Found phrase -- refrigerator rights

Posted by ESC on December 02, 2002

Refrigerator rights -- An indication of whether you are on intimate terms with a person. Does he or she have refrigerator rights? Would you be comfortable with that person opening your frig uninvited and getting a drink? Getting sandwich fixings? There was a review about the book "Refrigerator Rights" in my morning paper. Here's a description from Amazon.com

"Refrigerator Rights: Creating Connections and Restoring Relationships" by Will Miller, Glenn Sparks, Glenn Grayson Sparks - "This important book explores the metaphorical message that 'refrigerator rights' stands for the kind of closeness we have with people in our lives - friends, family, spouses. How many people can walk into our homes and just open up the fridge and help themselves? Only the people closest to us. Dr. Will Miller with Glenn Sparks, Ph.D., propose that most of us have very few people in our lives that can do this. They identify three factors that contribute to the lack of intimate connections we have with people: increased mobility away from our extended family, emphasis on individualism, and emotionally numbing media distractions."