A day after poking fun at the “artisinal” movement, along comes this:
I love the Victorian era. So I decided to live in it.
Where we read about the author and her husband who have decided to replace every trace of modernity with Victorian tech, including lighting their home with oil lamps.
Now, someone wants to live in an oddball way… so long as their doing so neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg, more power to ’em. But this article emits such a dense cloud of smug that the subjects of the piece come off as people ya just want to slip a case of TB to, just to see how committed to their cause they really are. I’d be tempted to suggest that they are essentially cosplayers who life their fantasy 24/7, but they’ve gone way beyond that. Most cosplayers hardly have actually functioning rayguns.
The article raises and fails to answer a number of questions:
- So how do they fund this way of life? It seems terribly expensive, while not being something that would seem to bring in a whole lot of cash. That oddball tricycle she’s shown riding, for example.
- So how do they *really* deal with medical issues?
- Ahem TP ahem.
- They turn on some olde-timey incandescent light bulbs when they have guest. Who the hell would visit them, and why?
- Note that this article was published on the internet. How the hell did *that* happen? Did they cobble together a Babbage Difference Engine that could connect to WiFi? The author also has a vintage, historically accurate artisinal Victorian website.
- Lice. Ticks. Bedbugs. Rodents. Bleah.
The author is living her dream, so bully for her. I can see the appeal of wearing “vintage” fashions… why, I’ve often thought dressing much like a 9th century Viking, but with a Civil War Union kepi, modern combat boots, 1980’s mirrored aviator sunglasses, an 1896 Mauser Broomhandle and a WWII-era Tommygun would make a fellow a fashion icon. But am I gonna dress like that *every* day? Heck no, that’s only for special days.
