Well, possibly and at the risk of appearing rude to many, because the buyers are not very discerning, the makers don't care and consequently that's all the motorhomer can buy.
If an urban graffiti artist was to attack a static building with these sorts of artworks it would be considered an act of environmental vandalism and the perpetrator would be fined.
But the makers of these mass produced fifth wheelers, buses and vans continue to get away with presenting their ugly artworks to the world.
There is nothing environmentally respectful or friendly about these vehicles.
They don't fit in with the great outdoors they visit. They shout their demands to be noticed.
They're ecological disasters.
They're a blot on the landscape but they don't have to be. They're a designers worst nightmare but they don't have to be.
They're ugly misfits but with a right
to their place in the sun.
And I must show tolerance to the good taste
or otherwise of my fellow travelers...
I'm inclined to agree with you.
ReplyDeleteMy preference is of course the ormate Gyps Waggons, covered with pretty colourful flowers and with stained glass windows and cute pot-bellied stoves.
The modern monstrosities you depict are similar to the houses these days. Big and brash. That's all.
The campers these days like to bring all the conveniences of home wih them on the road and I guess you can't expect anything in the way of class or discernement.
Most Motor-homers are City dwellers, from dowdy suburbs.
I am just pleased that they remove themselves from the rat race and get out into the real World in whatever they find their friends driving, and it's all that's available after all, unless you build your own.
Most of us are sheep, and n the Year of the sheep things aren't going to get any better I'm afraid.....Jennybee
How apt. The Year Of The Sheep. Very funny Jenny Bee...
DeleteUsing the phrase sheep is sort of sheepish.
DeleteI must paint my motorhome camouflage to blend in better and BTW anonymous, I live in the country but only have 12 acres, but it has lots of trees and swamp/lake with all kinds of wildlife. You wouldn't catch me ever living in a city and I have a diesel pusher 39 foot motorhome.
ReplyDeleteYear of the sheep . Baaaa !!
ReplyDeleteKeith , the vans you are talking about have evolved from the good ol Bedfords etc to the wonderful super efficient vans we see now. Mine is a 5 cylinder modern Mercedes diesel with everything that opens and shuts and can handle any roads that NZ has without falling to bits . I enjoy watching a bit of TV and we cook awesome roast dinners and scones etc in our oven. It is nice having the odd BBQ and the van has more solar power than it needs. Completely self contained we can stay in the wop wops for weeks without problems . Your house truck looks great bit I can think of a few hills in NZ that would slow it down a bit and I presume you would have to tow a fuel tanker on a long trip .
Super efficient they may be Glovebug but I don't see why most of them have to display ugly grafitti along their white bodies.
DeleteYes TFT is slow and that's how I like it. I haven't pulled out and passed another vehicle apart from the odd tractor for the last fifteen years. I like the slow life.
And as for go anywhere, well I would prefer to rely on my old bus than a new front wheel drive with a low body to go places thankyou.
I don't watch TV but I too enjoy roast dinners, make bread, scones etc in a camp oven and I haven't plugged into the national grid for twenty five years. I have two showers, a full size bath, a toilet of course and use about six litres of diesel per hundred k.
The vans I'm talking about have evolved through marketing and manufacturers creating motorhomes for the mass market.
There really is little choice for anyone who desires something a little different...
In N.A. , the campgrounds that accept the behemoths you show , would be happy to see the above , to the point of refusing entry to homemade wonders like TFT , or Vardos , or ones more than ten years old , or "Hippie Buses".
ReplyDeleteEvidently , appearances matter , so I suppose the joke would be that you would have to look like them , and accessorize like them to be admitted to polite society.
anglo
Anglo, there are campgrounds in NZ who prefer to admit only the new flashy motorhomes and they certainly don't make older character housebuses and housetrucks welcome.
DeleteIt's a funny old world...
It is a funny world. I've gotten some strange looks at my vehicle when we pull into some places. Of course, I've been ignoring strange looks all my life so it doesn't matter.
