On a recent trip to the mall, I saw a young man who could barely walk because the seat of his pants sagged to his thighs. I just shook my head and wondered to myself, ‘Is this the future?’ Because if it is, we’re in a whole heap of trouble. The dress code of today’s youth is symptomatic of larger problems of what is supposed to be the future generation of doctors, lawyers, scholars and other professionals. The lifestyles and decision-making of an increasingly large numbers of young men, both Black and White, should be called into question. Oversized pants and undersized goals make for a bleak future.
The problem of boys and young men wearing their pants below their waist appears to be more than just a fad. When I was growing up, we simply wouldn’t even think about wearing sagging pants. We took pride in the way we looked. I suspect the number one reason for our pants not dragging the ground was our parents. I can’t fathom leaving or coming into my house with my pants “saggin’” and draggin’.” I suspect we weren’t influenced by popular culture as much as the youth are today. Back in the day of no color televisions and chickens in the backyard, there wasn’t the peer pressure that there is today. Can you imagine wearing your drooping pants with chickens roaming around in the backyard? Finally, there were social factors to consider. I don’t think girls would have taken too kindly to guys wearing their pants down to the ground. While Sean John and Tommy Hilfiger weren’t around, we were still quite conscious about a “look” that we wanted to convey.
Young men have succumbed to the no-rules dress code. This social phenomenon, jumpstarted by the hip-hop culture, has men behaving badly, at least from a clothing perspective. First off, the mantra for many young men is “the bigger, the better.” If your regular size is medium, then why are you wearing an extra large shirt? If your waist size is 32, then why are you wearing size 38?
I am reminded of the expression, “If your mind can conceive it and your heart can believe it, then you can achieve it.” Many young men between the ages of 15-28 can’t conceive of success. It is simply not in their mindset to think that their futures can be bright. Television has only exacerbated the problem. They see rap stars parading around with their pants falling off of them and they believe that this is reality. What kind of job interview can you go to wearing jeans five sizes too big? And when you don’t get the job, you blame “the man” or the “system.”
In spite of this dismal forecast, we still must be proactive and find some solutions. We must use our places of worship to help to provide home training lessons for our young men. We must teach them how to talk to other adults and children without swearing and otherwise being incoherent. In addition, we can sponsor dress-for-success seminars so that young men can become acquainted with suits, shirts and ties. Understand that the wing-tip shoe or the penny loafer can replace Timberland boots. If more young women accepted this type of dress, young men would change their behavior quickly. Our fraternities, sororities and social clubs must get serious if we are to save this next generation. In some ways, we must meet them on their own terms. Music is a compelling force in the lives of the young. Let us sponsor some contests that also have some life lessons attached to them. As adults, we have to also think about our own rationale self interests. Many of us can’t retire because of the young men and women that we see each day acting irresponsibly. Would a survey show that more jails than schools are being built across the country? I am afraid of the answer. The exterior problem of sagging pants is only part of the challenge. The bigger problem is turning hopelessness into hope. We have got to speak up and speak out unless we want a generation of young men with no direction and with no purpose.
