Are ratrods stupid or is it just their owners?

To me, the original premise of a rat rod was to put something to gether and get it on the road, without needing a $20k paint job, a $10k interior, and if it's got a little rust, so what? I approve of that philosophy.
But the over-the-top junk that is being artificially rusted, and has poor build quality for the sake of outrageousness doesn't appeal any more.