Civilisation (1969) Part 13 of 13 - Heroic Materialism

I don't think that there's any better time to end this long posting of this marvelous old tv-series than on Christmas Eve. Germans don't celebrate Christmas Day as such but Christmas Eve. One can say that in this last episode Kenneth Clark wanted to say, in short, history is our ourselves. Something similar Winston Churchill would have muttered adding "and we're still writing it". My grandfather was born in the 19th Century and I spend plenty of summers at my grandparents to know that we're missing out of something really important there days. Often I've been confronted with the same impression that we have too many things and hold too little of real importance high enough in our daily life. My grandparents weren't poor althought they were indeed working class, but in their home there were actually more pictures of family up than any nick-nack that would show a good standard of living. Just try to think of a life now lived without a car, without a tv-set, without a wifi internet connection, etc. One can't any more and that's our loss. We need rethink everything because in the end it's indeed not technology that will save us from anything big but our dogged persistence to survive. Have a great Christmas Eve and 2023 still to come! [media=https://youtu.be/waoEyjE_dtU?t=285]

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samueltyler2 · 80-89, M

I have a parallel, but related observation. "we" tend to erase much of our history. In the US, we throw out so much daily, that our garbage dumps are overflowing. We tear down perfectly good homes to built new ones rather than enjoy the older architecture. We are a "now " and a "me" society. The attitude is he who has the most toys wins the race.

Heartlander · 80-89, M

@samueltyler2

In the US, we throw out so much daily, that our garbage dumps are overflowing. We tear down perfectly good homes to built new ones rather than enjoy the older architecture. We are a "now " and a "me" society

It's but one of the prices we pay for inflation. It cost more to upgrade and maintain an old house than build a new house in the suburbs. The cost of labor has to keep up with inflation or we go backwards. So what was once built by a carpenter earning $5 an hour has to be repaired or replaced 30 years later by a carpenter earning $50 per hour. But that $50 per hour is for deconstruction as well as construction. Building in the suburbs is sans the cost of deconstruction. Add to that the cost of government regulations that forces old properties to be brought up to building codes that have changed since it was originally built. And all that in a neighborhood that's becoming relatively poorer and poorer, also because of inflation?

samueltyler2 · 80-89, M

@Heartlander your comment really makes no sense. Surely the cost of renovation can't be higher than the cost to totally demolish a house and then rebuild it. Your comment about labor cost differences from 50 years ago may be correct, but regardless of whether you are renovating or building new, those current costs are those of today. You speak about government regulation as bad, which regulation do you not like, needing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, sprinklers, all proven to save lives. How about lead free plumbing, plumbing valves that prevent scalding injuries? I could go on but, I think most people understand my point.

Heartlander · 80-89, M

@samueltyler2 Renovation almost always includes deconstruction. If you want to renovate your kitchen you usually have to deconstruct your old kitchen. And where does the deconstructed kitchen go? to the landfill. I seriously doubt that formica kitchen counters get recycled. Renovation can cost twice as much as building from scratch on an empty lot.

Homes are rarely demolished. What generally happens is that they are abandoned and replaced by new houses in the suburbs, with the abandoned houses being sold or rented to people with less and less resources. They usually aren't demolished until they become a public nuisance.

Government regulations aren't in themselves all bad, but many of them favor the more affluent people. In deteriorating neighborhoods they often serve to advance deterioration and send businesses fleeing to the suburbs, making it harder and harder for poor, inner-city inhabitants to find jobs, services, etc.

samueltyler2 · 80-89, M

@Heartlander the changes in socioeconomics and flight was a real problem in the past. In many areas, there is a trend in the other direction. The gentrification of cities is it's own problem.

I am in favor of require certain inspections and code enforcement every time an apartment of house is turned over. I treated hundreds of children for lead poisoning, and they all ended up with some me impairment which cost society a lot of money. Inspection and mitigation could have prevented much of that.

Heartlander · 80-89, M

@samueltyler2 A better idea may be to remedy unsafe conditions when they are revealed. Waiting 20+ years for someone to sell that property or when they try to improve it just creates economic humps that get more and more difficult to overcome.

Urban renewal has been too much of just that, replacing poor neighborhoods with rich neighborhoods. And mostly they are neighborhoods where the properties become demolition candidates, and so depressed in value that smart buyers could afford to demolish or partly demolish and rebuild. That's not the same as keeping older neighborhoods viable with routine upkeep and upgrade.

This is a hot topic in practically every city in America. It's about sustaining core neighborhoods rather than waiting for them to deteriorate to the point where demolition and renewal seems to be the only way to bring it back to life. The indicators are all there: raising crime rates, shrinking populations, more public housing, raising taxes, more shuttered businesses, etc., etc.

samueltyler2 · 80-89, M

@Heartlander I totally agree, but what event will me allow the needed inspection?

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@Heartlander

And where does the deconstructed kitchen go?

Here in Norway people often sell the old kitchen fitments, or give them away if you are willing to dismantle them.