I don’t get why people think old stuff is so valuable. I see so many old buildings, partially decayed, that people are fighting to keep. WHY? Any historical value besides the actual building frame has been documented and removed, leaving behind a dangerous, usually ugly, dump. The funniest part is the environmentalists who think it’s a good idea to keep them. What’s better; a shiny new building that’s energy efficient and looks good, OR an old decrepit shack that’s barely holding itself up and requires an enormous amount of energy to heat it through the winter, with ancient electrics that create an unnecessary draw on power? Knock it down. Recycle what you can. Put up something clean and modern because it’ll look better, work better, and last longer.
People have to learn to let go of material items from past generations. It’s insane the value that’s placed on antiques. They are, from a practical standpoint, worthless. Understand? They are only worth their ‘perceived’ value. How about we estimates somethings worth based on its usability? Crazy idea I know, because you can’t use that priceless artifact while it’s busy collecting dust on your mantlepiece. —Cultural Spring Cleaning
This article appears in Mar 1-7, 2012.
Oh fuck off, OB.
My parents’ house is 200 years old. It has issues, sure (it needed a new roof and some foundation repairs and the chimney needed repointing)….. but you know what? The majority of the new ‘modern’ houses being put up these days won’t last a quarter as long as my parents’ 200 year old house.
You sound really young and immature, OB.
If you don’t get it, I guarantee that you won’t understand any answer that is proferred here. Tell you what; you keep what you want on your mantelpiece and don’t worry your little head about what others keep on theirs.
Sorry PK, but ‘modern’ homes is a pretty broad term. A regular, bare bones, wood frame house will last at least 50 – 60 years in NS (much shorter than other parts of the country due to moisture). An ICF house will last you well over 100 years. This is assuming it’s built properly. A lot of homes in Halifax are post WW2, quickly built for cheap, meaning their life span is nearing its end.
Is your parents house brick or stone? That would make it last considerably longer. They seem to be pretty good home owners too, keeping up with major repairs like a new roof, and a foundation check-up. Anyone who pays close attention like that to their home will likely enjoy a long standing house.
We want to keep the asbestos traps and piles of bat droppings! You can’t take away our dark dank brick labyrinths! Maybe we like living in homes that cost an arm and a leg to heat, and are home to more that 4 species of animal, ever think of that OB? Some people would get attached to a hole in the ground of they were born there. Just because you’re practical doesn’t mean everyone else is.
Let’s start with the pyramids.
OP all i know is when the world finally goes to hell and the grid collapses, you can’t come to my house to churn butter.
That is all.
there are pictures and things, that one attaches memories to, myself being one. i have the very first dollar, i ever made. and the last one that was made in canada.
yeah o.p., people do have a habit of holding on to old things, someday, they might get real fucking hard to find, and real valuable too.
All that’s new isn’t necessarily better just newer. Although I agree with you OP about some of these antiquated buildings, knock em down, put up something more energy effiecient.
OP: Someday, walk by Province House or Government House. Then take check out the Dal’s Killam Library or Life Sciences Centre.
Which is more valuable? The 300 year old granite grandeur of the Georgian age, or the crumbling, piss-stained, windowless, ‘energy efficient’ concrete hellholes from the 1970s?
You have to see that most people would value the first over the second. Why? Because humans aren’t robots. And that means we like stuff based on its attractiveness. Or beause of how it makes us feel. Or because it’s rare. Or for who knows why.
And here’s a tip for ya: There is no such thing as ‘real’ value. Everything on earth is valued according to its ‘perceived’ value. Stocks, currency, real estate, sexual partners, gold, clothes, commercial goods, even (to a large degree) natural resources–it’s human perception that drives the price. A Cadillac is just as usable as a Chevy, but one’s worth a lot more. A cotton shirt is just as usable as a polyester one, but nobody asks for a polyester shirt for Christmas. Gentlemen prefer blondes, even though brunettes can do all the same stuff.
Sorry sport, utilitarianism is as dead as Jeremy Bentham.