Church asks city to ban baggy pants, gold teeth

[NewsBot/WarnBot]

JACKSONVILLE -- A church has asked for a citywide ban on low-hanging pants and gold-capped teeth, saying they promote a thuggish image.

Changing the image of young people could help Jacksonville cut unemployment, racial profiling and a rising per-capita murder rate now the highest in the state, said Richard Burton, deacon of Epiphany Baptist Church.

The 250 member independent Baptist church appr

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11577

 

[Pah]

A proposal to ban exposed underwear died in the Florida Legislature this spring. Lawmakers in Louisiana and Virginia have also failed to ban exposed underwear.

I wonder if visible bra straps would have been banned. Wouldn't that be classified as "exposed underwear"?

 

[Scuba Pete]

On a side note, I found myself "buggin" about this kid with pants that kept wanting to drop off his butt in the super market yesterday. He would pull them up, walk TWO STEPS and they would be precariously below his butt and he would pull them up again.

Unfortunately for him, one time he took THREE STEPS. Thwap! He fell on his face and busted his nose. As I was helping him out I was careful to NOT mention the "cause and effect" of his fall. However, his buddies were not so kind... "Dude! You shoulda seen the look on your face." "Yo, your pants are TOO loose!" Of course there was some teenage venacular that I did not comprehend and some that I refuse to print!

I felt genuinely sorry for the guy. I got his buddies to get some wet paper towels for his nose and then management showed up and FREAKED because of an accident in their store. As I was walking away, one of their management was asking to see my First Aid card. That kinda made me think about what I was being set up for. But no problem with what I did (I didn't touch the wound... I let the kid do that.)

But the kid was "OK" in my book. What had been a visual irritation had turned out to be a nice guy just trying his hardest to fit into his society. I gave him my card (the manager too, since it shows that I teach FA/CPR) and wished him luck. He went about trying to finish his shopping with his friends giving him a hard time. I did notice his hand holding up his pants though.

 

[Druidus]

Church asks city to ban baggy pants, gold teeth.

City laughs church out of town.

Or, at least, that's how it would be in a perfect world.

 

[michel]

[PART QUOTE=NetDoc]

.........."But the kid was "OK" in my book. What had been a visual irritation had turned out to be a nice guy just trying his hardest to fit into his society. I gave him my card (the manager too, since it shows that I teach FA/CPR) and wished him luck. He went about trying to finish his shopping with his friends giving him a hard time. I did notice his hand holding up his pants though".................... [/PART QUOTE]


My older son is a 'Baggy pants' type - and that means that the underwear has to have the RIGHT label; I know what you mean though; cut through the bravado, and there's usually a decent human being underneath. I have tried to work out why Andy's pants don't fall to the
floor - I think he keeps them up by sheer willpower and :help: faith!

Gold capped teeth ? - wish I could afford those - although I'd go for porcelain ones.

 

[Neo-Logic]

Just as you are what you eat, you will be treated by how you act. If you're dressed up as a thug, then you'll be treated like a thug. Simple as that.

 

[Scuba Pete]

So,

if you dress just like Shrub you're a thug?

No wonder he don't get no respect!

 

[Druidus]

Just as you are what you eat, you will be treated by how you act. If you're dressed up as a thug, then you'll be treated like a thug. Simple as that.

I find it disgusting that one can be prejudiced against a person based on how they dress. Some of the most intelligent people I know dress like hobos.

 

[Original Freak]

I'm a baggy pants guy. I'm wearing red and black skateboarding shoes, my tounge is peirced, I've got 3 tattoos (two of which are in easy sight on my forearms) and if the law were to pass it would sound like a dare more than anything.

 

[Neo-Logic]

I find it disgusting that one can be prejudiced against a person based on how they dress. Some of the most intelligent people I know dress like hobos.

