When the Virginia House of Representatives tried to outlaw the wearing of low-slung pants two years ago, they drew ridicule from Sydney to London. Comedians joked about a "boxers' rebellion," and so many online political blogs derided the bill that the state Senate quickly killed it.
The mockery in Richmond, however, hasn't stopped other politicians from trying to stamp out sagging pants. Bans have become law or are being considered in at least eight states. The movement is fueled by growing worries among lawmakers that sloppy dress by America's youth could be related, no matter how indirectly, to delinquency, poor learning and crime.
It's good to know that we have solved all the other problems in those states so that this is the most important thing on their agenda. Since when do baggy pants mean "delinquency, poor learning and crime"? If that's true, we better lock up clowns, since they have some of the baggiest pants money can buy.
Granted, seeing guys walking around looking like they shit their pants is not exactly esthetically pleasing, but neither is it a menace to society, only to good taste. Since when is it illegal to go around looking like a dumbass? If you want to fight "delinquency, poor learning and crime", then fight those directly. Quit wasting time worrying about Buttcrack McMoon and his baggy pants.
Just my opinion.
In a different vein, a music selection. The other day, Sir Philipston-Higham Johnston-Higham of nourishing obscurity didn't find the list I had as particularly cheerful. To help correct that, I have put together a playlist of more upbeat stuff, the top dozen of the shuffle being listed here. Anybody out there who is familiar with all/most of them? Any comments?
"Lookin' Out My Back Door" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
"Dreamboat Annie" by Heart
"I'm Alive" by Electric Light Orchestra
"Here For The Party" by Gretchen Wilson
"Soapstone Mountain" by It's a Beautiful Day
"Sugar Town" by Nancy Sinatra
"Reasons for Waiting" by Jethro Tull
"Orinoco Flow" by Enya
"You Got It" by Roy Orbison
"She'd Rather Be With Me" by The Turtles
"Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys
"Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles
12 comments:
Never did like Nancy Sinatra.
I agree that busting somebody for baggy pants could seem dumb. But so many of these fine young men are involed drugs and gangs, it could be used as probable cause. It is hard to say what could be down them pants. I know this is eroding their rights. But we not allowed to go out and hang em high. I do believe that drug dealing should be a capital offense.
maybe locking up clowns isnt such a bad idea.... they give me the creeps!
When we made the switch from shirts and ties to casual wear at work people said the work ethic was going down hill. It hasn't!
So now we want to change what kids try to wear to fit our opinions? It is a shame that our government doesn't have anything better to do.
Falls right in line with peoples opinions about guns. If you don't think people should have guns, pass a law that says people can't have guns.
With more laws comes more confusion and as many ways to interpret that law.
I think it should be up to individual schools, workplaces, etc. to set dress codes. I recall when I was in high school you could not wear a hat in school, and also "excessively ripped or torn" jeans were banned. One fellow came to school with jeans torn very suggestively under his butt cheek so you could see his underwear. He was sent home to change. Problem solved.
When I works at a now-defunct famous Accounting/consulting firm, we had a pretty srtice dress code -even in the era of "casual workplace."
It was hilarious each Spring/fall when the partner in charge who issued the codes, updated to include the latest "trends. He wore a 3-piece suit everyday, even though 3-piece suits went out of style in the 80's. Anyway, they would specify which BRANDS of shoes you couldn't wear (Earth shoes, birkenstocks), NO open toed shoes for women of any kind, and the best was - if men wore a sport shirt with the top button undone, it was highly recommended they wear V-neck undershirts so the crewneck of their undershirt wouldn't show! That ended up being the big joke of the firm. Which of course, exists no more. They could regulate clothes but apparently not how files were maintained/destroyed. ;)
..."You Got It" by Roy Orbison...
The BigO gets my vote and my favourite by him is surprisingly recent - She's a Mystery to Me.
I love Roy Orbison, but I can't place the song "You Got It", I better check it out.
I can't stand the pants down to the knees with underwear showing, but we don't need any more laws.
Try here, Debbie.
So, if we had to ban one, which should it be: plastic pen tops or baggy trousers/pants?
"So, if we had to ban one, which should it be: plastic pen tops or baggy trousers/pants?"
Personally, I'd ban dumbass politicians who come up with Nanny Laws.
Hm. The only ones on the list I've ever heard are "You Got It" and "Good Vibrations", which probably says something about the gap between our tastes. And what, no James Brown? "I Feel Good" is like the definitive upbeat tune.
I have a song by Aqua entitled "Happy Boys and Girls" that I use as my tactical song nuke against mopiness. It's very, very, bouncy Europop. It starts off with the singers bellowing "BE HAPPY!!!" at you and continues in this vein. It should be really obnoxious, but for some reason I can rarely help but comply.
"The only ones on the list I've ever heard are "You Got It" and "Good Vibrations", which probably says something about the gap between our tastes."
It probably says more about an age gap; most of those were well known when I was younger.
What is it with the pants that two or three teenagers could occupy simultaneously and still have room in there for a picnic basket; pants that a clown would refuse to wear on the grounds that they were too undignified. Yopu know, where the waist is about knee level and the pants butt drags on the ground. I don't think they lead to crime as You could not be an effective criminal wearing pants like these, because you'd be unable to flee on foot with any velocity.
POLICE OFFICER: We tracked the alleged perpetrator from the crime scene by following the trail of his dragging pants butt.
PROSECUTOR: And what was he doing when you caught up with him?
POLICE OFFICER: He was hobbling in a suspicious manner.
What I want to know is, how do young people buy these pants? Do they try them on to make sure they DON'T fit? Do they take along a 570-pound friend, or a mature polar bear, and buy pants that fit HIM?
But I agree, there's a lot more to worry about. I have a photo of my big brother as a young teen with long hair, a necklace and basic hippie apparel. He is now a retired naval officer, successful in an extremely high tech military support field. Clothes may make us snicker, but in the long run, clothes don't make the kid.
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