I wrote this in 2009, as a reflection on my mother’s experiences with tech and culture. It was originally on Multiply, which has now closed down, so I am missing the comments of my friends who know my mother and love her. I mentioned in one comment that she would be the Scully to my dad’s Mulder (gosh, how I loved watching The X-Files!). I just wanted to share this with all of you, in case you could relate.
My mom was sitting on the sofa reading the current issue of Newsweek. Inside were several letters to the editor from readers who felt that Michael Jackson was not treated with the respect that someone whose contribution to music was that significant. One letter-writer admitted that he was a fan until the sordidness of the child molestation charge severely tainted his admiration of the singer.
Nanay: What did Michael Jackson sing? I might know it?
This was tough, because she had no personal reference to any of the songs I knew.
Me: Er, it’s hard to pick something you’d know, because you never really listened to the radio. I just realized now that you know absolutely nothing of rock and roll…
We try to explain to other people that my mom “was born in the 40s, lived twice through the ’50s, totally skipped the 60s, and went straight to the…
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