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to have simple needs. Funny how so many rigs need 50 amp power these days. They run AC during the day and heat at night rather than suffer a few degree temp difference.
So many of those rigs look the same, and I guess folks hate to look different.
After travelling for a few years, I do tend to agree with you Keith. Too many white monsters fill the private spots. Such a relief when we see an individually designed home.
ReplyDeleteWish we had had more gumption to find something different.
How are you Keith?
Thanks Sue. I'm well and happy and still trying with obviously not much success, to learn how to be more respectful to and of others...
DeleteSmall is beautiful. The average kiwi doesn't know that. They are only too happy to ostentatiously show off their dollars. There is such a growing rich poor divide here and lack of taste seems to go with those who have too much. Personally I sometimes why you would bother to leave home if you need to take everything, including the oven and the washing machine...and the tv, with you....
ReplyDeleteIn our cookie cutter world individualism isn't encouraged. Consumerism is the name of the game and that means bigger is always better and that includes RV's. You could never make one like the photos on your own even if you wanted to and if you have a yearning to take your excesses with you while traveling around it will cost lots of money which is part of the same game. If you like frugal,small and are environmentally sensitive then you just don't fit in. So, depending on which end of the spectrum you're at, taste is rather inconsequential compared to one's basic stance.
ReplyDeleteMost people don't have an education in good taste. They grow up watching extremely garish cartoons and playing with truly ugly toys. Art appreciation starts in childhood, garbage in equals garbage out.
ReplyDeleteHey now, I live in one of those @#&*^@%%^.
ReplyDeleteThere are more mirrors than a Bolivian whorehouse.
If I had the talent I would gut it and make it much more
useable.
Who needs a curio cabinet when they are camping?
Looks to me like it's all about conspicuous consumption, keeping up with the Joneses, and maintaining the ideology of consumerism (which, incidentally, happens to be the evil that is devouring the planet and destroying the future for posterity). The same campgrounds that spurn the company of a good ol' hippie bus would probably welcome the Vogon Lander from Dubai - and all which it connotes.
ReplyDeleteBut not to worry. These rolling MacMansions will surely go the way of the stationary ones, which are shoddily built and thus guaranteed to rapidly decay. In the fullness of time the Vardo will once again rule the road.
"I haven't plugged into the national grid for twenty five years."
Bully for you Keith!
@ Karin - "Art appreciation starts in childhood."
So true. If you expose kids to nothing but rubbish, they'll learn to appreciate nothing else.
Hi, Keith :-)
ReplyDeleteI can see that you feel strongly about this issue, but I'm going to have to disagree with you.
I think modern motor homes and trailers are a marvel of engineering--especially if they have slide-outs to maximize living space, and I think the ones decked out with decals look better than plain white.
Sure--an outdoor scene would be nice, but a custom paint job would likely cost thousands of dollars.
So, for now--I'll agree to disagree, and wish you well...
Thanks Byron. Yes some are 'marvels of engineering' as you say. It's only the visual aspect of them I'm objecting to. The bizarre graffiti that yells 'look at me!' The same vehicles in shades of natures colours would be more acceptable. At the moment I'm surrounded by a number of white motorhomes.
DeleteNot a pretty sight...
Keith,
DeleteIf you were to plug into the grid now and then, you'd be aware of some amazing new inventions that could help solve your current predicament.
One of the simplest is called the "Curtain" and it has the amazing property of being able to render those offensive RV behemoths invisible.
It's close cousin is the "Window shade", which has the ability to keep others from seeing inside your shoddy, er, ship-shape vehicle in return.
For the high-brow version, of these, look into something called "Draperies"
If you've pissed and moaned the neighbors into such a state that you need protection, consider something called "Shutters", which have all of the above attributes, as well as being impervious to most small objects hurled in your direction.
Dear Mr Fifty Shades of Silly.
DeleteWhat would I do without your wonderful advice...
They are even uglier on the inside...
ReplyDelete