(un)civilized ku # 2566-70 ~ the end of another era (impending)

Mine is bigger than yours # 1 / 2 ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggen
Mine is bigger than yours # 3 (2 views) ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggen
Mine is will be bigger than yours # 1 ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggen
Mine is bigger than yours # 4 / will be #2 ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggenIn my recent entry, subtitled - the end of an era?, I used a question mark because, well, there is always the chance (however improbable) that I might return to The Shore at some future date. In this entry's subtitle I did not use a question make because, well, IMO I believe the following is a foregone conclusion (no question about it) ....

In my last the end of an era? entry, I listed 3 primary reasons why I dislike and will, therefore, not be returning to the Jersey Shore. The heat and humidity and resultant misery (physical and emotional) are and have been a constant. However, the demands of item # 3 - the intellectual exercise of trying to deal with the all encompassing shore culture of over-the-top / nothing exceeds-like-excess conspicuous consumption - have increased at an exponentially accelerating pace over the past 15 years. To wit ...

The wife has been vacationing at the shore her entire life. For most of that time, the shore had been an unaffectedly unpretentious vacation community. Houses / cottages were modest in size* and Main Street was comprised of an assortment of modest shops offering modest goods. With the obvious exception of the never ending heat and humidity, the place seems like a place I might actually like and enjoy.

Not so anymore. Like a locust plague, the nouveau uber-rich have arrived and their primary activity is buying up multiple properties, tearing down the "classic" shore houses / cottages, and erecting 10,000 sq ft. "second home" McMansion monstrosities / atrocities. That is not to write that all of the classic dwelling are gone, but they're disappearing at an alarming (to me, at least) pace, increasingly so over the past 2-3 years.

IMO, in a decade or less, the few classic shore dwelling which still exist will be like museum / curiosity pieces. And the middle class (albeit now the upper middle class) vacationer, well, the ubers won't have them to clutter up the now upscale high-end retail shops - hey, who doesn't want to pick up a Rolex or diamond bracelet (or two) while on vacation - which currently line Main Street. (And, I can't help but wonder how long it will be before the wife and her family will be priced out of their 5-6 decade long tradition of vacationing in Stone Harbor.)

While at the shore, what hangs over me like a palatable pall is not only the literal dismantling of the classic shore infrastructure (and with it, the loss of the unaffected / unpretentious coexistent shore culture), but also the energy consumptive / environmentally destructive aspect of this kind of nothing-exceed-like-excess life style.

Do these people have no sense whatsoever regarding the impact their actions have on a culture or the planet? Judging by their actions, I think not.

FYI, lest anyone think I have a problem with wealth, think again. As long as one comes by their wealth honestly - and dare I say it in this greed-is-good era? - creates some living wage jobs for the "common" people, and "gives back" to the community (local, national, global) some of what you have gained from it, so be it. Unfortunately, many if not most of today's uber rich believe that lots of money means they are free from any and all considerations and constraints regarding the common good.

*More and more, seems like another planet in a galaxy far, far awayCottages ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggen

Comments

[the wife]

You neglect to mention that you have been officially "Banned for Life."

[Andrew]

This is not unique to that locale. It seems to happen in most resort communities and pretty much anywhere.

My mother-in-law has a house in Cape Cod that is centuries old with horsehair walls, huge floorboards that size of which you cannot find anymore, outdoor shower and no AC (that latter aspect create misery for me as well). Newer homes are palatial and go to extremes to exhibit their most Cape Cod'ish character, with bleached-white oyster shell driveways, hydrangeas of a specific color and all forms of American flags. In Florida, where another relative has a modest condo, newer condo buildings try to out-condo each other in size and Versaille-like styling (really? at the beach?).

I'd much rather be hiking in Rocky Mountain National park and stay in a simple A frame cabin.

[FM]

I recall reading a story once about how Steve Jobs bought a property and tore down the existing expensive home and put up a significantly smaller home in its place. I imagine the day when the wealthy will flaunt their wealth by tearing down the monstrosities and erecting a small quaint home in its place. The properties won't be any less expensive, but it would be a step in the right direction. I can dream....