“In sex, as in consumption, the nuclear family emphasizes possession and exclusivity at the expense of the kinds of emotional relationships that work for co-operation and solidarity.”

— Germaine Greer

"Women and power in Cuba" (1985), p. 271
The Madwoman's Underclothes (1986)
Context: In the nuclear family the child is confronted by only two adults contrasted by sex. The tendency towards polarization is unavoidable. The duplication of effort in the nuclear family is directly connected to the family's role as the principal unit of consumption in consumer society. Each household is destined to acquire a complete set of all the consumer durables considered necessary for the good life and per caput consumption is therefore maintained at its highest level. In sex, as in consumption, the nuclear family emphasizes possession and exclusivity at the expense of the kinds of emotional relationships that work for co-operation and solidarity.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "In sex, as in consumption, the nuclear family emphasizes possession and exclusivity at the expense of the kinds of emot…" by Germaine Greer?

Germaine Greer 73

Australian feminist author 1939

Related quotes

“The sight of a wedding always has a disturbing effect on young girls; at such moments a mysterious sense of solidarity with their own sex takes possession of them.”

Stefan Zweig book Beware of Pity

Beware of Pity (1939)

“Take the initiative. Go to work, and above all co-operate and don't hold back on one another or try to gain at the expense of another. Any success in such lopsidedness will be increasingly short-lived. These are the synergetic rules that evolution is employing and trying to make clear to us.”

Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983) American architect, systems theorist, author, designer, inventor and futurist

1960s, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth (1963)
Context: Take the initiative. Go to work, and above all co-operate and don't hold back on one another or try to gain at the expense of another. Any success in such lopsidedness will be increasingly short-lived. These are the synergetic rules that evolution is employing and trying to make clear to us. They are not man-made laws. They are the infinitely accommodative laws of the intellectual integrity governing universe.

“The point of art is to emphasize some elements at the expense of others.”

Daniel Levitin book The World in Six Songs

The World in Six Songs (2008)

“I dont work with collectives. I don't consult, i don't co-operate, I don't collaborate.”

Ayn Rand book The Fountainhead

Source: The Fountainhead

“There is but one mode by which man can possess in perpetuity all the happiness which his nature is capable of enjoying, — that is by the union and co-operation of all for the benefit of each.
Union and co-operation in war obviously increase the power of the individual a thousand fold. Is there the shadow of a reason why they should not produce equal effects in peace; why the principle of co-operation should not give to men the same superior powers, and advantages, (and much greater) in the creation, preservation, distribution and enjoyment of wealth?”

Robert Owen (1771–1858) Welsh social reformer

The Social System (1826)

“[I will] not co-operate on [a] no-deal.”

Donald Tusk (1957) Polish politician, current President of the European Council

Brexit: Donald Tusk and Boris Johnson clash over who is 'Mr No Deal' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49458293 BBC News (24 August 2019)

“The only thing that will redeem mankind is co-operation”

Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) logician, one of the first analytic philosophers and political activist

Source: 1950s, Human Society in Ethics and Politics (1954), p. 212
Context: The only thing that will redeem mankind is co-operation, and the first step towards co-operation lies in the hearts of individuals.

“It must be emphasized that free ridership is not a fact; it is an implication of the hypothesis that people maximize a utility function that depends only on their own consumption of goods.”

Harvey S. Rosen (1949) American economist

Source: Public Finance - International Edition - Sixth Edition, Chapter 4, Public Goods, p. 64

“[My party is] committed to work co-operatively with every other opposition party and do everything in our power to avoid a catastrophic crash-out Brexit”

Adam Price (1968) Welsh politician and Plaid Cymru leader (born 1968)

Brexit: Opposition MPs agree strategy to block no deal https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49483374 BBC News (27 August 2019)
2019

“Regardless of whether it is a friendship or a romantic relationship, emotions and feelings are the heart of every healthy and meaningful relationship. Without a healthy emotional life, a relationship is not a relationship, it's a social arrangement.”

Teal Swan (1984) American spiritual teacher

“In sex, as in consumption, the nuclear family emphasizes possession and exclusivity at the expense of the kinds of emotional relationships that work for co-operation and solidarity.”

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Germaine Greer 73

Related quotes

Related topics