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| November 2008 |
| Billie Silvey |
| Greed and Excess! |
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| In 18th century England, the Prince Regent, who later became George IV, was a man of greed and excess. He had a tremendous appetite for the good things of life. When much of England was starving, George built a seaside pleasure palace in Brighton. Constructed on a grand scale in the currently popular Oriental style, the exterior looked Turkish, while the interior featured all the latest steam and iron technology in a sumptuous Chinese style. The prince filled it to overflowing with Far Eastern treasures and frou-frou depicting dragons, lanterns, pagodas, weeping willows and palm trees in lacquer, bamboo, silk and porcelain. This chinoiserie style, from the French word for Chinese, was the rage in decorating from the beginning of the 18th century to the 1750s. It appealed particularly to women and to what were referred to in 1755 as "men of delicate make and silky constitution." A similar opulent extravagance can be seen in California in William Randolph Hearst's castle at San Simeon. We've also been seeing it lately in the mansions on sale for bargain rates in Los Angeles. |
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| As Americans, we've been trained to live like princes--constantly desiring, but never satisfied with, our gourmet food, professional decorating and redecorating, the latest designer fashions, travel and a broad array of leisure activities complete with the equipment and wardrobe appropriate to each. It's part of our free market system, which survives on all-pervasive advertising and conspicuous consumption. Where we used to be citizens, with responsibilities and civic virtues, we've become consumers with the responsibility to "get out there and spend" as President Bush reminded us immediately after 9/11. I think that represents a real step down in our purpose in life. But prince or pauper, easy credit made it simple to indulge our taste for greed and excess in the recent past. Current economic realities, however, may make it more difficult in the future, causing us to trade in greed and excess for self-control and an improved ability to discriminate between our needs and our wants. It may allow us to become citizens again, not just consumers. |