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I can't attest to any legality of what McMansion Hell was doing. And I think she was well meaning in her goals--to keep people from buying and building oversize

I can't attest to any legality of what McMansion Hell was doing. And I think she was well meaning in her goals--to keep people from buying and building oversized, poorly built houses--but there is still an underlying social class issue here. I was always hesitant to talk about McMansions with my friends, many of whom probably grew up in McMansions (and they already think I'm a snob). Additionally, have you ever had a friend who came to you showing off a new purchase and you were tempted to tell them that there was an objectively better choice for them? If they don't take it personally and get offended (they probably will) then they'll at least feel really shitty and probably embarrassed. It's best to let them live in ignorant bliss.

closeparen 9y ago
McManison buyers are not socioeconomically disadvantaged. There is plenty of architectural snobbery directed at the socioeconomically disadvantaged - "overlarge ticky-tacky" is a common enough phrase in Berkeley Planning Commission meetings with respect to apartment buildings - but criticizing $900k 3000sqft single family houses isn't that.
- baron816 9y ago
  > McManison buyers are not socioeconomically disadvantaged. I never said they were, and that's not the point. Social class and economic class are not the same. Criticizing someone's tastes doesn't just become totally acceptable to that person if they're rich. You're still going to make them feel like crap for spending their life savings on an inferior product. And there are still going to superiority undertones to what you're saying, at least to their ear.
  - closeparen 9y ago
    Sure, it would be malicious to mail people the McMansion hell posts on the houses they've just signed for, but that's not what she was doing. I used to think snobbery was obnoxious, but now the constant stream of "there's no such thing as quality, but even if there is, we shouldn't acknowledge it or its absence" seems even more grating.
    - look_lookatme 9y ago
      > "there's no such thing as quality, but even if there is, we shouldn't acknowledge it or its absence" Where do you live where this is the case?

closeparen 9y ago

McManison buyers are not socioeconomically disadvantaged. There is plenty of architectural snobbery directed at the socioeconomically disadvantaged - "overlarge ticky-tacky" is a common enough phrase in Berkeley Planning Commission meetings with respect to apartment buildings - but criticizing $900k 3000sqft single family houses isn't that.

baron816 9y ago
> McManison buyers are not socioeconomically disadvantaged. I never said they were, and that's not the point. Social class and economic class are not the same. Criticizing someone's tastes doesn't just become totally acceptable to that person if they're rich. You're still going to make them feel like crap for spending their life savings on an inferior product. And there are still going to superiority undertones to what you're saying, at least to their ear.
- closeparen 9y ago
  Sure, it would be malicious to mail people the McMansion hell posts on the houses they've just signed for, but that's not what she was doing. I used to think snobbery was obnoxious, but now the constant stream of "there's no such thing as quality, but even if there is, we shouldn't acknowledge it or its absence" seems even more grating.
  - look_lookatme 9y ago
    > "there's no such thing as quality, but even if there is, we shouldn't acknowledge it or its absence" Where do you live where this is the case?