And what are laws other than a given set of rules for a certain mode of play? It’s no coincidence that certain games, bridge for example, are referred to as society games. Hannah Arendt, in her book On Revolution, points out that the only free people in a society are those who make the laws. Now everything here is more or less “normal” and it’s America that is often mystifying when seen from a distance. But as Herodotus wrote, Custom is King and in time my experience changed. Here they’re spread out in every direction, it’s almost incomprehensible. For example, why are so many traffic signals painted on the ground? In America there are stop signs, red lights, yield signs and a few others, all clear. People followed codes, both written and tacitly understood, that from my outsider’s perspective were inexplicable. Even though I’m from the United States it was hard not to notice random rule choices and social habits. When I first came to France I was struck by the difference in the rules. No one realizes that each player is consistent and sees instead what appears to be totally random events. Now imagine that though they’re not aware of it, one person is playing by the rules of Monopoly, another is playing Poker, another charades, another chess and the last, Spin the Bottle. Everybody thinks everybody else is cheating, crazy or immoral each tries to explain his or her game but the others just don’t get it and suspect some ruse insisting that their game is the real one. People come to the table with good intentions, they pull up their chairs and sit down to play. Imagine a game where everyone plays by a different set of rules.
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