Why Is Our Architecture So Hideous?

 

It's said with justice that a nation's architecture reflects its soul. A soul which is beautiful, good and true will build accordingly, see the great gothic cathedrals. A soul which is ugly, bad and false will create monstrosities, obviously. We create, mirroring God, in our own image, and what an image that most abundantly is. Walk into any post World War II Western city and behold its ugly, brutal, dehumanizing, unlivable buildings. 

Good work, so-called "King's" how very beautiful

"Oh, look at that block of concrete, glass and pale brick. I want to live there!" said no one pretty much ever, and go figure, they don't unless they have to. 

To put it another way, why do tourists go to Trafalgar Square and Oxford instead of Slough and the Elephant & Castle? Because the former's beautiful and the latter most definitely isn't.  Granted, but what possessed our architectural elite to go full ugly?  

I always used to imagine shooting this with missiles

Let's cut to the chase. Because the architectural and artistic department of our world went full Cultural Marxist, Bolshevik nihilist. Their goal? To tear down and destroy, which they most certainly did, and then erect their hideous structures which deliberately mock the human soul. Or something like that and you can read all about it in Tom Wolfe's excellent From Bauhaus to our House and the American Conservative. But here's the thing.

Behold your rulers, serfs

It doesn't have to be this way, we don't have to surround ourselves with soul-destroying ugliness. We can and should build beautifully, to uplift the spirit. And we will, when we return to God and the Faith once delivered. Build, punters, back better.

Here Endeth The Lesson,

LSP

Basta

Have you heard the news? Quondam presidential hopeful Michael Avenatti, popularly known as Creepy Porn Lawyer (CPL), has been found guilty on all counts of attempting to extort money from Nike. He awaits sentencing.

Race Cars! No coke obvs

Avenatti, signature sign-off Basta, who obviously isn't a coke addict, represented famous prostitute Stormy Daniels in a case against Trump, which ended badly with Stormy being ordered to pay 45's legal costs. But the once and not so future president started to sink under the sheer weight of hubris and totally fictional cocaine bills.

Prostitute. Clearly no coke

Before you could say "8 Ball," CPL was hauled before the court for fraud, extortion, skulduggery and malfeasance. Nike, it seems, didn't take kindly to the wannabe race car driver's cokehead's attempt at blackmail, and his former wife's not too keen either. 

No Coke Involved Whatsoever

But look, here at the Compound we don't sit and gloat. No, we hope that a coke free CPL has learned his lesson and will rise from the ashes to use his skills to help us all in the not inconsiderable task of making America great again.

A Man in Full without any coke whatsoever

I know, you're saying, "Is this a chapter in a Tom Wolfe novel,  like Bonfire of the Vanities or A Man in Full?!?" What can we say? Cinéma vérité.

Basta,

LSP

Tom Wolfe, Literary Genius or Southern Fop?

I like reading Tom Wolfe's books, and what's not to like? He can write with a laser-like accuracy that's as enjoyable as it's at times disturbing, which leads some to rate him as a latter-day American Dickens or Dostoyevsky.

I'm sure Wolfe would modestly dispute such claims and with that in mind, I once asked a woman of the South if she liked the famous author.

"Mr. Wolfe," she exclaimed, "is a Southern Fop."

She may well have had a point. Here's Tom Wolfe on Hunter Thompson, who he thinks may have been the "great comic writer of the 20th century."

From Bauhaus to Our House,

LSP