Your two-part series on the plight of the ski bum
inspired this letter (HCN, 10/25/04: As the town hollows out, one
Aspen neighborhood thrives) (HCN,.11/8/04: A new breed of ‘ski
bums’ is anything but). Aspen is what it is today because young
bohemians who supposedly believed in equality among the classes,
wanted to shut the gates to Aspen and deny others the equal
opportunity to live in this rare, scenic place.
There was
only one way for the bourgeoisie to survive in paradise. That was
to find a way to balance the conflict between the opposing forces
of natural justice and social justice. Thus we have two Aspens: One
where natural justice is served by recognizing the inequality
between the rich and less-than-rich classes. The other, where
social justice is served by sharing the wealth.
Aspen’s bourgeoisie adopted the down-zoning that moved many
more of them down-valley. Then they voted to move a limited number
of bobos — bourgeois bohemians — back in to live under
strict rules they put on affordable housing. The bobos, not the
rich, voted to have government move the poor out and then voted to
move them back in.
Finding a comfort level with
inequality is rational because it lets the rich and the poor
survive here. Those who disagree with this social contract should
try proposing an alternative to the zoning that made Aspen into a
gated community.
This social contract exists because
inequality is a benefit when the poor get to share other
people’s money. And the bobos in paradise wouldn’t
change a thing.
Be brave, comrades.
KNCB Moore
Aspen, Colorado
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Living poor and voting rich.
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