About The Party Issue

Why do we love to party? Our innate inclination towards social gatherings stems from a confluence of factors: the Bandwagon effect plays a significant role in our party-loving nature, as we subconsciously seek validation for our actions and choices through the collective behavior of others. This de-individualization, while seemingly relinquishing personal responsibility, paradoxically fosters a sense of belonging and connection, leading to a collective communal experience. The Latin etymology of "party," "partire" and "partiri," meaning "to share, part, distribute, divide" captures this essence of communality. Parties serve as platforms where we metaphorically and sometimes literally break away from our individual selves, offering a piece of ourselves to the collective experience.

French sociologist Émile Durkheim's concept of "collective effervescence" describes the heightened emotional state that arises during these communal gatherings: as we synchronize our behavior and intentions, we collectively transcend the mundane and enter a realm of shared experience, resembling a form of religious ritual.

This merging of the profane and sacred is further accentuated by the objects that define parties, symbolic indulgences that are able to elevate and transform the experience into a ritualistic act of communion.

You got it right: cakes and cocktails.