Can't We All Just Do the Chicken Dance?

So, last Saturday I went to a LA Kings hockey game at the Staples Center. Only by sheer luck did they actually beat the Columbus Blue Jackets. It sure wasn't skill. I now understand why the Kings are one of the worst teams in the NHL. They can't control or pass the puck. It was pure chaos.

But I digress. (See, my mind wanders!)

Anyways, at some point they played the music for the "Chicken Dance" over the sound system in an attempt to entertain the crowd. Oh come on, if you've ever been to a wedding in the United States then you know what the Chicken Dance is and the dance moves that go along with it!! You've probably even done it. I'll fess up to doing it under the influence of plenty of alcohol. However, on this occasion I hadn't had enough alcohol to stand up and join in. Instead I watched the crowd around me. It was a pretty diverse group of people, and it was interesting to see who was standing up and dancing along. Let's just say, it wasn't the Spanish-speaking family behind me. But it made me really think about the whole phenomenon of the Chicken Dance. When do we learn it? I don't know when I first learned it. Every time I've heard the music at a wedding or another event where someone feels the need to hire a DJ, I've instinctively known how to do it. Maybe it's like knowing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." We all know it. It was taught to us as children. Maybe while our preschool teachers were indoctrinating us with the lyrics or "Twinkle Twinkle" and "Row Row Row Your Boat," they were teaching us the moves for the Chicken Dance.

Okay, so the real reason I'm rambling on about this...Knowing the Chicken Dance is one of those cultural things that anyone who grew up in the US just knows. So, I'm thinking, we put so much stress on new citizens knowing U.S. history and things like the Pledge of Allegiance, but what they should really be learning are things like the Chicken Dance and I'd even say "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Let's be honest, most American-born adults don't remember the Pledge of Allegiance. I can tell you the last time I said it--my last day of 8th grade (we said it every morning at assembly). And almost 20 years later, I can just barely remember the words. I'm just saying, if we want a more inclusive society, we really should be teaching & sharing the random silliness that dominates our culture.