I can just imagine what my grandmother would say if one of my brothers walked into the house with their pants sagging… “Oh mercy. For heaven’s sake pull your pants up!” This seems to be a running theme present in all generations, but not all genres. We have all witnessed the anomaly that has ruffled the feathers of Dallas Deputy Mayor Caraway, school board trustee Price, and many of the local community members. “I think it’s disrespectful, it’s dishonorable and it’s disgusting,” said Price (The Herald Democrat). Is it really disrespectful, dishonorable, and disgusting to sag your pants? Let us discourse about these attributes a little.

To be disrespectful is to lack courtesy or esteem. The perception of lack of respect from the younger generations to the older generations is a conundrum older than the current phenomenon of baggy pants. In the 30’s it was the zoot suit with their extra long jackets and double cuff pants, in the 40’s came the high waisted cinch pants of the 30’s zoot suit without the cuff called “baggies”, in the 50’s the ever popular cigarette box rolled in the sleeve of a plain white undershirt, in the 60’s men liked their shirts to show off their chests, the 70’s affinity for spandex, the 80’s cut off everything… And so I have made my point that in every decade of fashion there is always something someone from another generation or genre won’t like and find offensive- thus labeling the trend as disrespectful. Meaning that if I don’t like what you are wearing, doing, or saying, you must not have any respect for me because you do not fit my idea of what is proper… I find people that wear pants that are too small offensive. Am I so arrogant and presumptuous to think that they must go purchase pants two sizes larger to appease me? No, certainly not, nor would I throw a fit and demand they respect my wishes by hiding their “curves” under some rectangular article of clothing, namely a poncho. And I would never dream of trying to legislate fashion. We are all free to have our own sense of style. Who am I to tell you something doesn’t look good…

Dishonorable. What defines honor that Mr. Price thinks he can call the adorning of pants that are far too large for the occupant the dishonorable thing? In my mind, and I am sure many more logical and level headed people, honor is something intangible. To do the honorable thing is to do the right thing, to stand up for what you believe in, to keep your word, and to live your life with dignity. If a young man in his twenties joins the Army and goes to war, and comes home on leave and finds the comfort, style, and proper ventilation, not to mention, the fashion statement a pair of ultra baggy jeans offers, is he then dishonorable or is it dishonorable for him to sport the trend just because someone else doesn’t care for it? Does it speak to his morals, ethics, integrity, or sense of duty to his country? I think not.

Disgusting to me describes this society’s haste to pass judgment on someone’s character by using such adjectives as dishonorable and disrespectful. Disgusting is the fact that the deputy mayor of Dallas is spending tax payer funds to try to legislate a bill to outlaw a person’s right to dress in a manner that is comfortable and expresses their sense of style. What is disgusting is this same deputy mayor plans to enforce this legislature by tying up already exhausted police resources with citing citizens of Dallas with tickets for sagging their pants. I am not a personal fan of the style, nor do I understand how walking around holding up the crotch of your pants is cool, but it isn’t for me to say what works for someone else. I do not propose to pass judgment on the character of anyone that partakes in the fashion trend. I agree with it being ruled out of schools, if for no other reason than safety. If Deputy Mayor Caraway does succeed in even passing a city ordinance regarding the non-saggation of britches, let us hope Mr. Deputy Mayor Caraway is not in need of the boys in blue when they are too busyfulfilling their new found positions as fashion police citing the fine citizens of the city of Dallas for the failure to comply with the ordinance.