There was nothing to compare it to and thus was original and novel. Le Corbusier is saying that now everything that is built is based upon some pre-existing style or idea and that no one is doing anything original. It is all about following in what is tried and true. This is a problem in the fact that without imagination and invention, things will become stale and tired and no new ways of doing things will ever be discovered.
Adolf Loos: "Ornament and Crime"
1. What does Loos' comparison of human cultures, especially Europeans and the Papuans (from Papua New Guinea); say about how he sees different groups? Is this an accepted view today, and why or why not?
He sees these groups as having different cultures. Although both groups have the same practices, these are seen as complete opposites between the groups. What is perfectly acceptable and normal in one is seen as bad and degenerate in the other. This is not really an accepted view today. There are many groups that are different from the mainstream and suffer ridicule and persecution on a daily basis. The culture in which we live is very homogeneous and one is which everyone wants everyone else to behave and assist in maintaining the status quo.
2. Why does he think modern ornament is "inauthentic" and that decoration reduces the life span of a consumer good? Is this true today?
Loos feels that modern ornament is inauthentic because it is nothing more than decoration and is in no way necessary for the function of the object. This decoration reduces the life span of a consumer good because people get tired of the product and discard it because of the way it looks and not because it doesn't function anymore....
People get tired of the car that they are driving and trade it in every two years or so not because there is anything wrong with it, but just because they don't like the way it looks any more. This can also be seen when new technology hits the market. Just like with Apple's recent release of its new i-pad. Thos who owned older versions, even though there was nothing wrong with what they had, dumped their old ones just so that they could go out and buy the new one.
3. What does Loos believe choosing simple instead of ornamented objects says about a person? Do the consumer choices we make today send a similar message?
Loos says that people who chose simple over ornamented objects has spiritual strength. It is these people who believe in something more than material things. These people have another avenue from which they seek happiness. These are not the type of people who base their whole lives on being able to have the latest and greatest thing just because it has a name brand to it. These people let ornament things define who they are, instead of creating their own character based upon the things that they believe in.
The consumer choices that people make today definitely send this same type of message. Those who will only wear clothes that are of a certain brand have the mentality that it is the material goods and the reaction that those material goods draw from others, that makes them happy. Those people who don't care about what brand a piece of clothing is and will buy what they like because it is functional and the right price are those that have something else in their lives that drive their happiness, not just ornament things.
