Little Boxes

Microsoft’s Bill Gates lives in a house/compound with 66,000 sq. ft., costing $97 million. The median size of American houses at the present time is about 2400 sq. ft., with three bedrooms, and one fireplace. Today’s Americans, with an average 2.6 persons per household, like to have their privacy, so houses tend to be larger than they were 200 years ago. At that time, it was not unusual to find a family of eight living in a 450 sq. ft. house. It was not that those Americans didn’t value their privacy; they just didn’t have the means to afford it.

During Thomas Jefferson’s time, only the very wealthy would have a house exceeding 3000 sq. ft. The upper-middle classes, lawyers and merchants, occupied about 2000. The next level of homes for the prosperous was between 1000 and 1500. Modest houses were between 600 to 1,000 sq. ft. The typical house, however, had square footage ranging from 200 to 500. A farmhouse of 700 sq. ft. might house a man and his wife, five children, two maids, and three laborers. There were no refrigerators or central heating and air conditioning, and only chamber pots to use on stormy nights.

In the 1960s a folk singer named Pete Seeger made popular a song called “Little Boxes”, written by a woman named Malvina Reynolds, about the proliferation of small, overly-similar homes that were springing up all over.

"LITTLE BOXES"

Little boxes on the hill side, little boxes made of ticky tacky.
Little boxes, little boxes, little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow
one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky, and they all look just
the same.

And the people in the houses all went to the university
Where they were put in boxes, little boxes, all the same.
And there's doctors and there's lawyers, and there's business
executives
And they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just
the same.

And they all play on the golf course and drink their martini dry
And they all have pretty children and the children go to school
And the children go to summer camp and then to the university
Where they all get put in boxes and they all come out the same.

And the boys go into business and marry and raise a family
In boxes, little boxes, little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow
one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just
the same.

Hmmm! What is wrong with going to summer camp and a university?

Malvina Reynolds wrote that song in 1962. I've heard it was written about "Levittown," about Daly City, California, or any number of a zillion little `burbs bouncing across the country. Instant village; just add cement. This song is a critique of the post-World War II trend of building neighborhoods and even towns out of copycat houses. Reynolds is saying that these houses have no personality and the inhabitants are empty because the individual is not celebrated. Places like Levittown, NY were "manufactured" communities where houses were put up in a matter of weeks and one neighborhood looked the same as the next. Levittowns were planned communities built to accommodate the postwar housing shortage. Real people lived in those houses and they were happy to have them. Owning a home where your kids were safe, schools were good, and life was secure was the American Dream.

The song was just one of many in a series of criticisms leveled at the then new housing developments of planned communities built very quickly and very cheaply for the thousands of returning soldiers and their families for whom living in cramped city conditions was no longer an option. Unique for its time, the development consisted of newly constructed 2-3 bedroom homes equipped with all of the modern conveniences (ie., small yard, parking garage, modern appliances), a shopping center, a library, and schools. The ideal house had three bedrooms, one and a half baths, Formica drain boards, asphalt floor tile, and central heating.

Although the song criticized the new planned communities, the homes had more space and conveniences than otherwise would have been available at the same cost. Perhaps those who were critical of the houses in the suburbs of the 1950s and 1960s should have gone back a couple of hundred years and experienced living in a 450 sq. ft. house with seven other people.

I wonder what it would be like to live in a house/compound with 66,000 square feet? Could one get lost?

Did you grow up in a ticky tacky house? Did you enjoy it and why?

What is the square footage of your ideal house now?

For a guided tour of the Bill Gates house/compound, go to:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/tech/billgate/gates.htm

Bumper Sticker Rage

I don’t have bumper stickers on our cars. I stick nothing on our cars that might cause a mentally- unbalanced person to become infuriated, leap out of his car at the next traffic light, and beat the hell out of me, or even worse. A recent poll revealed that a high percentage of road rage incidents were caused by bumper stickers that angered other motorists.

For almost as long as Americans have owned automobiles, they have had bumper stickers. You see them everywhere today as you travel America’s streets and highways. You can spot sports stickers, political stickers, novelty stickers, “good cause” stickers, religious stickers, and personality stickers.

Some bumper stickers are meant to be humorous, and most other motorists will accept them as such. Some examples of such stickers are the following:

I souport publik edekashun.
My mother is a travel agent for guilt trips.
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the kitchen.
Down with Hot Pants.

