TL:DR – Mississippi lawmaker hates sagging pants so much, aside from fines for repeat offenders, psychiatric counseling becomes necessary
This story is kind of a good example of the current state of the American political climate. If this story broke out a few months ago prior to the presidential election, it probably would have gone mostly ignored, possibly ridiculed, but a definite flash in the pan. People like me laugh about the irony behind how stupid it is, and maybe even dedicate some words in a privately run blog and shine a little bit of light to like six readers.
But happening now? It’s racist!! The lawmaker? He’s racist!! The implications behind punishing people who sag their pants? Racist!! It’s Trump’s fault!! Emboldened!! Racist!!
I know this is the reaction, because I’ve perused through the general meat of the comments of this story in various outlets. The vast majority of them are saying the same things about how this is a waste of taxpayer dollars, how there are better things to be working on, and how this reeks of racism, due to the fact that the vast majority of people known to sag their pants are black guys.
Look, I don’t care if a guy is black, white, brown, yellow, Korean, Cambodian, Portuguese, Hmong or Iranian – I do not want to see the Huggies of another grown man, ever. Sure, I agree that perhaps there are some more pressing matters in which lawmakers could be focusing on, but I am entirely okay with rules existing that declare escalating punishment for those who insist on letting everyone around them see their gross-ass drawers. If it means denigrating a grown man to where he is sent to a shrink because he can’t rationally understand why it’s considered in poor taste to have your pants half on, then so be it.
Really, it’s just funny to fathom that someone out there thinks sagging pants is a mental disorder, and that counseling is really going to make a difference. But hey, if it gets people to stop doing it, why not give it a whirl?
Yes, there are a ton of things else that could have been addressed, but I highly doubt those who fling stones of criticism have never skirted something of higher priority to take care of something inconsequential before. Lawmaker or not, we all have different beliefs at what makes our communities, and the world around us better places, and a world with less bums with sagged pants is one I don’t think is that bad at all.
