Pants on the Ground
by brothepreacher on Jan.21, 2010, under Blog, Life
It’s become a phenomenon. Admittedly, I haven’t seen the entire clip of General Larry Platt, but I’ve seen enough and I’ve heard enough to understand the general (no pun intended) message. Strangely enough, I’ve been adamant about this very topic for years. Like my political philosophy, I’m a moderate when it comes to the jeans debate. Two things frustrate me the most when it comes to young males: saggin’ aka “pants on the ground” and skinny jeans. I need not go into detail, but suffice it to say that it frustrates me beyond words to see both forms of “hip-hop” dress.
My waste measures at around a 32. Granted, I buy my pants at around 34 or so. I need to include room for growth (especially given my wife is pregnant and I’ve heard about the sympathy weight syndrome in spouses). You will not see me buying a size 40 in jeans. Why? So I can wear a belt to make my jeans scrunch up in the front? Or alternatively, so I can not wear a belt and have everyone see my Fruit of the Looms? And why wear a size 10 slim? Don’t nobody wanna see my skinny basketball player legs. We avoided tight jeans like the plague back in the day. Now they are “in”. Wardrobe FAIL! Big time. If I had a choice though, I’d rather the kids wear skinny jeans. At least they fit.
Saggin’ bothers me the most. Thank you General Platt. Thank you for galvanizing millions of folks with your words. I question American Idol’s exploitation of this dude, but I don’t question his message. America laughed. They thought it was funny and entertaining. The harsh reality is that African-American males are emulating a style of dress that originated in prison culture (inmates were not given belts because of suicide risks). Sadly, some go on to become a part of gen pop (aka general population) in a prison system near you. Don’t get me wrong, I know all about the inequality and disproportionate number of minorities in prison systems. That’s totally a problem that I don’t want to over look. Here’s the thing. I’ve always felt more confident when I dress appropriately. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Are we, in a way, giving our consent when we choose to dress certain ways? Or are kids just being kids? Looking at what the culture has produced/is producing I probably think both of those are rhetorical questions. In all seriousness, our youth are suffering and something needs to be done about it. That’s just my two cents.
Blessings,
Brother Preacher
January 31st, 2010 on 7:46 pm
My wife and I would like permission to use the Broken Vessel Picture. The Broken Vessel speaks volumes of a song she has written “He’s The Treasure Held In Earthen Vessels.” Thank you for responding to our request.
Dwain Madden
February 2nd, 2010 on 11:33 am
I want to applaud you for your “two cents” about the baggy pants issue. My son joined this look after his heart went away from the Lord and to me it represents this hardness of heart and the longing to be accepted by all the wrong methods. I believe all too often we as parents permit dress standards to go beyond our values, which in turn send mixed messages to our youth. I loved your comment about the prison mentality being carried into the world and it was accepted because it was condoning freedom of speech not rebellion but is it not truly rebellion in a subtle form of vengence??? “acting out” or being resourceful might be a way of explaining it, but I believe dress style shows the heart of us all.
thank you for your comments and I enjoyed your devotions. Grandmother of four boys and mother of one boy and two daughters. I got saved in their teenage years and regret not taking a stand on their cloths.
February 2nd, 2010 on 11:51 am
Gwen,
Thank you so much for sharing that. I see you have a similar passion for this issue. It’s really serious in the Af-American community. I don’t believe it’s a fad or a trend, but an epidemic. I appreciate your comments and you sharing your story with me. Blessings to you.
February 2nd, 2010 on 11:53 am
I do not own the rights to that picture. You might want to go check for royalty free material online. Thanks for checking with me.
February 2nd, 2010 on 1:41 pm
Thank you Brother. First of all for you piece on Elijah list about focusing on Jesus. God is so fantastic!!! Last night, I had a doubter try to discourage me and the Holy Spirit told me to write what He had to say and it was your very same message. I am a writer and I try to record every time the Holy Spirit speaks to me.
And then, I check out your website and learned something about the droopy drawers issue. I didn’t realize that it had come from prison garb. What it does is actually prepare a mindset for these young and impressionable men to be semi molded into accepting their destiny (at least what they think is their destiny) of ending up behind bars.
They need to see themselves in the image of God and then, they will see who they really are and the phenomenal plans God has for them.
We need to encourage them to see themselves through the eyes of God. And then when they begins to lift up their heads to The Lifter of our heads, they’ll pull up their pants and stand as men of God. But, we have to help them to see themselves in a different way. Not with a critical eye, but with love. We’ve all been there…every single one of us. Maybe not with our pants on the ground, but our souls in the gutter. Someone encouraged or prayed for us. Let’s remember that.
Thanks Brother. God Bless You!!!
Monika
February 2nd, 2010 on 7:27 pm
Such an awesome testimony Monika. It was such a blessing to read your thoughts. Thanks for reading and sharing that with me. Many blessings.