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About Quote by Barbara Ehrenreich

“We - we spend a lot of time, scholarly time, thinking about love and sex, but very little about the - the kind of joy that can take over a crowd of people or a group of people, in festivity, in ecstatic ritual of some kind, in celebration.” quote by Barbara Ehrenreich
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“We - we spend a lot of time, scholarly time, thinking about love and sex, but very little about the - the kind of joy that can take over a crowd of people or a group of people, in festivity, in ecstatic ritual of some kind, in celebration.”

Barbara Ehrenreich

About This Quote

Source Interview: “The Joy of Celebration” in The American Prospect, 1995

She highlights that modern discourse overemphasizes love and sex while neglecting collective joy found in communal rituals and celebrations.

In simple terms: People focus on personal intimacy, ignoring shared ecstatic experiences.

Key Takeaway

Value and create communal celebrations.

Themes

community joy ritual celebration collective experience

Mood

joyful reflective

Type

observational philosophical

When to use this quote

  • festivals
  • team-building events
  • religious ceremonies
  • public holidays
  • spontaneous street parties

Key Concepts

sociology psychology anthropology

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can we foster inclusive celebrations?
  • What personal rituals can replace communal joy?
A Different Perspective

Such joy can be fleeting and may exclude those who feel uncomfortable in crowds.

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