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Sunday, May 20, 2007

Dancing in the Streets by Barbara Ehrenreich

We should party more.

That, essentially is the message of this surprising book. Specifically, we should do more group dancing, and oddly enough Ehrenreich makes a plausible case for her belief. The concept of ecstatic group rituals, or carnivals is key to preserving community, in her thinking.

Starting with prehistory and primitive tribal customs her astonishingly wide-ranging and exhaustively researched analysis documents the place of celebratory communal festivals have had in human life. The detail is painstaking and the bibliography immense, making her inferences doubly enticing.

The author's greatest reach may be correlating the appearance of depression as an ailment with the decline of public celebrations. To which end, she spares no sympathy for the ravages left by Calvanist Christianity. By declaring ecstatic festivities satanic, Western religion dooms its adherents to a sad life indeed.

There is something insightful here. Coupled with my take-away from Robert Putnam's "Bowling Alone", the essence of community may be endangered by our fear of letting go in public. I know my pastor has lamented our rural straight-laced reluctance to any hints of Pentecostal excitement. And the very idea of synchronous, musical movement (a.k.a. dancing) - oh, the horror!

Ehrenreich's well-documented lament for lost joys is solidly written and easily absorbed. It seems simplistic to believe the loss of public group rituals like dancing could be to blame for our modern disconnectedness, but it is far from preposterous. I was intrigued by her assertions. Unfortunately, I married a woman who attended a Baptist college. *

This book is a good read for those who think about how we fit in with others, and how to extract meaning from our human history. Her virtuosity of detail and grasp of implication is masterful, and powerfully convincing.

"A woman is a person who thinks she doesn't dance enough". (A quote I can't find to attribute)

This could also be part of the inspiration behind this book. Regardless, it is well done.

* According to She Who Must Be Obeyed, her college was NOT a Baptist college. It simply forbade dancing. Like, excuse me for connecting the obvious dots.

Labels: culture, history

¶ 6:29 PM

Comments:

I look forward to reading this book, John. And who knows? I may accomplish my God given goal of helping our congregation "dance in the streets!" in praise of the Lord of the Dance!

# posted by PT : 6:51 AM

On the Coffee Table Sunday, May 20, 2007 Dancing in the Streets by Barbara Ehrenreich We should party more. That, essentially is the message of this surprising book. Specifically, we should do more group dancing, and oddly enough Ehrenreich makes a plausible case for her belief. The concept of ecstatic group rituals, or carnivals is key to preserving community, in her thinking. Starting with prehistory and primitive tribal customs her astonishingly wide-ranging and exhaustively researched analysis documents the place of celebratory communal festivals have had in human life. The detail is painstaking and the bibliography immense, making her inferences doubly enticing. The author's greatest reach may be correlating the appearance of depression as an ailment with the decline of public celebrations. To which end, she spares no sympathy for the ravages left by Calvanist Christianity. By declaring ecstatic festivities satanic, Western religion dooms its adherents to a sad life indeed. There is something insightful here. Coupled with my take-away from Robert Putnam's "Bowling Alone", the essence of community may be endangered by our fear of letting go in public. I know my pastor has lamented our rural straight-laced reluctance to any hints of Pentecostal excitement. And the very idea of synchronous, musical movement (a.k.a. dancing) - oh, the horror! Ehrenreich's well-documented lament for lost joys is solidly written and easily absorbed. It seems simplistic to believe the loss of public group rituals like dancing could be to blame for our modern disconnectedness, but it is far from preposterous. I was intrigued by her assertions. Unfortunately, I married a woman who attended a Baptist college. * This book is a good read for those who think about how we fit in with others, and how to extract meaning from our human history. Her virtuosity of detail and grasp of implication is masterful, and powerfully convincing. "A woman is a person who thinks she doesn't dance enough". (A quote I can't find to attribute) This could also be part of the inspiration behind this book. Regardless, it is well done. * According to She Who Must Be Obeyed, her college was NOT a Baptist college. It simply forbade dancing. Like, excuse me for connecting the obvious dots. Labels: culture, history ¶ 6:29 PM Comments: I look forward to reading this book, John. And who knows? I may accomplish my God given goal of helping our congregation "dance in the streets!" in praise of the Lord of the Dance! # posted by PT : 6:51 AM Post a Comment << Home About Me Name: John Phipps Location: Chrisman, Illinois, US Jan and I farm 1700 acres near Chrisman, IL. I have also written humor and commentary for Farm Journal and Top Producer for 13 years. Please visit my website (www.johnwphipps.com) to learn about my speaking services for your group's next meeting. View my complete profile ARCHIVES 06/01/2006 - 07/01/2006 / 07/01/2006 - 08/01/2006 / 08/01/2006 - 09/01/2006 / 02/01/2007 - 03/01/2007 / 03/01/2007 - 04/01/2007 / 04/01/2007 - 05/01/2007 / 05/01/2007 - 06/01/2007 / advertisement MORE FROM JOHN What's for Dinner
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