Back in the ’70s, BP decided to market a family board game by the name of “Offshore Oil Strike,” boasting the “thrills of drilling” as well as the “hazards and rewards.” I mean, Monopoly worked out pretty well for the Wall Street tycoons even in the midst of the Great Depression, right?
On the other hand, if you drew one of the game’s Hazard Cards, even little Suzy could probably predict what might happen in the Gulf of Mexico one day: “Blow-out! Rig damaged. Oil slick clean-up costs. Pay $1 million.”
It appears the BP execs who lacked the foresight to oversee proper rig safety measures in the Gulf also lacked the foresight to predict an offshore oil-drilling board game might be a losing proposition. Otherwise they might have decided the game should not pass “Go.”
Unsurprisingly, the game “was not popular at the time of its release.” I don’t foresee that changing any time soon.
Via Mother Jones.
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