Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by ryandrake 1 day ago
Weird that there are so many comments defending McMansions here, I would have expected the opposite. We have no problem pointing out poorly, haphazardly, or tastelessly designed tech devices and applications with terrible UIs, and tech companies with more money than design sense, but when it comes to a tasteless house, criticism is elitist gatekeeping?
5 comments

It’s pretty obvious that a lot of the user base is obsessed with wealth and status and critiquing their main status symbol hits them where it hurts.
Criticising poor usability is fine, worthwhile even. Criticising unfashionable taste is just classism.
> but when it comes to a tasteless house, criticism is elitist gatekeeping?

In the middle of a housing crisis, yes, it absolutely is.

There's plenty of "elitist gatekeeping" and excessive nitpicking of software in this community. But architecture isn't my area so I don't judge the line of where the criticism gets silly.
The average HN enjoyer likely lives in a McMansion of some sort, especially since basically anything built in the last 30 years is reminiscent of one, at least.