Followers

Back in 1994 a really ugly thing occurred—something that sent thousands of innocent people flailing across floors all around the world.

It was a dance called the Macarena.

Not just a dance: a craze.  The song Macarena, which inspired the dance, was performed by Los del Rio, a Spanish duo approaching middle age.  I was deeply concerned about society as whole as I witnessed otherwise normal people jerking about to a truly awful song.  A song which, by the way, extols a young woman who cheats on her boyfriend with two men at once.

Here’s the thing, I didn’t hold the people caught up in the Macarena craze responsible for their actions.  I blamed the song (a sparsely musical chant) and accompanying video for the entire mess.  The masses were merely followers caught up in a bizarre singularity that took them by surprise.  Perhaps everyone was drinking at the time.

I am about to make a larger point here.

Yesterday, after reading my carping about October running around calling itself the “eighth month,” my friend, Ken, correctly noted that November and December are likewise singing false tunes.

November means “ninth month.”

December means “tenth month.”

Clearly, they are the eleventh and twelfth months, respectively.

Okay, my point really isn’t “larger.”  It’s a medium-sized or maybe a small point.  But here it is: I don’t hold November and December accountable for where they stand.  They had no choice but to follow October.  To do otherwise would triple our confusion.  Also, like those dancing to the Macarena, they are natural followers.

--Mitchell Hegman