Monday, April 20, 2020

Lost and Found

This is the sort of stuff you find when you're spring cleaning...


A childhood game of snakes and ladders.  And it took you fifty-odd years to discover the message hidden in plain sight:  Every action has a consequence.  The industrious boy at No. 37 zooms up to No. 86 whilst the sociopathic girl torturing the cat at No. 94 is rewarded with a slide all the way down to 53.

The boy who plays with matches ends up with bandages the size of boxing gloves and the little girl who washes the dishes gets to see the one-trick pony at the circus.  And yes, it's true that boys get rewarded for being heroic and the girls get kudos for domestic chores.  And for sure, no surprise, the boys get the longest ladders, but they also have to deal with the most treacherous snakes.

Growing up, I couldn't say how many times we played this game, but I never noticed any of it.  It probably explains the complete lack of morality and human decency, plus the urge to drive over chickens and smash glasshouse windows.      

No comments:

Post a Comment