Patching Holes in My Education

Who are they?

I do know a lot about a lot, but I also no absolutely nothing about a lot more. Even though I graduated from a decent college and have read many books by respectable authors, there are gaping holes in my knowledge. Like, for example, popular culture. I took the photo shown above off my computer because I was stunned by it. I never heard of any of the people mentioned, yet it's online like it's a big deal. Like it's something! Who are they and why are they important?

I know virtually nothing about popular sports. The other night my husband asked me if I wanted to "pick brackets," or something like that, "for march madness." It was like he was speaking Greek to me. Anyway, he made me pick them explaining that I might win money, somehow. It has to do with basketball. (I see why it's called "madness.")

Whoopi Goldberg had to apologize for using an ethnic slur on TV. She said the word "gypped," like when you "gyp" someone out of money you owe them. Apparently this comes from the word "gypsy," and gypsies are real people who come from a certain area in Europe. I wondered if the fact that I went as a gypsy every Halloween as a kid was racist. I still know nothing about gypsies; my mother put my costume together. It consisted of an off-the-shoulder peasant blouse, big gold hoop earrings, a long, flouncy skirt, a colorful bandana on my head and a lot of lipstick and rouge. I always thought they were pretty ladies.

This afternoon I shall read up on gypsies and March Madness, neither of which were covered in my four years at New York University. As for those people in the first paragraph, I doubt they really matter.