By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
So many men, so few who can afford me.
If they don't have chocolate in heaven, I ain't going.
Princess, having had sufficient experience with princes, seeks frog.
Coffee, chocolate, men... Some things are just better rich.

Georgia: We Put The "Fun" In Fundamentalist Extremism
Kentucky: Five Million People; Fifteen Last Names
Minnesota: 10,000 Lakes ... And 10,000,000,000,000 Mosquitoes
Tennessee: The Educashun State
Wisconsin: Come Cut The Cheese

Then there are those bumper stickers that might be amusing to some drivers and offensive to others:

If you don't like my driving, call 1-800-I-DON'T-GIVE-A-SHIT. Or just don't care yourself.
It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
Wyoming: Where Men Are Men ... and the sheep are scared!!!
Are you an Idiot? See Below. Are you an Idiot? See Above.
Doing My Part To Piss Off The Religious Right.
“9/11—The Immaculate Deception.”

Finally, there are those bumper stickers, usually of a political or religious nature, that might cause some mentally-unbalanced drivers to react violently:

Are you Bushed yet?
Bush Lied - And Thousands Died!
The War on Terror . . . Or Just Terror?
Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain—Support The PATRIOT Act.
Frankly My Dear, I Don’t Give A Damn!---About This Goddamned War.

Suppose They Gave A War—And It Never Ended?
No War Protester Ever Lost A War Started By Idiots
Does God Speak To You? Consider Medication
I Think, Therefore I Am An Atheist

I recommend that the next time you place a bumper sticker on your car, you consider the effect, both positive and negative, that it might have on other motorists.

1. What are some of the most amusing bumper stickers that you recall seeing?
2. What are some of the bumper stickers that made you angry?
3. Have you ever had a violent encounter with another motorist over a bumper sticker?
4. Have you ever had a car vandalized, possibly because of a bumper sticker?

Using the Old Testament As a Moral Yardstick

Fred Phelps, Sr., the pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, is noted for his hate-filled rhetoric toward homosexuals. Over the past 12 years, Phelps has conducted thousands of picketing demonstrations across the United States, and even in some foreign countries. On his website “God Hates Fags”, Phelps quotes Leviticus 20:13 as justification for the purpose statement.

Here is the quote from the Bible (New King James Version): "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.”

Those Christians, however, who base their moral code in part on a literal interpretation of the Old Testament, a notoriously blood-soaked and violent scripture, are basing their sense of right and wrong on a moral yardstick that rejects that which they consider not applicable because of the enlightened views of modern society and keep that which they consider the good, a kind of selective morality. The scripture they quote is thus not truly the basis for their moral code. A good example of this practice occurred on the radio show of Dr. Laura Schlessinger, a US radio personality who dispenses advice to people who call in to her program.

Dr. Laura stated that as an observant Orthodox Jew, she finds homosexuality an abomination that cannot be condoned under any circumstances, according to Leviticus 18:22 in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). The following is an open letter to Dr. Laura penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet.

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them.

1. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15:19-24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath.. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot.

Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16.

Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? Lev. 20:14

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted fan, Jim

As you can see, selecting one or more of “God’s laws” from the Old Testament, while ignoring those that are not acceptable today, can make one appear rather foolish. There might be some valid arguments against homosexuality, but quoting Leviticus most certainly is not one of them.

Good Golly, Miss Molly

Jill was a lovely, young, single woman who worked for an advertising agency. The previous month Jack, a handsome, young, single man about her age, started working in the same office. Jill became very interested in him, but was too timid to ask him if he would like to go out on a date. So she asked her best friend Molly if she would let Jack know that she (Jill) would like to go out with him.

Jill didn‘t know that Molly, who also was single, had designs on the same man. Instead of passing Jill’s information on to Jack, Molly asked him if he would like to go to a beach party the following weekend. He happily accepted her offer and they began a relationship. A couple of weeks later, Jill asked Molly whether she had relayed her message to Jack.

Now you finish the story.

Is Love Blind?

A friend of yours has arranged a blind date for you. It is a person with whom your friend thinks you would share a lot of common interests. You are supposed to meet that person at a restaurant for dinner. When you walk into the restaurant, however, you see the blind date and that person doesn’t meet your expectations for physical attractiveness. The blind date hasn’t seen you yet.

What do you do and why?