Martin Luther King Jr. would roll over in his grave if he could see how ridiculous our young African American boys look in their sagging pants. Where did this fashion originate? It originated in prisons. Gay prisoners sagged their pants to signal to fellow prisoners that they were sexually available.  

The practice was adopted throughout the Hip-Hop culture and into mainstream America. Yesterday, I saw a young white male shopping at East Chase with his pants sagging. What would the late segregationist, Governor Lester Maddox, say about that? What is this world coming to? 

There are three rules carved in stone at my house. Rule one: My sons will not wear an earring in their ears. Rule two: My sons will not sag their pants. Rule three: My daughter will not date a thug! I have not had a problem-enforcing Rule one, but Rule two has become a challenge and my daughter is too young for me to have to be concerned about Rule three. Kids want to fit in with their peers. Greg Jr., looking at my old photographs from my growing up days in Rocky Mount, North Carolina pointed out that when I was his age I looked like a brother from another planet. I had a super Afro and bell-bottoms so wide that I nearly knocked folks over when I turned the corner. I quickly distinguished my fashion by boldly claiming “but I looked good!” 

I remember when young black males had role models in close proximity. Prior to residential integration, the Black middle class lived very close to the Black working class and poor. Kids from the lower class were able to see Black dentists, teachers, attorneys, engineers, and business owners. They could see with their own eyes the benefits of going to school and acquiring a good education. My next door neighbor Dr. Pittman was a dentist. A black lawyer lived a few houses down the street from him. When Blacks were able to relocate to the suburb working class and poor black children were left with fewer role models from the professional class. 

While I don’t exactly live in the Ghetto, I do live in the Get toe! (Prestigious Haardt Estates) I live in close proximity to people who are struggling to make it. I certainly hope that I serve as a role model to those who observe me. I hope that they see that you can make it in America if you work hard and obey the laws of the land. 

When I enforce rule two I tell my sons that they have to be twice as good to go half as far. The way you present yourself in society means a lot. Trust me, you don’t want to emulate a thug. I would prefer that my sons wear bow ties, blue blazers and khaki pants. Somehow I don’t think that will ever happen. Peace!

In the words of my dad, “If you don’t have money at least have class!”

Greg Griffin is a free lance writer. You can read his previous articles by visiting his web page at www.greggriffin.com