You know, I see it as my duty to remind you of things from time to time because I’m a smart ass and that’s why you love me. Or it’s because I buy you stuff. Moving along, if we are not reminded, history is destined to repeat itself and we’ve all seen the unfortunate consequences of that, namely the “flipped-up collar” look still rearing it’s ugly, 80′s head in my neighborhood. May the lessons of time be kinder where you are.

The purpose of the “Lest We Forget” section will not focus exclusively on things that we should strive to avoid in the future. This entry, however, does. On a whim, I’m guessing you don’t know much about The Whispers, singers of this “Lest We Forget” entry about the song Rock Steady. That’s probably better for all of us, but this 1987 hit is sure to remind you of something. For me, it’s waiting in line to get my Reebok Pumps back after returning my roller skates at the rink with a blue Icee in one hand and a handful of quarters to play “Double Dragon” in the other. Good times, but I need not revisit them. If Rock Steady was never a hit where you live, then I sincerely feel for you. What it is I feel for you might best be described as “jealousy”.

Please, people, please. Please never let us venture down this road again. This road where we make it OK to dress and dance like this and record it for mass-media distribution. Not that there aren’t worse songs out there (every song on these albums, for example). It’s just that if we forget about things like this, we will surely hasten the disintegration of Western Civilization (yeah, I rhymed!), and mankind altogether.

So watch, shiver, and hold it in. I recall hearing tales of Native American tribes touching a child’s hand to a fire so that they respect it. This is the same treatment, a little bit of exposure to earn your respect for something that you should never, ever mess with…

P.S. : leave a comment about what this song reminds you of, or of a song that reminds you of 5th grade (no matter what language it’s in, Viva Mexico, Chef John!), and I’ll have more to write about.