Dem
53
Ties
2
GOP
45
Sorry, but this piece is also about people making fun of Donald Trump—in this case, a bunch of Canadian teenagers who have demonstrated that board games can be a form of protest:
Although it looks like a version of Trivial Pursuit (another Canadian invention), it's actually a Monopoly-style game.
Players are afforded the opportunity to buy 20 different U.S. cities (the most expensive are Los Angeles and D.C.), and then to populate them with rent-earning hotels and golf courses. There's also a space where you can buy a Supreme Court justice (though it's not clear if you pay money, or just give him an RV). Here are some of the "Chance"-style cards that come with the set:
CHEAT AT GOLF! Collect $100.
BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL! Take $200 from the player with the least cash and give it to the player with the most cash.
NAUGHTY BY NATURE! A jury finds you liable for naughty things. Pay all female players $200.
DOBBS DECISION! All female players must move backwards five spaces on the board.
RENAME A BODY OF WATER! Pay $50 for new maps.
FIFTY-FIRST FOLLY! Your hotel goes bankrupt because Canadians stop visiting. Return your most expensive tower to the Treasury. If you don't own any, pay $500.
QUIET PIGGY! Your witty response stuns reporters! Any player who speaks before their next turn pays you $50. Except you. You can talk as much as you want.
FOUL PLAY! You phone a soccer friend to overturn a red card. Pay $15 in long distance phone charges.
There's also one that we just have to show you, because we can't capture it in typed form:
Hm. Hard to imagine what island the game makers might have been thinking of. Maybe Thousand Island.
So, why is this freudenfreude rather than schadenfreude? Well, first, because it's teenagers finding their political voice, and trying to be the change they want to see in the world. Second, because a chunk of the proceeds are going to charitable causes, including scholarships for high schoolers who helped improve their community in some way. If any readers would like to buy a copy, or to buy a red baseball cap that says "MAKE BOARD GAMES GREAT AGAIN," then the link is here.
As a side note, the 2026 Nobel Prize for Peace was announced not long before we posted this, and it's been awarded to Navi Pillay of South Africa, primarily for her work highlighting atrocities the Israeli government committed against Palestinians. Pillay, in addition to being a woman, is brown, highly educated, and an advocate for peace, human rights and the rule of law. It's almost like the Norwegian Nobel Committee said "Finn oss en motpol til Trump" ("Find us the anti-Trump").
Oh, well, Mr. President. Better luck next year, right?
Thanks to reader T.W. in Norfolk, England, UK, for bringing this to our attention, and have a good weekend, all! (Z)