Let me start with this: I'm no fan of sagging pants.
I think it's tasteless. I think it looks foolish and downright ridiculous. Should people expose their undergarments? Absolutely not. Should there be laws on indecent exposure in public? Absolutely. But should there be a law that mandates how people should wear their pants? Absolutely not.
Most mature and professional folks think sagging looks ridiculous. But so do people who pick their noses at stoplights and so do cars with rims bigger than the actual car---all that's ridiculous too. I also think its tacky to wear white shoes after Labor Day, but that doesn't mean I want the city of Shreveport to waste time and tax dollars to ban such faux pas.
I don't think our city council members should enact laws that coincide with their personal fashion choices. I don't want anyone telling me what I should wear or how I should wear it. Sagging pants doesn't hurt anyone but the person with their pants down. It doesn't hurt me--at all.
Lots of establishments, like schools and the Louisiana Boardwalk, have policies that say sagging and other types of dress aren't allowed. Offenders of the dress codes are asked to comply or leave. And I'm fine with that.
Shreveport police have bigger things to worry about than to chasing down youngsters who look ridiculous wearing their pants low. Read Velda Hunter's story about it and form your own opinion. The issue is up for vote today. I hope it fails.
What's next? No black and white skirts with yellow shirts on Tuesday? I guess I'd be fined.
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11 comments:
A man at the Mooretown Advisory Council raised a good point last night: There already are indecent exposure laws on the books. Maybe this is a bit too stringent?
Forgot my belt this morning.....hope the po po dont catch up with me!
If you dont sag, then who cares right? I had the same problem with the government enforcing the seat belt law, and the no-smoking law. BTW, I am not a smoking. I personally believe that the government should not micro-manage. Is that called Socialism?
I agree Ash, it's really embarrassing and scary.
I was conflicted about this issue at first only because I was blinded by the fact that I can't stand sagging pants.
However, making it a law or ordinance takes this thing to another level.
I just don't like the idea of law enforcement playing a role in personal style preferences. And I don't trust them to handle something like this fairly and unbiased.
This is is an issue that should be handled or addressed in the homes or through education or some other means, if it's even worth all of that.
I just believe there are way more serious issues (i.e. education, crime, lack of job opportunities, etc.) for our city to be concerned with than this.
And while I'm venting, in my opinion, a city that spends time passing laws and policies on trivial things like this rather than real issues certainly doesn't make Shreveport shine or seem appealing to the rest of the country, i.e. potential residents.
Isn't Atlanta trying to do the same thing? It's still pretty appealing...
Anonymous: You're absolutely right. Atlanta is considering the same thing. But that does not make it right and it doesn't mean its something they or any other city should even consider.
Most folks hate to look at sagging pants but this leaves too much room for profiling, harassment, lawsuits and other problems.
And I agree with Donecia, I don't trust the police to handle something like this fairly and unbiased.
We ought to be ashamed.
If everyone agrees that sagging pants is offensive and repulsive, why not have the government deal with it? Should parents and schools do something about it? Absolutely. The problem is, it hasn't worked at all. We create laws to deal with issues all the time. We legislated smells of all things, but that was easy because the plant stinks. But for many people in Shreveport, sagging pants absolutely stinks.
When I was younger, I felt much the same way you do about it, but age and children have required me to look at things much differently. I think issues relating to our young people are anything but trivial.
There are big bad wolves out there and sometimes, we as a community have to deal with it. Then there are the instances where we let things slide and we slide right into decline. My kudos to the city council for having the stones to deal with something that people have been tap dancing around for quite a while.
We ought to be ashamed that our young people have gotten to the point that showing their underwear and bare behinds is considered fashionable. Come one people, who defines community standards other than a city council?
Is it lost on y'all that many jurisdictions larger and smaller are considering this? It would seem to me that people are deciding that enough is enough around the country, not just Shreveport.
This law is not a panacea. I do applaude the council for dealing with it.
Come on, please don't give me that tired liberal line that "we have bigger fish to fry," either. You know, if maybe we had fried, baked or cooked this fish the council wouldn't have been compelled to deal with it.
The truth hurts. We have to look in the mirror sometimes and what we see isn't always nice. But you can't correct what you don't acknowledge and claim.
What is scary is that your position is being advocated by an empty-suited, wife-beating idiot, a has been dinosaur who shucked and jived while Mooretown was burning around him, and a never was who has never been to the college, but had the audacity to argue that a mayor had to have a college degree to be effective. Yuck!!
"Lamont, don't play that hand," Fred G. Sandford
Monroe Trotter: I was with up until a point. The city councilman you were referring to (I won't say his name) has been to college. He graduated and was teacher for many years. Where are you getting your information from? Check your facts.
But enough of that. I understand the point people are trying to make about sagging pants getting out of control and something needing to be done about it. But should it really be against the law to wear pants a certain way? Is this not extreme? When will it end? I'm afraid that if we start creating legislation on clothing, based on the preferences of some then we'll spiral out of control.
I mean if people don't like my hair in a curly afro-looking style (like it is currently) will someone bring legislation that says I need to only wear my hair straight?
I think Shreveport and any other city who has done this or is considering do this, has stepped over the line.
if guys should be able to sag cus undergarments then people shouldnt wear bikinis and victorias secret should be shut down im not gay or anything jus sagging is fashion its not a big deal its fun and funny and if anyone ever laughed at me for it no one ever has id shoot them
if old people think sagging is bad they should jus hurry and die its my time and the time of youth u assholes
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