When I saw this aerial view of Thomas Friedman’s house today via Planet Gore and Mark Steyn, I have to admit I was surprised – not by its mammoth size (the gallumphing carbon footprint of enviro-hypocrites is a cliché by now), but by its atrocious aesthetics. At least from above, Chez Friedman seems like the most unimaginative of McMansions.
Why, I wondered, would the New York Times man invest his (semi) hard-earned millions on something so dull and pompous, pretentious even? Why not hire one of those expensive avant garde architects so often trumpeted in his own paper? At least then he could come up with something that looks as if it’s environmentally friendly (with solar panels on the roof, etc.), even if it is isn’t . And it wouldn’t be such an eyesore into the bargain.
Then I realized – how could I have been so stupid? Friedman spends a lot of time romancing the Saudis. It’s their Royal Family he wants to impress. What does Rem Koolhaas mean to Prince Abdullah? Not a lot, I would imagine. No, it’s excess excess excess. So keep it up, Tom. Good work. Pretty soon you might have something as environmentally smashing as this woman’s house. [They are so aesthetically square.-ed. Yes, and intellectually as well.]
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