civilized ku # 2951-64 / people ~ some things are worth saving / a lament
Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at 09:48AM 
my favorite ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggen
new neighborhood / old neighborhood ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggen
new "cottages" ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggen
traditional cottages ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggen
friendly people ~ Stone Harbor, NJ • click to embiggen
As I have written on many Jersey Shore entries over the past 20 years, one of the things that I most dislike about the place is the creeping conspicuous consumption (aka: nothing exceeds like excess) which is, IMO, destroying the physical infrastructure of an earlier era of beach culture. The infrastructure to which I am referring is that of the traditional shore vacation cottage. Every year, more and more traditional cottages are being leveled and replaced by extravagant McMansions. Structures which seem to have little to do with beach culture as opposed to the drive / need to demonstrate that, metaphorically writing, my dick is bigger than your dick. That written, my question is this ... what is it about the ultra-wealthy that causes them to not understand and appreciate the notion of simple pleasures? Why must everything in their lives be so over-the-top? And, in the case of the shore culture, why, in their drive for conspicuous consumption, do they not appreciate the "indigenous culture" of the places that they so eagerly and thoughtlessly bulldoze out of existence? It wouldn't surprise me if, sometime down the road, someone / some agency decides to preserve the last remaining vestige of a traditional cottage street as an outdoor museum of sorts. A place where the despoilers can remark about how "quaint" things once were at the shore. Although, most likely, to a person, they will also be pleased that, thank goodness, it isn't like that anymore and wonder how anyone could possibly manage to live / vacation like that. I would be remiss in not relating that, during my walkabout while making these pictures, the only place there were people on the streets and porches were in those neighborhoods comprised of traditional shore cottages. The "rich" enclaves were devoid of any traces of human outdoor activity. Apparently they have no interest in mingling with the hoi polloi. The 2 people in the friendly people picture actually took the initiative in starting a conversation with me*. I learned from the woman that their traditional cottage (albeit renovated) was purchased by her mother in the early 50s. And assuming (a valid assumption gleaned from the conversation), that the other person on the porch is her son, it is encouraging to think that their shore tradition might survive for at least one more generation. Perhaps even more, inasmuch as the visible evidence of children on the premise (absolutely no evidence of the same in the "rich" enclaves) suggests that there may be hope for even another generation of survival for a traditional shore cottage. Then again, there's always the possibility that some despoiler will show up at their door with an outrageous wad of cash and make them an offer they can't refuse.
Reader Comments (1)
As the "super dicks" would say, Mark, yours doesn't measure up, so get over it.
Having said that, I know where you're coming from, identical pages, so to speak.
Another way they could respond when asked to explain why, would be, "because we can!"