Yes, and in the United States, every traffic exit on a highway looks the same because of the same cookie-cutter shops and fast food places that are repeated everywhere you turn.
Fortunately, it's possible to avoid that kind of tedium in Europe. Individuality creates a soul of place, while uniformity destroys it.
Depressingly, the same is true of fashion in clothing, music, art, motor vehicle design, food, interiors, hairstyles, music, religion, law, appliances, social structures, road design, books, education, sport…
To such an extent, that travel is now largely pointless.
The big deception, a lie in fact, about ‘diversity’, is that it is actually about homogenenisation.
Thus each traditional culture is dissolved.
Traditional cultures evolved over centuries in relative isolation. Throwing them together dissolves them, too often creating social conflict.
Everything & everybody becomes the same these days losing its/their personality with social media & internet. You're so right about isolation. Before it was about local practicality & means & your fantasy was your biggest inspiration. Now it became a race & copying of copies
Good point. As a geologist I’ve seen much of the globe, including Antarctica. My focus now is on researching family history, & being closer to family, so Britain & Europe are my main destinations. In spite of problems there, I may move there, as I have little family left in Australia. It’s frustrating in Australia, as increasingly, our roots in U.K. are being overlooked in favour of huge migration from Asian & Moslem countries.
I studied physics in university and greatly appreciate the sciences. What an interesting career you must have!
I believe we disagree ideologically on immigration, which is fine. My ancestors illegally immigrated from Germany to the US. Why should I be mad at families that do the same thing mine did, just later in time? The US has a long history of discriminating against immigrants. The German immigrants were largely ostracized when they immigrated; the same thing I see now with central and South American immigrants now. My philosophy is to celebrate any and all immigration as it makes learning about them and their culture more accesible in my daily life. I understand that other rational minds may differ.
I also agree. Based in Australia, I’ve done much travel, & love it. But I’m getting jaded when I travel to countries whose inhabitants & cultures are overrepresented here. The sense of discovery is diminished.
Understandable. Travel from Australia likely limits your travel options due to price and time (I would imagine). It might be worth it to travel off your well-trodden path in search of more novel cultures to you. I haven’t been to much of South America or Africa, for example. Both of which I greatly wish to experience some day.
I agree with your point about the homogenization across disciplines, but I disagreed with your statement that travel is largely pointless.
Travel still exposes us to the history and culture of other people that we would not otherwise interact with. We can learn and idéate from our interactions with other cultures, which, yes, does lead to homogenization, but it also leads to creative social, artistic, and technological innovations. If you never leave rural Indiana, you will miss ideas that proliferate in other pockets of the world. Your world view can never be expanded.
My Polish father fled eastern Poland in WWII, marrying my Welsh mother in England, then migrating to Australia. But they did that legally, he taught himself English, & they were both Christian. And they had many German, Dutch & Jewish friends with whom I grew up. Many Polish relatives of my father migrated to US, legally. The church in Melbourne where my sister’s funeral was held, was burned down recently by Moslems, as have hundreds in the west. Yet Christians don’t destroy mosques. I’ve observed that Moslems often don’t tolerate Christians or Jews. And there is a huge number of chinese in Australia, which dilutes our culture & is a security risk. I’m not racist: eg I love Japanese culture, & have an Indian friend.
But with only 7.1% of the world’s population being white, & Christianity fading in favour of Islam, we’re a group threatened with extinction.
Absolutely 💯 I've been trying to push Wetland Compatible infrastructure as a way forward. It turns each building into a water battery 🔋 & makes our communities resilient 💪
I think there's so much more to the Simon story that meets the eye. Some not as mysterious as the Pyramids.
But think about how is it possible that the same shape more or less of a Pyramid can be found in Mexico, the Amazon and Egypt over millenia 😉🤔
Something is traveling around if we want it or not. Nowadays they are getting just more and more suffisticated to catch the creation, with AI mass producing and copying..
Portsmouth, NH is a city filled with Vernacular architecture - starting with the 17C First Period Colonials, followed by Georgian and then the Federalist Style. Then in 1812, due to a devastating fire, Portsmouth passed the "Red Brick Law" than banned tall wooden houses resulting in a beautiful red brick downtown area. Because it fell on hard times in the 70s and 80s, Portsmouth avoided brutalist redevelopment, thank goodness! Now, the Colonial, Georgian, Federal and Victorian homes are prized and being restored.
I never would have guesses the city pictured was in Europe. I guess I am not well traveled, but I am not used to seeing clusters of sky scrapers in Europe, outside of Canary Wharf in London and La Defense in Paris.
Yes, and in the United States, every traffic exit on a highway looks the same because of the same cookie-cutter shops and fast food places that are repeated everywhere you turn.
Fortunately, it's possible to avoid that kind of tedium in Europe. Individuality creates a soul of place, while uniformity destroys it.
Depressingly, the same is true of fashion in clothing, music, art, motor vehicle design, food, interiors, hairstyles, music, religion, law, appliances, social structures, road design, books, education, sport…
To such an extent, that travel is now largely pointless.
The big deception, a lie in fact, about ‘diversity’, is that it is actually about homogenenisation.
Thus each traditional culture is dissolved.
