[MD] The MoQ.org STRANGLES Creativity

[Arlo J. Bensinger]

[Craig]
My point in this thread is that culture is not monolithic (mercantilist for
Arlo, consumerist for SA).  We are not required to enter the "rat race" or "to
keep up with the Joneses".  There are various alternative communities
throughout the country.  If too many people hang out on the back porch, & if
it's important enough to us, we should move to a neighborhood where more people
hang out on the front porch  (or try to change where we are).  The important
thing is to maintain the freedom to do so.

[Arlo]
Point well taken. The important thing IS to maintain the freedom to do so. But
looking at trends in the valuation process (as revealed through consumer
choices, for example) is a good way to examine what values are being held by
majority, and being replicated through dialogue. When "all of a sudden"
architectural trends switch from "front porch" to "rear deck", it is not
unreasonable to ask "why". When one places that singular example in a larger
context of related valuative decisions, it does become apparent that since
1890, Americans have been moving steadily from public space to private space,
with the greatest movement in this regard happening in the urban areas. I think
in many cases Americans are rebelling from this, but out of psychological
dissatisfaction with their self-imposed prisons, and lack an understanding of
the structure of the dialogue that imposes those initial valuations on us in
the first place.

Arlo