November 29, 2020

Monopoly and Class Struggle: The games we play

30 minutes

When Hasbro, the makers of Monopoly, recently posted bumper third quarter sales figures LHT's Patrick Dixon started to wonder about the political and historical implications of this new wave of pandemic-induced popularity for the most capitalist of all games. On today’s show, Patrick discusses Monopoly and Class Struggle, a once-popular Marxist alternative board game, with Keith Plocek, Professor of Professional Practice at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California.

On America Works, an ongoing podcast series from the Library of Congress, Joyce Vegar, a dedicated home health care worker from Coos County, Oregon, talks about her pride and pleasure as well as her challenges in helping her clients remain in their own homes and communities. Vegar is one of more than 40 home health care workers interviewed by University of Oregon researchers for the “Taking Care” OFP collection. This moving episode highlights the enormous and often unheralded contributions made by workers in this under-documented profession.

And, on this week’s Labor History in 2:00, Rick Smith tells us about The Fight for $15 and a Union.

Music: Fight for 15 Official Video: Fight for it, with A.D, Arsonisto, Brittany & LV-Produced by KORE. Chicago's fast food and retail workers tell their stories of everyday struggles. Their voices tell us all why we need to Fight for 15!

Produced and edited by Chris Garlock; additional editing by Patrick Dixon. To contribute a labor history item, email [email protected]

Labor History Today is produced by the Metro Washington Council’s Union City Radio and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown University. We're a proud founding member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network, nearly 80 shows focusing on working people’s issues and concerns. #LaborRadioPod

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