And when the metal met the ice, no amount of cashmere carpeting would save the passengers. A silver chafing dish makes a poor substitute for a lifeboat. And the cast iron weights in the gym would have been better used reinforcing the forepeak. When the stricken ship slipped below the icy water that terrible night, all the luxury went straight to the bottom, along with the flawed steel that was supposed to keep it afloat and 1,500 lives. America today is glorious to behold.
Laborers drive the same cars royalty drives elsewhere.
Few houses these days are built without central air conditioning. Our wardrobes overflow with clothing we wear once or twice, then throw away because it's out of style. We walk on carpet, breathe filtered air, and drink bottled water. We spend more on shrubbery than the average third-worlder makes in a year. But underneath, the steel is rotten.