I think that it helps to look at the issue objectively rather than considering it from the perspective of the status quo. My point isn't so much that the kids don't have permission as much as it is that they won't get permission if they ask, or they are too afraid to ask out of fear of persecution. Looking at the planet from the eyes of an alien, it's clear that a small subset of the population have a monopoly on the visual appearance of our hives. It's also pretty obvious that the tribes in power consider production to be far more important than anything else, where even self-expression and art are turned into commodities. Which brings me to the point I was trying to make - that in your house you decorate it in a way that makes you feel good. In the shared public spaces, only those who have enough resources get to decorate the place, and almost always for the purpose of acquiring more resources. It never looks good, so the joy of the many is sacrificed for the profit of the few. We often forget that even though the building belongs to someone, the space surrounding it is still public, yet the fact is not respected.