Pop Culture is Funny

Pop culture is funny. To quote Disney’s favorite mermaid, the “whosits and whatsits galore”, leave me scratching my head sometimes. For instance, the 6-7 phenomenon. If you know a young student, you may have heard the giggles and seen their hands gesture like they are juggling without objects every time the clock is between six and seven. Or maybe, the total of your cart when you were checking out is $16.67. Any combination of the two numerals makes a middle schooler snicker with delight. Why you ask? Some song lyrics, a viral video, a meme - all the above. And honestly, I don’t get it, but my nephew does. I guess that is all that matters. I am sure when my friends and I started saying “cool beans” our parents probably thought it was a little odd as well.

In a rather shocking twist of trends, Dictionary.com named has deemed “6-7” the Word of the Year. This confuses me as GenX, but my younger friends’ faces light up at the news. A quote from Steve Johnson who is the directory of lexicography at IXL Learning said, “When people say it…they’re shouting a feeling…an interjection, a burst of energy that connects people long before anyone agrees what it actually means.” For those who do not recognize IXL, it is a K-12 learning assessment tool used by schools, including districts in our area. I guess if Dictionary.com and IXL say 6-7 makes a word (with no letters), then I’ll add it to my vernacular for the sake of my nephew.

In other pop culture happenings, Diane Keaton passed away. That one hit hard for me. I know Robert Redford, Jane Goodall, the lead guitarist from Kiss, and the man who illustrated some of the most iconic movie posters of my generation all died recently, too. But Diane Keaton’s style, her laugh, her nonchalance, they are a part of my pop culture hall of fame.

I met Diane Keaton in 1987 with the release of “Baby Boom”. Then “Father of the Bride” and “Look Who’s Talking” came out in the early 90s. Somewhere along the way I discovered her in the Godfather trilogy. And who could forget “Something’s Gotta Give”, “The Family Stone”, and “Mad Money”. I may have to look up her 70s movies and check them out. More than anything she made me want to wear a men’s tie with a vest and not care what anyone had to say about it. Her confidence was contagious. She laughed at herself, which made everyone else laugh, too. I did not personally know her. And of course she wasn’t perfect. Who is? But I did get attached to her, like we often do when a famous person connects to our lives.

After her recent passing, dozens of actors shared stories about many of the things I loved her for, as well as her compassion for others. The internet was flooded with first-hand accounts from people who spoke about how she always put others first. One actor even said Keaton taught her to always consider what the other person was experiencing, first. I love that. We need more of it in our crazy world.

So, here’s to Diane Keaton. Admiration for a woman who did her own thing and did it well.

Take care of each other.

Your friend, B