Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/169044
THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET Beyond the Birds and Bees by MARGARET DICKSON Several years ago, the Precious Jewel who is always au courant on popular culture informed me that I am "culturally illiterate" and should watch more television. Those comments reflected the reality I am rarely up to speed on who is who and who is doing what to whom among celebrities. I do not even know who most of them are. I got the point and tried to be more attuned, but somehow people famous for being famous escape me. Nevertheless, one recent morning as I watched the CBS Morning News — a morning show that actually delivers news — while bustling around in the kitchen, I was struck by a story about Miley Cyrus "twerking." I know that Miley is the daughter of a noted country music singer and that she once worked for Disney, but I had no idea about what was a new word for me, twerking. With a little guidance from the Precious Jewel, though, I have had a full dose of twerking online. Viewing twerking online, much less in person, is not for the faint of heart, the squeamish or the easily offended. Twerking involves impressive movements of the dancer's posterior, sometimes accomplished in a squatting position which is even more impressive. As novelist Teddy Wayne put it recently in a column for the New York Times, twerking "involves the rapid gyration of the hips in a fashion that prominently exhibits the elasticity of the gluteal musculature." Twerkers are generally women wearing not much, although I did find a few men twerking as I surfed the web. Twerking is often accompanied by throbbing music with lyrics of which, if she could understand them, your grandmother would not approve. It was almost embarrassing to watch even in the Viewing twerking online, much less in person, is not for the faint of heart, the squeamish or the easily offended. privacy of my own home, and it reminded me of the almost universal awkwardness of the proverbial know about some things. "birds and bees" chat dreaded by parents and children alike. Parents know it is Like twerking. their duty to provide that information, and children know they have to listen, but precious few enjoy the conversation. Teddy Wayne apparently had much the same reaction but in reverse. Wayne began his column this way. "Every child dreads this day: sooner or later, your parents will ask you about twerking. How you handle this difficult conversation is extremely important and could have a significant impact on the way your parents think about twerking for years to come. You may prefer to put off the big 'twerk talk,' but remember that it's far better for you to be the one to explain than for them to learn it on their own by searching YouTube. They're parents, after all, and this is the sort of thing they hear about on NPR, and, well, they're curious. "With a no-nonsense yet empathetic approach, you can create a safe space in which to discuss twerking with your parents. If handled sensitively, a positive twerking dialogue will prepare them for future conversations concerning a host of other topics they've heard about but don't understand such as . . . Ecstasy dance raves and the Instagram." My guess is that you are getting the idea of what twerking might be, and if you need further explanation and visual confirmation, the Internet is the place to go. But brace yourself. My three Precious Jewels are all grown up and on their own now, and it is hard to believe I was once convinced that they needed maternal protection from ideas and information I thought they were not mature enough to understand. I wanted to put my spin on all sorts of topics, to ease them into areas I found especially sensitive, including not only the birds and the bees but also violence, cruelty, hatred, prejudice and such. I thought they were just too young to know about some things. That, apparently, is a two way street. Now I know that I am just too old to MARGARET DICKSON, Contributing Writer, COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. Ask us about Free Ads and Yard Sale Kits! UP & COMING WEEKLY'S Local Classifieds Stedman • Eastover • Spring Lake • Hope Mills • Fort Bragg 4 lines / 7 days = $11.95 All ads online! • Contact Christina Edge • classifieds@upandcomingweekly.com 484-1009 www.upandcomingweekly.com Daily Specials • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Fresh Seafood • Hand Cut Steaks • Homemade Desserts • Italian & Greek • Children's Menu Banquet rooms available up to 100 guests 6 SEPTEMBER 11-17, 2013 484-0261 1304 Morganton Rd. Mon-Sat: 6am-10pm Sun: 7am-2:30 pm Serving Fayetteville Over 50 Years! WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM