"On Another less Critical Matter"

This rant inspired by my dear comrade soon attendance at her 60th Kindergarten Reunion.

"Kindergarten Reunion?"
Well this shows how varied American culture is. It being so divided by race class religion orientation, and hat size. I mean just the idea of such a thing implies an extreme level of class race culture homogenization. Like the Barber Shop culture for black men.

The only place they talk or even slightly tell the truth about life. As a little boy I was part of that,...when I was forced to get my hair cut. I remember the reaction in one such place to "Sputnik", and later them two Russian dogs they sent up. The Barber shop folks really didn't like sending those poor little guys up. Black folks 'really' like dogs. A possible southern culture holdover.
'But I digress.

"Kindergarten" seemed a profoundly white middleclass thing. This as opposed to "family" reunions which are common especially to folks in the South of all races, and classes. Btw there's a whole regional industry for t-shirts, and assorted merchandise for the family re-union stuff. Anyway "kindergartens" themselves seem a regional institution. Even then a mostly suburban one. The rest of us were usually just dumped into the first grade. This like totally untrained raw draftee's, and told "good luck" see you after high school.

As a little kid I'd heard of kindergarten, and saw it portrayed in the white sitcoms of the 1950's thru early 60's. However like most non-urban customs it seemed strange.
I mean why?
Why have such a thing? It seemed as remote, and Bizzaro World as Cotillions. Mind you these "reunions" would show one what a random selection of small children would become over a lifetime. 

Mixed reviews I'd imagine.