“What Monopoly Teaches Us About Privilege”

While assessing Duke of Edinburgh at a prestigious private school, I witnessed something I’ve rarely seen in lower-income settings: one student, lacking confidence and status, was quietly sidelined — made to cook, clean, and carry, while others strutted. They weren’t evil. Just enculturated.

A study had players start a Monopoly game with randomly assigned wealth.

Within 15 minutes, the “rich” became louder, more dominant, and convinced they deserved their lead.

This is what psychologists call the Dominance Behaviour System. It reduces empathy.

It builds entitlement. And it thrives in unequal environments.

Egalitarian hunter-gatherers — like the San people — knew better.

They dismantled hierarchy quickly, because they understood: unchecked status corrupts.

Wealth doesn’t just change your circumstances. It changes you.

And in a world where AI is poised to reshape everything, the real danger isn’t the tech.
It’s what those who control it believe they deserve.