As committed as I am to not being judgmental when it comes to addictive consumerism in America, I nearly barfed at the screening of the new documentary, “The Queen of Versailles.” My mistake was assuming that the tribulation of David and Jacqueline Siegel in trying to build the largest single-family home in the U.S. (90,000 sq.ft. and named for the French palace) would cause a shift in their thinking after the 2008 economic collapse. It forced a shift in their lifestyle but not in their thinking, making the societal delusion that Postconsumers.com addresses all the more obvious.
Here’s proof of the delusion. Although David admits that they should live within their means, they are hell-bent to restore and increase those opulent means as the path to satisfaction. “If I have to live to be 150, that’s what I’ll do to get back on top again.” Both David and Jacqueline blame the bankers, calling them vultures that “got us addicted to cheap money.” They don’t seem to question their constant mission to find more money in order to keep Versailles and other trappings.
However, the best line is when one of the teens realizes, “All you want is more and more.” More is never enough. There is no satisfaction when you can’t get satisfied.
