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26

MONDAY

Thanks to my status as an only child of parents who were college graduates by the time television became a dominant force in American life, I grew up with a remarkable cluelessness about the tube. Though I did watch a lot of sports and news as a young sprout, I knew little—and, frankly, still know little—about the kinds of shows my peers absorbed as a matter of course. Clearly, our little nuclear unit didn’t have much in common with those of The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family, or Family Ties. Because of this, I may not be the ideal candidate to attend a public forum titled “From Ozzie & Harriet to Homer & Marge: American Families in the Media,” sponsored by American University’s School of Communication. Panelists include Elizabeth Birch, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign; Amy Dickinson, a columnist for Time; and Beth Frerking, director of the Casey Journalism Center for Children and Families. Then again, maybe the panelists can explain my post-college affection for Lisa Simpson. The discussion begins at 7:30 p.m. at American University’s Kay Spiritual Life Center, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Free. (202) 885-2074. (Louis Jacobson)