative skill, where irony and subtle sarcasm add to his painstakingly nourished insights.
Tim Harford, “the Undercover Economist,” is a Financial Times columnist, BBC broadcaster, and the author of nine books, including his most recent --The Data Detective. Harford is an economist, journalist and broadcaster. Check out the episode here.
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