(NAME-MCE) Baggy Pants

Tue Sep 18 20:33:45 EDT 2007

I am a young adult author and currently travel the
country speaking in schools from north, south, east to
west and the issue is the same everywhere. As a 30's
something black male, I can appreciate expression as
much as the next person but it reaches a point when
expression becomes detrimental to progress. 

Case in point: a couple of years back when I started
my publishing company I enrolled in a jobfair as an
exhibitor seeking qualified applicants to fill a
couple of open positions I had. I did a booth share
with another small publisher. By and large the youth
we encountered were not only unprepared but
unprofessional. They wore sagging (baggy) khakis with
Timberland boots to a job fair. Unacceptable. Of
course it was not everyone but it was a large number
of 20's something crowd seeking employment. 

Moreover, when I go into middle schools and high
schools I see kids grabbing their crotch in an effort
to keep their pants up. The problem is greater than
the fashion statement it makes. The style gives room
for kids to pack guns, drugs and other stuff in their
loose jeans. And if you think this isn't happening,
ask your local police offer or parent of a teen.

We have a similar law being proposed in the city of
Atlanta. It not only applies to baggy jeans but also
sports bras in public and low rider jeans that show
women's underwear (aka g-strings). How's that for
excessive? 

Note, I am a product of the hip hop era which
consequently is catching the bulk of the flack. I
remember when we wore overalls backwards because of a
popular rap group. So I can understand the influence
of pop culture; however, we were not allowed to wear
the styles in school as it proved to be a distraction
in gaining our education. And at home our mothers
explained the difference in recreational attire and
business attire for when we entered the work force.

As young black professionals, the odds are stacked
against us being profiled with unique name spellings
and not having the educational endorsement of private
schools. But what we often have is talent that is
never given the opportunity because someone of the
other side of desk says to themselves this person
would not make a good employee based on stereotypes. I
do not know of many white, Asian, or Indian men making
$80,000 a year or better walking around with their
underwear exposed. I only say this because there are
far more of any other race that fit into this income
bracket than black men. Perhaps this is when
expression becomes detrimental to progress. 

I rest my case...

Deronte' Smith
Author 
www.sleepysteve.com

--- ksdksu2 at aol.com wrote:

> 
> 
> The issue and the CNN piece on the baggy pants is
> interesting.? For older people to complain about the
> hair, dress, and music of younger people is nothing
> new.? Those small towns and individual cities that
> are "outlawing" a fashion and possibly a cultural
> statement?seem to be caught up in a?fog?(although
> the law extending to construction workers and
> plumbers seems to have some value).? The CNN article
> mentioned problems in the classroom and I would be
> interested to hear from classroom teachers if they
> have experienced any of this.? It is very difficult
> to understand where this is coming from.? I can
> understand drawing boundaries for public nudity
> standards but it makes little sense to tell someone
> what to wear.? Clothing is part of our expression.?
> This concerns me as did the banning of black trench
> coats after the Columbine killings.? Maybe someone
> could shed some light.
> 
> Karen Drotar
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sandra Winn <winnsandra at gmail.com>
> To: name-mce at nameorg.org
> Sent: Mon, 17 Sep 2007 3:20 pm
> Subject: (NAME-MCE) Baggy Pants
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The State of Louisana recently has outlawed the
> wearing of baggy pants. I'm
> sure that you know this style. It is the pants that
> hang below the waste
> line and often expose designer boxer shorts. What is
> most interesting is
> that Louisana has imposed a 500 dollar fine or
> imprisonment for wearing this
> style in public. As a list serve dedicated to
> equity, I would love to read a
> discussion about this matter. What does this law
> bring to your mind? When,
> if ever, is it necessary to impose laws as a dress
> code enforcement? How do
> you think this law will work as a deterrent for
> elementary children to
> follow suit (pun intended)? How do we help to make
> racial profiling stop?
> 
> I am including the CNN on-line article for those of
> you who wish to read
> more about this matter.
>
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/17/baggy.pants.ap/index.html
> 
> Sandy Winn
> NAME List Serve Moderator
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Deronte' Smith
Author / Publisher
The Fantastical Adventures of Sleepy Steve: Reuniting the Stone
Ph: 678-760-6664
www.sleepysteve.com

"There is a little Sleepy Steve in all of us."