Autumn 2056

In the fall of 2056, the Supreme Court was asked to decide the general fate of urban renewal, and skinny houses in particular.  More notable than the actual court case was the extreme speed the movement spread across the United States, and even into other countries.

The movement, which became known by the acronym S.H.I.T. (Skinny Houses Improve Things), began in the Spring of 2056 in North Portland, Oregon, with three protestors outside the planned demolition of a skinny house to make way for new "Box" housing.  Within a month, there were protests in major cities throughout the United States, and sympathetic rallies in the London suburb of Surrey, and Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Germany.  The rapid prominence of the movement can be traced to a viral video of a kitten chasing its tail at the original SHIT rally.  That, and people seemed to really like saying, "Shit."

It is estimated that SHIT, collected over 1.2 billion dollars in donations in just five months, ostensibly to fund the legal battle required to ban developers from destroying historic homes to make way for new, trendier housing.  It became common in the Summer of '56 to hear the organization's slogan:  "Give a SHIT!  Donate today."

The culminating event was The Concert to Save the Skinny Houses.  It is estimated that on August 3 & 4, well over a million people filled the National Mall in Washington D.C. to hear every pop artist of the day – none of whom anybody still remembers – all sing songs about teenage angst. In a national poll taken shortly before the Fall Supreme Court session, 92% of all Americans (with a margin of error of plus or minus 3%) responded favourably to saving the skinny houses.  It was this popularity that pushed SHIT v. Reality Realty before the judges in October.

Writing for the majority, Judge Harris stated, "Why are we even hearing this case?  If you want to save the skinny houses, it's really easy.  All you have to do is buy them.  Nobody's stopping you."  Whereas many people had been willing to spend their money on pointless legal battles, when it finally came down to it, no one was willing to spend their money on an actual skinny house.  Said one supporter, "No interviews, please."  Within two years all skinny houses were gone.

See also:  Save the Flat Houses; Save the Crocked Houses; Save the McMansions; Save the Depressing Duplex Communities; Save the Trailor Parks; and Save the Ash Heap at the End of My Block.