of monumental scope - and the secret worship of the Rich is the partial result. It was at least reasonable.. to despise the arrogance of the landed gentry - while simultaneously admiring their er discrimination, the fruits of an expensive education.

But somewhere we went all simplistic - and thought we were admiring them, mostly: for the fact that they'd stolen a disproportionate share of *everything* ie.. were 'rich'. So.. any fool saw he* could finally become (merely) rich too. Just spend a life making that your only goal, become obsessive and never learn shit about anything but $.

* she too.. but only a few at first. Took til 1920 afore females were deemed to be just as capable as the men - of voting for assholes who talked pretty, but spent 90% of their term raising $ for the next one.

Eureka: the nuvo-riche! - and on their walls.. not a Picasso, but a rilly expen$ive (signed and numbered) Soup Can; the Rolex not the (who ever heard of.. Vacheron et Constantin?) .. and on down to the 1959 FIN (with attached Cadillac). Excess was sure to follow. (And we wonder about.. bloatware ??)


Well - something like that.



Ashton Analyses Ltd
we'll tell ya went wrong
(but we don't fix stuff)