Prejudice exists everywhere and in all of us; consciously or subconsciously. All of us have prejudged at one time or another and we probably will continue to do it throughout our lifetime. If one goes to a job interview, they dress as nice as possible. Why? Because first impression is an important thing. You can tell a lot by the way people present themselves and clothing is the ultimate form of expression. Therefore, if one dresses like a thug, then one might get the impression that the person is a thug. You can be the smartest or richest person in the world, but if you dress like something else to prove some point to yourself or just to say that i'm someone else when dressed in a misleading manner, then it's a problem on your part. Imagine yourself walking down the street and there is a split in the road. On one side there is the smartest man in the world whom you don't know that is dressed up as a thug and on the other side, there are some people dressed in formal attires. You tell me which street you would take. That is prejudging right there. Prejudging isn't bad, it's something that we use to protect ourselves. I don't see this thread's topic as any different. SImple as that.

 

[Mr Spinkles]

While I sympathize with this particular church's position that "Changing the image of young people could help Jacksonville cut unemployment, racial profiling and a rising per-capita murder rate," I do not think it is the government's job to do this. Parents--or even better yet, the young people themselves--should be changing the image of young people, not the government.

What's really sad is how the 'thug image' and things like 'gangster rap' are affecting minorities, especially impoverished minorities.

 

[Druidus]

Prejudice exists everywhere and in all of us; consciously or subconsciously. All of us have prejudged at one time or another and we probably will continue to do it throughout our lifetime. If one goes to a job interview, they dress as nice as possible. Why? Because first impression is an important thing. You can tell a lot by the way people present themselves and clothing is the ultimate form of expression. Therefore, if one dresses like a thug, then one might get the impression that the person is a thug. You can be the smartest or richest person in the world, but if you dress like something else to prove some point to yourself or just to say that i'm someone else when dressed in a misleading manner, then it's a problem on your part. Imagine yourself walking down the street and there is a split in the road. On one side there is the smartest man in the world whom you don't know that is dressed up as a thug and on the other side, there are some people dressed in formal attires. You tell me which street you would take. That is prejudging right there. Prejudging isn't bad, it's something that we use to protect ourselves. I don't see this thread's topic as any different. SImple as that.

If I was on the street with the "thug", I would take that street. If I was on the other street, I'd take that one. I don't change streets for no reason other than how someone is dressed. I don't "treat someone like a thug" just because the are "dressed like one" either.

I reserve these judgements until, after I've met the character. Do you treat all businessmen as greedy scumbags just because some are?

 

[Neo-Logic]

If I was on the street with the "thug", I would take that street. If I was on the other street, I'd take that one. I don't change streets for no reason other than how someone is dressed. I don't "treat someone like a thug" just because the are "dressed like one" either.

I reserve these judgements until, after I've met the character. Do you treat all businessmen as greedy scumbags just because some are?

While that may sound noble in typing, I doubt that is the real decision you will make when you encounter such a situation in real life, Druidus.

While I do not treat businessmen as greedy scumbags, I treat them with caution as I do anyone whom I do not yet know.

 

[Druidus]

If it's noble, so be it. I have done that, and I do do that.

 

[Original Freak]

I've had people avoid me...but I've only ever avoided a group of people once, and for me it wasn't just a look but the nazi symbols that have a little more meaning than a baggy pair of pants.

 

[Valjean]

Just some thoughts....

The baggy pants style, as I understand it, is an attempt to emulate the dress of the lowest classes and social outcasts, in which kids typically wear ill-fitting hand-me-downs from older siblings and parents. Why affecting such an image would impress anyone I've no idea.

The imitation of thieves, thugs and cutthroats, a subsection of the aforementioned impoverished subclass, I can, sort of, understand. It is a rejection of the norms and values of society -- a classic teen rebellion thing. But I'm troubled by the adoption of all the most negative and immoral features of human behavior as a symbol of rebellion. In the 60s and 70s we miffed and embarrassed society with our idealism -- peace, love, harmony -- all the "Christian" values. Today's gangsta styles laud exactly the opposite values.

I also wonder about the intelligence of some of these baggy-trousered thugs. Any sensible person wears clothing appropriate to his profession and lifestyle. If you adopt a lifestyle where physical altercations and flight are prominent features wouldn't it make sense to wear clothes that would facilitate, not impede, running, climbing or fighting?

