the rix mix

& nerdy high school boys tightened their belts in mortal fear of having it done to them.

Crackdown on Saggy Pants

Paterson NJ - Fashion, like art, is in the eye of the beholder -- or your elders.

"I think we have to teach people how to dress again," said 1st Ward Councilman Anthony Davis, who is tired of seeing men, especially young ones, wearing their pants too low.

Last week at a City Council workshop, Davis said he is considering proposing an ordinance that would allow police officers to issue tickets to men and women who flagrantly show off their underwear. The line between fashion and indecency could be defined in City Hall, if Davis' proposal goes through.

The idea of outlawing "saggy pants" is still in its infancy in Paterson, but it has popped up around the country in various forms, from Florida to Dallas. Proponents argue the fashion, which is prominent mostly in urban areas, is disrespectful and should not be tolerated -- at least not in public buildings.

Opponents, like Tip Morrisons, who was wearing shorts well below the hip on Monday, thinks Davis should not dictate how to wear the clothes she pays for.

"He don't buy our clothes. We buy our own clothes," said Morrisons, a construction worker.

Davis, who sponsored last year's symbolic resolution to ban the use of the N-word, acknowledges it could be difficult to enforce the saggy pants ordinance. But, he said the latest trend of flashing bunched up boxer shorts is "nasty."

"You have kids showing themselves, flashing themselves," said Davis, who wants to attach the ordinance to the city's indecency law.

This silly prison-inspired urban hip hop style has been around so long it had nowhere to go but down. Believe me, most of the wearers don't look half this good. For many it's probably the only stuff they own worth showing off. Unlike the affluent suburban teenagers who buy all the saggy, baggy clothes they want with credit cards supplied by mom & dad. Despite the possible hiding places in the apparel, the style at its more extreme is impractical for concealing weapons & drugs, committing crime, & running from the police. Guys have to practice methods of walking that allow them to look cool while keeping their pants from dropping to their ankles & tripping them, & they resemble the characters in Monty Python's "Ministry of Silly Walks" skit. There's just so many ways one can incorporate a constant "pants hitch" into one's movements without it looking like a compulsive tic. What are we to think that the baggy young men are rarely seen with baggy young women? & when they are, they prefer short, submissive females with prepubescent bodies. Prison style, indeed.

Labels: count the yoyos, culture