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KEYPART
April 15, 2001
Add: December 11, 2008
Watching the documentary about Levittown, "Dreamtown",
a few of the old folks talk about the old I think...
days when some people they used to know
were into going to "key parties". Ah, no, it's
"Wonderland",
These were supposedly wife swapping from 1997.
parties, where everyone throws their keys
into a jar and then draws at random. Got to love mistakes
like that -- I once
I've heard about these things before, came up with "The New
of course. And I've wondered before: Romantics" when I
how exactly is this supposed to work? meant "The Modern
Lovers".
A bunch of couples go out to this
party, they get a little drunk, toss
their keys in the jar, they do the
drawing...
And then what? Keys don't
typically have addresses
marked on them. I doubt that
they did even back in the
fabulous fifties. How do you
know whose key you've got?
Okay, so you take the key off
your ring, and attach a
label to it, and write down
the address.
We might wonder at this point
why you bother with the key.
Why not just write down the
info on a card, and draw And why would anyone be out "wandering"?
cards? One person (wifey or Both couples are at the same party, right?
hubby?) is going to be at So, you draw a name, and go home with
home, while the other (hubby whoever's name you draw.
or wifey?) is out wandering,
so just have one let the other
in. It could be that
the point is to make
sure that your spouse
But okay, so I'm being dull doesn't have their key
witted and overlooking the on them, so they can't
impressive symbolism of suddenly back out of
tossing your key away, and the deal and barge in
letting someone else fit it on some shennanigans
into your lock... Whatever. and throw a jealous
fit.
Now off you go, with your Somehow I doubt that
random key plus address tag, this is the concept.
you find your
home-away-from-home... and Actually though, it
then in the morning, what do does change the
you do with the key? How do social dynamic if no
you give it back to whoever one else at the party
you traded with? Do you both knows where anyone
just leave it behind when you else is going.
go out, and expect wifey to
let you back in when you get There might even
home? be an ethic of not
telling anyone
else in the group
Wouldn't this seem a little who you went home
ridiculous to you at this with.
point... like why did you
bother trading keys at all? (Seems too formalized
to be likely.)
Okay, so there's deep
symbolism here. But what
does it symbolize to go out
keyless into the morning?
I can imagine ways to get
this to work, but overall it Maybe you'd have a special
seems pretty silly. guest key made, with a tag
that has the address on it.
So no one ever goes keyless
then.
But once again, why not
just the tag?
It couldn't be that "key
parties" are more "urban
legend" than real, could it? They'd make a
little more sense
in a resort hotel
context than out
in the 'burbs.
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