...they are also the "Founding Fathers" (along with their multitude of pasty white descendants) of the decidedly peculiar country known as the United States of America.
What a noble thought, to create a brand-new country with such lofty ideals...while simultaneously committing mass genocide of the land's original inhabitants, owning people kidnapped from other countries (well, somebody had to take care of their mansions and grand plantations) and completely disregarding the rights of women and children! (Note the women in the illustration, barricaded and KEPT IN THEIR PLACE. They appear to be protesting. I'd have thrown a shoe or two myself.)
Wow, what a great start, huh? More like the United States of Hypocrisy, I'd say.
Why, you ask, this particular subject? Well, during a recent doctor visit, I happened to glance at *sniff* Westchester Magazine (for those who are wealthy enough to command their own publication) and a particular article jumped out at me: "Westchester in the Gilded Age" by Nathan Laliberte.
I love to study old black & white photographs of times gone by, but these photos reminded me of a visit to the 'summer home' of Cornelius Vanderbilt, now a museum and perfect example of why old Cornelius and his ilk came to be known as 'Robber Barons.'
From Wikipedia: Cornelius Vanderbilt's great-great-grandfather, Jan Aertson or Aertszoon, was a Dutch farmer from the village of De Bilt in Utrecht, Netherlands, who emigrated to New York as an indentured servant in 1650. The Dutch van der ("of the") was eventually added to Aertson's village name to create "van der Bilt" ("of De Bilt"), which was eventually condensed to Vanderbilt.
In other words, WASP. And then it occurred to me that, the earlier your family got here, the better your chances are of being filthy rich...not hard to accomplish when there was no such thing as INCOME TAX, and you owned everything in sight, including corrupt government officials of the time.
Getting back to Cornelius' summer home, it was so opulent and ostentatious, I blurted out "Holy shit, this place could feed the WORLD for 5 years!" We were informed by the (disapproving) tour guide that Cornelius and his family only spent "two months" of the year at this home...with verdant rolling hills overlooking the Hudson River, his own private gardens to wander, what seemed like 500 over-sized rooms, gigantic brocade tapestries adorning the walls, and chandeliers so huge, baseball teams can use them for night games ~ all surrounded by acres and acres of immaculate landscaping.
And it was deemed worthy to inhabit for only two months, after which they repaired to their Manhattan mansions and world travel. Not bad for the descendant of an indentured servant who just happened to arrive here in 1650. Those Dutch, they were a wily and clairvoyant bunch, weren't they?
Well, all I can say is if this country ever burns itself out, locusts shouldn't be part of the wipe-out. So it was begun, and so it may end...by WASPS!
