I followed this curious news headline the other day:
Several U.S. cities snapping over baggy pants. It seems that the logic is that if they prevent sagging, they will reduce crime.
I am still suprised to see that sagging is still in, being that it really rose in the late 80s and early 90s. Looking back embarrassingly on my own high school years and fads. I admit that I sagged on occassion. The next generation have taken sagging to new lenghts. But I think it is pretty pathetic to see a 40 year old man dressed like a teenager. But, then again, who am I to enforce dress codes? The truth is that by banning sagging in libraries, parks, and municipal buildings, you are preventing a lot of good kids (who just happen to sag) from using public services and staying out of trouble. I am really tired of bandaid solutions to real social ills in underserved communities. If they really want to address youth crime, they need to consider economic development, job training, after school and conflict resolution programs. Importantly, I think that they developing services that deal with the emotional and spiritual void that our youth are experiencing due to collapsing communities and families and the traumatic life experiences that no young person should have had to witness witness.