Want to Move to Vulgaria?

I was flipping channels on Sunday night and stopped at CBS 60 Minutes where the story was housing. Average Americans are building 10,000+ square foot homes in what has long been labeled, McMansions or Starter Castles.

A couple who had just built a 15,000 square foot home was being interviewed. The subject turned to the custom wood floor which the owner went on to describe as a design borrowed from another home, a home in Versailles. The interviewer gave a slightly surprised look and interjected, “you mean the Palace at Versailles?” In which the owner said “yes that one, the house at Versailles.”

I immediately became sickened. First, if you don’t even know the name of the world famous landmark which you are “borrowing” designs from you don’t have the right to use it. Second, this is yet another example of globally retarded Americans who have way too much money wasting yet more resources. No one needs a 15,000 square foot home. No wonder we have terrorism! This uncontrolled capitalist consumerism centered on sheer self centeredness cannot go on. I do not have a problem with people who have money, but this does not give you the right to ruin our planet in your quest to fill the endless void in your life with endless materialism!

The show went on to describe how old homes, and were talking in multiples, have to be torn down to accommodate these new super sized single housing structures.

Finally here was my favorite statement of the entire show, “Paul Knox, the dean of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech, sums up the endless tracts of overweight houses as a new national suburb he calls “Vulgaria.”

I could not agree more, it is vulgar!

References:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/22/60minutes/main1067145_page2.shtml