 

[Circle_One]

Just as you are what you eat, you will be treated by how you act. If you're dressed up as a thug, then you'll be treated like a thug. Simple as that.

I've been treated this way (though not in the sense of "thug", just in the broader, you're treated how you look sense), my whole life. It's never really bothered me though because I know who I am and I know I'm not what these people judge me as.

As a quick story: When I was in College, I was in the Liberal Arts program, now in my college, the Liberal kids are what you would classify as "geeky" in persona, dress, etc, if you were to classify people, and are (for the most part) of extreme intelligence. I was in a class with a teacher once who also taught a Liberal Class, (though the class I was in with him was not for Liberal), and he had no idea I was a Liberal student. We got onto the topic of programs and I told him I was in Liberal. He paused and gave me the once over, taking special note of the rainbow colors of my hair, the studded belt and collar, the exposed tattoos and piercings, the (not so baggy, but rather huge legged) pants, etc, etc. and said to me "I don't believe you're a Liberal student, you don't look like a Liberal student" (Meaning pretty much "You don't look smart enough to be a Liberal student" as Liberal is an extremely hard course to get into here). Sure enough, the following semester, I had his class, received the highest mark in it and was on the Dean's List for my last two semesters. Upon graduation, this teacher made his way over to me and just stood looking at me for a few minutes before finally opening his mouth and saying "I want to apologize for judging you based on your looks that time a few semesters ago. You proved me wrong and proved to me that how you look really has no effect on who you are."

You're welcome Teach.

 

[Original Freak]

I wear baggy pants because I like the look (although I don't look 'Thuggish') and because I can't stand the feeling of any clothes clinging to my body.

I was sitting around talking to a friend of mine after we Graduated from College (he 10 years my elder and very 'preppy') and he mentioned the first time he saw me. I walked into class with a bleached blonde mess of curls on my head, very baggy jeans and a pinkish shirt that said "Trendy people suck" on it. He told me honetsly that his first thought was "This class is going to be a fun year (VERY SARCASTICLY) and couldn't wait until I dropped out. Honor roll...thank you very much and we ended up very good friends.

 

[Druidus]

The baggy pants style, as I understand it, is an attempt to emulate the dress of the lowest classes and social outcasts, in which kids typically wear ill-fitting hand-me-downs from older siblings and parents. Why affecting such an image would impress anyone I've no idea.

I agree, though why would a businesssuit succeed where baggy pants don't? Or a tuxedo? At least baggy pants are comfortable. It seems to me that the foolish ones are those wearing clothes day in, day out that are not as comfortable as they could and should be.

The imitation of thieves, thugs and cutthroats, a subsection of the aforementioned impoverished subclass, I can, sort of, understand. It is a rejection of the norms and values of society -- a classic teen rebellion thing. But I'm troubled by the adoption of all the most negative and immoral features of human behavior as a symbol of rebellion. In the 60s and 70s we miffed and embarrassed society with our idealism -- peace, love, harmony -- all the "Christian" values. Today's gangsta styles laud exactly the opposite values.

Indeed, often, I wish I lived in that era. Hopefully, such a time will come again, though, sadly, not in my youth.

I also wonder about the intelligence of some of these baggy-trousered thugs. Any sensible person wears clothing appropriate to his profession and lifestyle. If you adopt a lifestyle where physical altercations and flight are prominent features wouldn't it make sense to wear clothes that would facilitate, not impede, running, climbing or fighting?

lol

 

[john313]

when i lived in the midwest people seemed to avoid me because of how i looked. flip flops, baggy fatigues, baggy t-shirt some sort of cap or hat, beard, and long hair for a guy (very comfortable clothing). people rarely made eye contact with me and seemed to avoid me. It was completely different when i was on lunch break at work, i had my fancy pants and nice button up shirt, sometimes a tie. all sorts of people looked at me and smiled. i did see someone from work with my other clothes on and he told me i looked like a thug . People care way too much about how one dresses.