Traditional cultures evolved over centuries in relative isolation. Throwing them together dissolves them, too often creating social conflict.
Everything & everybody becomes the same these days losing its/their personality with social media & internet. You're so right about isolation. Before it was about local practicality & means & your fantasy was your biggest inspiration. Now it became a race & copying of copies
Good point. As a geologist I’ve seen much of the globe, including Antarctica. My focus now is on researching family history, & being closer to family, so Britain & Europe are my main destinations. In spite of problems there, I may move there, as I have little family left in Australia. It’s frustrating in Australia, as increasingly, our roots in U.K. are being overlooked in favour of huge migration from Asian & Moslem countries.
I studied physics in university and greatly appreciate the sciences. What an interesting career you must have!
I believe we disagree ideologically on immigration, which is fine. My ancestors illegally immigrated from Germany to the US. Why should I be mad at families that do the same thing mine did, just later in time? The US has a long history of discriminating against immigrants. The German immigrants were largely ostracized when they immigrated; the same thing I see now with central and South American immigrants now. My philosophy is to celebrate any and all immigration as it makes learning about them and their culture more accesible in my daily life. I understand that other rational minds may differ.
I also agree. Based in Australia, I’ve done much travel, & love it. But I’m getting jaded when I travel to countries whose inhabitants & cultures are overrepresented here. The sense of discovery is diminished.
Understandable. Travel from Australia likely limits your travel options due to price and time (I would imagine). It might be worth it to travel off your well-trodden path in search of more novel cultures to you. I haven’t been to much of South America or Africa, for example. Both of which I greatly wish to experience some day.
I agree with your point about the homogenization across disciplines, but I disagreed with your statement that travel is largely pointless.
Travel still exposes us to the history and culture of other people that we would not otherwise interact with. We can learn and idéate from our interactions with other cultures, which, yes, does lead to homogenization, but it also leads to creative social, artistic, and technological innovations. If you never leave rural Indiana, you will miss ideas that proliferate in other pockets of the world. Your world view can never be expanded.
My Polish father fled eastern Poland in WWII, marrying my Welsh mother in England, then migrating to Australia. But they did that legally, he taught himself English, & they were both Christian. And they had many German, Dutch & Jewish friends with whom I grew up. Many Polish relatives of my father migrated to US, legally. The church in Melbourne where my sister’s funeral was held, was burned down recently by Moslems, as have hundreds in the west. Yet Christians don’t destroy mosques. I’ve observed that Moslems often don’t tolerate Christians or Jews. And there is a huge number of chinese in Australia, which dilutes our culture & is a security risk. I’m not racist: eg I love Japanese culture, & have an Indian friend.
But with only 7.1% of the world’s population being white, & Christianity fading in favour of Islam, we’re a group threatened with extinction.
Thank you for sharing this!
Very well said! Modern architecture is a crime actually... It's an assault on us all.
I recently came back from visiting family in Prague, where I constantly felt: this is how you build a truly stunning city!
I write about family, culture and bilingualism in Prague Revisited:
https://substack.com/@theculturalmuse/note/c-135832993
This article immediately had me googling “vernacular architecture in Virginia” where I live. Really interesting from a historical perspective
Great observation 👍 but I think even in the past we had conformity.
Nowadays with the internet we can see more of that and compare.
As a former Flight Attendant ✈️ I saw many corners of the world 🌎 and I was surprised how everything fits together well like a big old puzzle.
Very enlightening thank you
Absolutely 💯 I've been trying to push Wetland Compatible infrastructure as a way forward. It turns each building into a water battery 🔋 & makes our communities resilient 💪
Great read; your perspective is such a breath of fresh air in a world where all architecture has adopted a technocratic brutalist chic.
Also art and cultural traditions give way to profit. When economics dictate what gets built and how it’s built.
Yep. Simon says Simon does. Who will build up the biggest anthill just to show off. Silly but human nature.
I think there's so much more to the Simon story that meets the eye. Some not as mysterious as the Pyramids.
But think about how is it possible that the same shape more or less of a Pyramid can be found in Mexico, the Amazon and Egypt over millenia 😉🤔
Something is traveling around if we want it or not. Nowadays they are getting just more and more suffisticated to catch the creation, with AI mass producing and copying..
Portsmouth, NH is a city filled with Vernacular architecture - starting with the 17C First Period Colonials, followed by Georgian and then the Federalist Style. Then in 1812, due to a devastating fire, Portsmouth passed the "Red Brick Law" than banned tall wooden houses resulting in a beautiful red brick downtown area. Because it fell on hard times in the 70s and 80s, Portsmouth avoided brutalist redevelopment, thank goodness! Now, the Colonial, Georgian, Federal and Victorian homes are prized and being restored.
It's not just architecture, it's the people. Largely, we humans dress very similarly now in western dress across the world: sweats, jeans, t-shirts
Really great post!
I think all major architectural projects have now become "brutalist." They claim "cheaper" but I think the purpose is "demoralization."
Thankyou again for another wonderful read. So educational and I always enjoy your articles.
I never would have guesses the city pictured was in Europe. I guess I am not well traveled, but I am not used to seeing clusters of sky scrapers in Europe, outside of Canary Wharf in London and La Defense in Paris.