Searching for an Identity

Some town or city in the U.S. wants to pass a law or a regulation against the recent fad of boys wearing their pants with the belt down around their thighs; low-riders, they are called. One wag has termed this recent foolishness a “crack epidemic.”

This type of law is blatantly unconstitutional, of course; local governments are not empowered to impose dress codes on their citizens and visitors, short of prohibiting indecent exposure. Schools, on the other hand, can impose dress codes on their students, and they should, in order to maintain an atmosphere conducive to learning.

Like many Americans I dislike this “low rider” look, on boys, particularly. I associate it with the “hip-hop culture,” which is another of those unfortunate developments that devolves our culture to the lowest common denominator, and moves us ever closer to the tribal culture from which we evolved many centuries ago.

My reaction to this “fashion” statement is giggling and sometimes outright laughter at the dopey-looking kids that dress this way. They look ridiculous. It's as if no one taught them to dress themselves.

And perhaps that is the way to combat this sad fashion trend: Point fingers at these geeks, and laugh hysterically. Maybe they’ll get message that they look really stupid.

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